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Simon Dellicour

@sdellicour.bsky.social
887 followers 167 following 49 posts

F.R.S.-FNRS Research Associate at the University of Brussels (Spatial Epidemiology Lab - SpELL, spell.ulb.be) and Visiting Professor at the University of Leuven (Evolutionary & Computational Virology lab, rega.kuleuven.be/cev/ecv)

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Reposted by Simon Dellicour
Gytis Dudas @evogytis.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
baltic v1.0.0 is live! Get it via pip or clone from Github repo. Now with documentation (baltic.readthedocs.io) & a gallery of tutorials & examples (phylo-baltic.github.io/baltic-gallery, still WIP). Huge thanks to @barney-potter.bsky.social for all the initiative & help along the way. #ViroSky
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Raphaëlle K @raph-klitting.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
3) We show that epidemic dynamics were associated with climatic conditions (temperature and precipitation, which shape mosquito density and activity), but that climate alone cannot account for the decline in transmission at the end of the epidemic.
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Raphaëlle K @raph-klitting.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Happy to share the final version of our latest study on the 2024-2025 chikungunya virus epidemic on Réunion island published today in @pnas.org 🎉 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
Unraveling the epidemiological and dispersal dynamics of the 2024–2025 chikungunya virus epidemic on Réunion Island | PNAS
Réunion Island experienced a massive chikungunya virus epidemic in 2024–2025, with >54,000 confirmed cases. This is the second major chikungunya ep...
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Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Potential postdoc opportunity! We're looking for someone to do Good Work Fast at the interface between zoonotic disease ecology and global climate and land-use projections. Strong skills in statistics and geospatial modeling are the non-negotiable here. In-person in New Haven. More essential info 👉
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heerens.bsky.social @heerens.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Super stoked to share that our Opinion article is now online at @cp-trendsgenetics.bsky.social!!! With "our" I mean: @teuneverts.bsky.social, @sdellicour.bsky.social and myself!! Here is a link to our piece: authors.elsevier.com/a/1nFgD_3rsx...
authors.elsevier.com
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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Amazing speed from the teams in Uganda and the DRC - impressive! Three genomes released so far - a few quick takes: 1️⃣ New genomes ~equidistant from 2007 and 2012 outbreaks. 2️⃣ Represents new spillover from reservoir. 3️⃣ Limited diversity, so too early to speculate on timing. Great work ⭐!
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Nick Loman @pathogenomenick.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
First genome sequence from Andes hantavirus strain from ongoing ship outbreak posted on Virological: virological.org/t/complete-s... courtesy Swiss National Reference Centre for Emerging Viral Infections, Geneva University Hospitals, University of Zurich
virological.org
Complete sequence of Orthohantavirus andesense virus: Swiss resident 2026
Posted on behalf of the Swiss National Reference Center for Emerging Viral Infections, Geneva University Hospitals and the Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich (Partner Laboratory Natio...
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Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
New in @science.org ‼️ In the most comprehensive study to date, we show that wildlife trade is driving animal-to-human zoonotic spillover at a planetary scale, with +1 spillover per host every 10 years. Live animal markets and illegal trade pose even greater risks. 🔓 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Wildlife trade drives animal-to-human pathogen transmission over 40 years
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Simon Dellicour @sdellicour.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Ten years after the release of version 1.0, we are happy to announce version 2.0 of the toolbox “seraphim”, our R package for studying phylogenetically informed movements in molecular epidemiology studies - 1/4
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Nature Reviews Genetics @natrevgenet.nature.com · 30/01/2026
Review: Phylogenetic insights into the transmission dynamics of arthropod-borne viruses by @viralverity.bsky.social, @sdellicour.bsky.social, Marta Giovanetti & @nathangrubaugh.bsky.social go.nature.com/4iX9R6N Free to read here: rdcu.be/e1t9M #worldntdday
go.nature.com
Phylogenetic insights into the transmission dynamics of arthropod-borne viruses - Nature Reviews Genetics
Arthropod-borne viruses have a substantial impact on global health, with climate change and urbanization exacerbating their emergence. Integrating genomic surveillance and phylogenetic models with eco...
