iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

These factors collectively determine outbreak potential and disease severity, contributing to the broader knowledge framework needed to address emerging arboviral threats.

010 1

💡 Why this matters: A focus on vector-virus-host interactions is critical because successful WNV transmission depends on complex molecular mechanisms that govern viral replication within mosquito vectors, viral adaptation to different host species, and the efficiency of vector-to-host transmission.

- The presence of mosquito saliva at the WNV inoculation site in mice, leads to increased permeability of the dermal endothelium at the inoculation site, and increased mortality compared to inoculation of WNV alone.

- Saliva proteins from anthropophilic mosquito species induce permeability in an in vitro model of the human dermal endothelium, while an ornithophilic mosquito species do not.

- During probing and feeding, a mosquito injects both saliva and virus particles into the host skin. Mosquito salivary proteins induce permeability of the capillaries while also dampening the immune responses, and recruiting susceptible immune cells for dissemination to distant organs.

🔬 Key findings: - The novel WNV strain isolated from a common chiffchaff in the Netherlands in 2020, is neurovirulent in a mouse model. - Changes in dinucleotide frequency in the genome of WNV impacts the replication, transmission and virulence of WNV.

120 2

🦟What factors impact the clinical outcome of West Nile virus infection? In her thesis “West Nile virus pathogenesis: exploring the vector-virus-host interface”, Imke employed a multifaceted approach to advance our understanding of WNV pathogenesis, host-virus interactions, and vector influence.

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Xmas came early again this year! Very proud of Imke Visser, last week she handed me a copy of her thesis. She will defend her thesis on Wednesday, January 7th, 2026. It was a pleasure supervising her! #ProudPI

122 2

Thanks for the invitation! Looking forward to sharing some of our exciting work on emerging arboviruses, see you there!

@ERINHA-RI @erinha-ri.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Reposted by Barry Rockx

🎉 Join the #ISIDORe User Conference – FREE registration now open! 🧬 📅 11–12 June 2025 | 📍 Paris & online 🔬 Showcasing ISIDORe’s key contributions from users & infrastructures 🤝 Meet peers, share results, shape the future 👉 isidore-project.eu/user-confere... ##InfectiousDiseases #FreeConference

122 2

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Great collaboration with the group of Sander Koenraadt, @marionkoopmans.bsky.social from the #OneHealthPact and many others.

000 0

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

In addition, saliva from Cx. pipiens biotypes enhance WNV-induced morbidity and mortality in vivo, as well as increased dermal vascular permeability at the inoculation site. However, only Cx pipiens molestus saliva enhances WNV viremia.

100 1

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

🦟 Imke found that saliva from anthropophilic mosquitoes (Aedes and Cx. pipiens molestus) increases permeability of the dermal endothelium, likely due to protease(s) absent in ornithophilic Cx. pipiens pipiens.

100 1

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

What a start of the year! Email on Jan 1st, paper accepted! Stay tuned!

100 1

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

It depends on the question I suppose. I particularly like the human lung xenograft model, because it allows (for the first time) for direct comparison of HFRS and HCPS viruses in human lung tissue. The possibilities with combining with a human immune system are especially exciting!

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

As if writing a thesis wasn’t hard enough, Eleanor did the design and layout all by herself. Even the individual chapter pages are specifically geared towards each topic.

010 1

3/ Finally, she consolidated the clinicopathological findings obtained from human cases of WNV neuroinvasive disease and compare these with the sparse data available for human cases of USUV-related disease, to speculate on the underlying causes of the clinical differences.

010 1

2/ Next, she investigated the haematogenous routes of neuroinvasion to identify whether USUV and WNV differ in their ability to invade across the blood-brain barrier. She then used motor neurons to investigate their potential for use of transneural routes of neuroinvasion.

1/ During her PhD, Eleanor started with an overview of the neuroinvasive routes and mechanisms employed by arboviruses. She then identify whether USUV and WNV differ in their ability to infect and replicate within the brain, using a human brain slice model.

Xmas came early this year! Not 1 but two theses received from 2 highly talented PhD students. Can't wait for their thesis defenses next year, what a way to start 2025!