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Ellie Bourgikos @ebourgikos.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
🦟📄 New preprint! Our first large-scale phylodynamic study of Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) reveals how mosquito ecology shapes the evolution, persistence, and spread of this understudied arbovirus in North America. Read it here! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Evolutionary history of Jamestown Canyon virus disentangles complex multi-vector ecology
Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) is a re-emerging mosquito-borne virus of increasing concern in North America. It has been historically understudied, leading to significant gaps in our understanding of it...
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Raphaëlle K @raph-klitting.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
I am very glad to share the preprint for our latest study on the 2024-2025 chikungunya virus outbreak on Réunion island, with primary data produced thanks to the massive efforts performed by Marie-C Jaffar and Etienne Frumence and analyses led by Simon Dellicour. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
medrxiv.org
Unravelling the epidemiological and dispersal dynamics of the 2024-2025 chikungunya virus outbreak on Reunion island
Reunion island just experienced a massive chikungunya virus outbreak in 2024-2025, with more than 54,000 confirmed cases. This is the second major chikungunya outbreak on the island, following the fir...
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Simon Dellicour @sdellicour.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Our latest study dedicated to the massive 2024-2025 chikungunya virus outbreak on Réunion island is now available as a preprint on medRxiv: doi.org/10.64898/202.... With more than 54,000 confirmed cases this is the second major chikungunya outbreak on the island, following the 1° one 20 yrs ago. 1/9
doi.org
Unravelling the epidemiological and dispersal dynamics of the 2024-2025 chikungunya virus outbreak on Reunion island
Reunion island just experienced a massive chikungunya virus outbreak in 2024-2025, with more than 54,000 confirmed cases. This is the second major chikungunya outbreak on the island, following the fir...
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Reposted by Simon Dellicour
Nature Reviews Genetics @natrevgenet.nature.com · 15/12/2025
Review: Phylogenetic insights into the transmission dynamics of arthropod-borne viruses by @viralverity.bsky.social, @sdellicour.bsky.social, Marta Giovanetti & @nathangrubaugh.bsky.social go.nature.com/4iX9R6N
go.nature.com
Phylogenetic insights into the transmission dynamics of arthropod-borne viruses - Nature Reviews Genetics
Arthropod-borne viruses have a substantial impact on global health, with climate change and urbanization exacerbating their emergence. Integrating genomic surveillance and phylogenetic models with eco...
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Simon Dellicour @sdellicour.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Check out our new study entitled "Navigating sampling bias in discrete phylogeographic analysis: assessing the performance of an adjusted Bayes factor" and now published in Molecular Biology & Evolution: academic.oup.com/mbe/article/... (1/9)
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Molecular Biology and Evolution @molbioevol.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
Gámbaro, @sdellicour.bsky.social et al. use simulations to evaluate an adjusted Bayes factor for discrete phylogeography that accounts for sampling bias, which lowers false positives and improves root inference. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf253 #evobio #molbio #phylogenetics
doi.org
Navigating Sampling Bias in Discrete Phylogeographic Analysis: Assessing the Performance of an Adjusted Bayes Factor
Abstract. Bayesian phylogeographic inference is widely used in molecular epidemiological studies to reconstruct the dispersal history of pathogens. Discret
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Chiara Poletto @chpoletto.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Our analysis of modelling practices, data use, and science-policy interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic is out on @eurosurveillance.org this week. www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2... Wonderful collaborative effort conducted in the context of mood-h2020.eu Read the thread below 👇
mood-h2020.eu
Home - MOOD project
MOnitoring Outbreaks for Disease surveillance in a data science context Innovative and collaborative tools and services for early detection, assessment, and monitoring of current and potential infecti...
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Caspar Geenen @caspargeenen.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
In the COVID-19 Omicron surge, #KULeuven combined contact tracing with sequencing. Only 1/3 of contacts shared the same strain 🤯, so most people misperceived where they got infected. @thibaut-jonathan.bsky.social and team show how to assess contact tracing accuracy in the future! #IDSky #EpiSky
sciencedirect.com
A novel methodology for assessing contact tracing precision: Phylogenetic validation of a contact tracing program for COVID-19 in Belgium
During the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing was widely used to limit virus propagation and implement targeted disease control measures. It can howev…
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Simon Dellicour @sdellicour.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Ongoing at the @ulbruxelles.bsky.social: the 4th edition of the Health Geography and Spatial Epidemiology workshop organised by the homonymous FNRS contact group (www.healthgeographygroup.eu)
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Andrew Rambaut (🐏🎀) @arambaut.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
BEAST X v10.5.0 finally released – you can't just do beta releases forever. github.com/beast-dev/be... Details and instructions for installing on the BEAST website: beast.community
The BEAST X logo - an octopus wrapping its noodley appendages round the letter X.
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Simon Dellicour @sdellicour.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Our study on the development and comparative performance of novel landscape phylogeography approaches has now been published in @pnas.org: lnkd.in/d5yuYwk6. A study led at the @ulbruxelles.bsky.social and @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social, and mainly conducted with the support of the F.R.S.-FNRS
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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Reposted by Simon Dellicour
Moritz Kraemer @mugkraemer.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Phylogenetic insights into the transmission dynamics of arthropod-borne viruses www.nature.com/articles/s41... Great work by Verity Hill and team
nature.com
Phylogenetic insights into the transmission dynamics of arthropod-borne viruses - Nature Reviews Genetics
Arthropod-borne viruses have a substantial impact on global health, with climate change and urbanization exacerbating their emergence. Integrating genomic surveillance and phylogenetic models with eco...
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Reposted by Simon Dellicour
Nathan Grubaugh @nathangrubaugh.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Interested in using phylogenetics to study arboviruses? Our new review in @natrevgenet.nature.com‬ by @viralverity.bsky.social‬, @sdellicour.bsky.social‬, and Marta Giovanetti has you covered! 📖 👉 rdcu.be/epH2U Short 🧵
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Société Française de Phytopathologie @sfp-france.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
#SFP2025 is just starting. Lets talk about plant pathology!
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Spyros Lytras @spyroslytras.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
Sooo happy to finally have this one published!! (3 years in the making… 👀) A comprehensive investigation into the recency and geographical origins of both SARS-CoVs that spilled to humans in the past few decades, now in @cp-cell.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com
The recency and geographical origins of the bat viruses ancestral to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2
Recombination-aware evolutionary analyses of the entire genomes of SARS-CoV-1-like and SARS-CoV-2-like viruses indicate that SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 descend from bat coronaviruses that circulated as...
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Reposted by Simon Dellicour
Stuart Neil @tetherin.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Comparative phylogeography and recombination patterns of SARS CoV-1 and SARS CoV-2 related viruses. Both are derived from recent recombinations in their host bats, and then emerged in human hundreds of miles from their wild reservoirs. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com
The recency and geographical origins of the bat viruses ancestral to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2
Recombination-aware evolutionary analyses of the entire genomes of SARS-CoV-1-like and SARS-CoV-2-like viruses indicate that SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 descend from bat coronaviruses that circulated as...