000 0

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

Very proud of Eleanor Marshall, today she handed me a copy of her thesis. She will defend her thesis on Thursday February 13th! It was a pleasure supervising her! #ProudPI

370 7

/3 Finally, he used a human lung xenograft mouse model to study the early cell tropism and host response of a range of HFRS and HCPS orthohantaviruses in human lung tissue in vivo.

000 0

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

/2 He then went on to develop a 3D vessel-on-chip model to investigate the effect of Puumala virus infection on endothelial cell function and response. He also studied the difference in endothelial cell responses to Seoul virus infection in the reservoir (rats) and humans.

100 1

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

/1 During his PhD, Danny first characterized a Puumala virus patient cohort to identify key immunological, hemostatic and kidney injury markers. Next he summarized current data on cell tropism in humans and animals, identifying key gaps in knowledge.

100 1

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Very proud of Danny Noack, today he handed me a copy of his thesis. He will defend on Thursday, January 23rd! It’s been an pleasure supervising him! #ProudPI

270 7

7/ Great collaboration between Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Laurens Liesenborghs, ISIDORe, VetBioNet, RIVM and many others.

000 0

6/ However, given the ongoing multi-country outbreak of clade I MPXV, here we present a potential new infection and disease model that recapitulates the disease seen in the majority of human cases and can be used for preclinical evaluation of countermeasures against MPXV.

100 1

5/ Based on the acute self-limiting infection, lack of viremia, and lack of prolonged shedding as shown in this study, there is a low risk for rats to establish as a reservoir for MPXV.

100 1

4/ We showed that experimental inoculation of rats with MPXV results in an acute and self-limiting infection, characterized by a transient development of skin lesions. Infected rats also shed infectious MPXV via the respiratory tract and skin lesions.

100 1

3/ The main objective of this study was to assess the susceptibility of rats to MPXV and characterize the disease progression, viral shedding and transmission potential in an effort to understand whether rats could potentially act as (intermediate) host and become reservoirs.

100 1

2/ The detection of MPXV in waste water adds to the potential risk of brown rats, which often live in sewers, becoming a reservoir for this virus. Therefore, we revisited the 1976 observation that adult rats, but not newborns, appeared to be resistant to large doses of MPXV.

100 1

Experimental monkeypox virus infection in rats

New preprint! The global spread of Monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade IIb in 2022/2023 raised concerns about spillback into new animal reservoirs. In this study we showed that rats are susceptible to infection with MPXV. doi.org/10.1101/2024...

doi.org

The global spread of Monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade IIb in 2022/2023 raised concerns about spillback into new animal reservoirs. Experimental inoculation of rats with MPXV resulted in skin lesions and v...

100 1

Reposted by Barry Rockx

Neeltje van Doremalen @neeltje.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

I am looking for a postdoctoral researcher to investigate mucosal immune responses in infectious disease models. More information can be found here: www.training.nih.gov/jobs/pdirta-... Please share 😊

training.nih.gov

Postdoctoral intramural research training award

02421 24

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

Her results show that this strain could efficiently infect primary human cells of the blood-brain barrier and caused significant weight loss, neurological signs, and disease in mice, confirming neurovirulence.

000 0

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

First research paper of Imke Visser's thesis published! Very cool paper on evaluating the virulence of a newly emerged WNV lineage 2 strain isolated in the Netherlands, in 2020 as part of OneHealthPact! www.nature.com/articles/s44...

nature.com

In vitro and in vivo characterization of a novel West Nile virus lineage 2 strain - npj Viruses

npj Viruses - In vitro and in vivo characterization of a novel West Nile virus lineage 2 strain

1113 11

Reposted by Barry Rockx

Arbovirus seminars @arbovirus.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

400 followers in 4 days, that's crazy! Anyway, we have this super cool seminar tomorrow (THURSDAY) with @barryrockx.bsky.social . Let us know if you need a zoom link. All welcome! #virology #high_containment #pathogenesis

0154 15

Barry Rockx @barryrockx.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Thanks Matt! Tall is relative of course, during our time in the Baric lab, sure! But since I’m back in the Netherlands, not so much…