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ULBRecherche @ulbrecherche.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
🦇🦠 Nouvelle étude sur l’origine des virus de chauve-souris liés au SRAS et à la COVID-19 : le SARS-CoV-2 serait arrivé à Wuhan trop vite pour avoir été transporté naturellement par des chauves-souris. 👉 bit.ly/4m3Fb4Y @mariusgilbert.bsky.social @sdellicour.bsky.social
bit.ly
Nouvelle étude sur l’origine géographique des virus de chauve-souris ancêtres des virus responsables du SRAS et de la COVID-19 - Actualités de l'ULB
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Simon Dellicour @sdellicour.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Check out our latest study "Comparative performance of novel viral landscape phylogeography approaches", which is now available as a preprint on bioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... @ulbruxelles.bsky.social @ulbrecherche.bsky.social - 1/8
biorxiv.org
Comparative performance of novel viral landscape phylogeography approaches
The fast rate of evolution in RNA viruses implies that their evolutionary and ecological processes occur on the same time scale. Genome sequences of these pathogens can therefore contain information a...
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Claire Guinat @claireguinat.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
📢 New paper out! 🦆 Our latest study on HPAI in France and risk mapping has just been published doi.org/10.1371/jour... @epidesa.bsky.social @inrae-france.bsky.social @anses-fr.bsky.social ENVT ULB
doi.org
Spatial risk modelling of highly pathogenic avian influenza in France: Fattening duck farm activity matters
In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of the key spatial risk factors and predictive risk maps for HPAI infection in France, with a focus on the 2016–17 and 2020–21 epidemic waves. Our fi...
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Marius Gilbert @mariusgilbert.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
Lecture essentielle pour comprendre ce qui est occupé à se passer dans l'administration américaine.
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Simon Dellicour @sdellicour.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
How fast are viruses spreading in the wild? Check out our latest study now published in @plosbiology.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1371/jour.... A study performed with Paul Bastide, Pauline Rocu, Denis Fargette, Olivier Hardy, @msuchard.bsky.social, @stephaneguindon.bsky.social, and Philippe Lemey (1/7)
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Stephane Guindon @stephaneguindon.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Modeling the velocity of evolving lineages and predicting dispersal patterns www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
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Edward Nirenberg @enirenberg.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
This is a brilliant article from @helenbranswell.bsky.social about H5N1 that I think everyone should read, but I’m a bit worried that people may have the wrong takeaway despite its thoroughness: www.statnews.com/2024/12/02/b...
statnews.com
Scientists confront a mystery: Why have U.S. bird flu cases been so mild?
The H5N1 bird flu outbreak in the U.S. has so far been shockingly mild. Researchers have some theories as to why.
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Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
I spoke to @mscribe.bsky.social @theguardian.com about the H5N1 case in BC. More and more human cases are occurring, along with mutations that indicate further human adaptation. We need to treat these cases like a warning, because that is what they are. www.theguardian.com/world/2024/n...
theguardian.com
Bird flu in Canada may have mutated to become more transmissible to humans
Scientists are racing to understand what a hospitalized teen’s case of bird flu may mean for future outbreaks
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Moritz Kraemer @mugkraemer.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Another opportunity to come work @universityofoxford.bsky.social on the @oxmartinschool.bsky.social project on *Digital Pandemic Preparedness* together with Profs. Christl Donnelly, Christophe Fraser, Melinda Mills, Michael Parker, Luca Ferretti and me. my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk
Digital Pandemic Preparedness
This programme will develop a blueprint for digital health systems that can be deployed during pandemics, create a funding model for implementation, and…
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Hensley Lab @scottehensley.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
The preliminary sequence from the H5N1 human case in British Columbia has been posted and it is not good news. The virus potentially has a quasispecies at HA residue 226 (H3 numbering). This is bad news because we know that mutations at residue 226 can increase binding to human receptors. 1/
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Simon Dellicour @sdellicour.bsky.social · 04/11/2024
[Job offer, a 4-year PhD student position at the @ulbruxelles.bsky.social] Please share, with Claire Guinat we are looking for a highly motivated PhD student to work under our co-supervision within the VIVACE Doctoral Network (1/5)
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Simon Dellicour @sdellicour.bsky.social · 09/04/2024
Nice "news & views" piece in Nature referring to and coming back on our recent study dedicated to the decline of European bumblebee populations: www.nature.com/articles/d41....
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