Erik Karlsson
@eakarlsson.bsky.social
Emerging/endemic infectious diseases, mostly viruses. Pandemic Prevention. Early Warning. One Health. Science outside-the-box. Views my own. 🦠🧪🔬🐓🦇
AFD Blog `Cambodian MOH Announces 4th Human #H5N1 Case of 2026' h/t @eakarlsson.bsky.social afludiary.blogspot.com/2026/04/camb...
Cambodian MOH Announces 4th Human H5N1 Case of 2026
#19,125 With thanks for the head's up from @E_A_Karlsson , we have the following announcement from Cambodia's Ministry of Health on their...
afludiary.blogspot.com
AFD Blog `Cambodian MOH Announces 3rd Human #H5N1 Case of 2026' h/t @eakarlsson.bsky.social afludiary.blogspot.com/2026/03/camb...
Cambodian MOH Announces 3rd Human H5N1 Case of 2026
#19,102 With thanks for the head's up from @E_A_Karlsson , we have the following announcement from Cambodia's Ministry of Health on thei...
afludiary.blogspot.com
Cambodia confirms 2nd human #H5N1 case of 2026 in a 45-year-old woman from Banteay Meanchey province. Patient hospitalized and under treatment. 🥼🦠😷🔬🐓🧪💉 2026: 2 cases, 0 deaths Since 2023: 36 cases, 15 deaths (CFR 41.7%) Since 2004: 92 cases, 52 deaths (CFR 56.5%) #AvianInfluenza #BirdFlu
Applications are now open for the 7th ISRV School of Respiratory Viruses, hosted by the School of Public Health at The University of Hong Kong. Program details: isrv.eventsair.com/7th-isrv-sch... Apply here: isrv.eventsair.com/Presentation... Applications close: 30 April (UTC+8) 🦠🐓🧪😷🥼💉🔬
Planning is underway for the 2026 Metagenomic Virus Discovery workshop. Last years workshop was a great success with 22 participants representing 11 countries. If you would like to know more, get in contact with our organising committee at mvdworkshop2025@gmail.com
In our recent @nature.com Communications study, we compared traditional #poultry swabs with environmental #metagenomics, sampling #air, cage surfaces, carcass wash water, and drinking water in two Cambodian live bird markets. 🦠😷🔬🧪🐓🥼 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Client Challenge
nature.com
The WHO/WOAH/FAO H5 Evolution Working Group just released a major nomenclature update: 12 new H5 clades across 2.3.2.1 and 2.3.4.4, the result of a decade of relentless viral evolution stretching from Asia to Africa, the Americas, and even Antarctica. 🥼🔬🧪🦠🐓😷 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Nomenclature updates to the hemagglutinin gene clade designations resulting from the continued evolution of high pathogenicity avian influenza A(H5) virus clades 2.3.2.1c and 2.3.4.4
The evolutionary divergence of the A(H5) hemagglutinin (HA) gene of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) viruses (A/goose/Guangdong/96 lineage) was analyzed by phylogenetic and average pairwise d...
biorxiv.org
Go @eakarlsson.bsky.social knocking it out of the park at the @virus-metagenomics.bsky.social workshop at CERI in Stellenbosch.
Tomorrow evening we have our keynote lecture session from 16:00 in the Neelsie Cinema, Stellenbosch University. Dr Maja Vukovikj will be speaking about Africas ancient disease landscape and Dr Erik Karlsson will talk about metagenomics and high-risk interfaces tinyurl.com/ytj3sppm
Proud to be part of this new Nature Biotechnology paper, “RNA structure modulates Cas13 activity and enables mismatch detection.” Detecting single-nucleotide mutations in #influenza or SARS-CoV-2 is how you know, fast, when a virus is playing by different rules. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
RNA structure modulates Cas13 activity and enables mismatch detection - Nature Biotechnology
An effective CRISPR RNA occlusion strategy enhances mismatch detection when using Cas13.
nature.com
Now out in @nejm.org : Between 2023–2024: Sixteen human infections with A/H5N1 in Cambodia. Six deaths. Most in children. All exposed to sick or dead poultry. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Resurgence of Zoonotic Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus in Cambodia | NEJM
In this report from Cambodia, 16 human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection that occurred from February 2023 through August 2024 are described.
nejm.org
Time’s running out! We’re hiring 1 Scientist + 2 Postdocs at @PasteurCambodia’s #Virology Unit to work on emerging viruses & #zoonoses. If you want to do real-time science that matters—this is your chance. Apply now. Start soon. 🦠🔬🧪🐓💉🦇😷🥼 #academicjobs #OneHealth #Virology
Erik Karlsson@eakarlsson.bsky.social · last yr.**JOBS ALERT** The Virology Unit at @PasteurCambodia hiring 1 Scientist and 2 Postdocs to join our fast-moving, field-connected, research-driven team on emerging viruses and zoonoses. 🧪🧬🥼🦠🔬🐓💉🦇😷 Limited time to apply — and we need people to start ASAP.**👇
Cambodia has confirmed its 15th human case of #H5N1 in 2025. That brings the year’s total to 15 cases and 7 deaths (CFR: 46.6%). Since 2005: 87 cases, 50 deaths (CFR: 57.5%). 🧪🧬🥼🦠🔬😷🐓💉 #AvianInfluenza #Zoonoses #BirdFlu #Spillover
Cambodia has confirmed its 14th human case of avian influenza A/H5N1 in 2025 : a 26-year-old man from Siem Reap. So far in 2025: 14 cases, 7 deaths — a case fatality rate (CFR) of 50% Since 2005: 86 cases, 50 deaths (CFR: 58.1%) 🧪🧬🥼🦠🔬😷🐓💉
13th human case of #H5N1 in Cambodia this year: 6-year-old boy from Tbong Khmum province, confirmed on July 21. Exposure likely linked to sick and dead poultry. He is currently in intensive care. 🧪🧬🥼🦠🔬😷🐓💉
**JOBS ALERT** The Virology Unit at @PasteurCambodia hiring 1 Scientist and 2 Postdocs to join our fast-moving, field-connected, research-driven team on emerging viruses and zoonoses. 🧪🧬🥼🦠🔬🐓💉🦇😷 Limited time to apply — and we need people to start ASAP.**👇
Got a great idea for a metagenomic virus discovery project but not sure what to do next? We are running a 5 day hands on workshop in beautiful Stellenbosch, South Africa with experts from around the world. Applications are open until 31st July. climade.health/2025/06/22/m...
12th case of H5N1 in Cambodia in 2025. 5 yo boy from Kampot. Zoonotic spillover continues to occur. Vigilant surveillance and One Health response is critical.
The Virology Unit at IPC is constantly working to make surveillance/Early Warning faster, better, cheaper — from air sampling to portable labs. Happy to have our work featured in this @telegraphnews.bsky.social article by @sneweyy.bsky.social 🦠🧪🐓💉🥼😷 Read more: www.telegraph.co.uk/global-healt...
From coop to cave: Inside the high-tech hunt for H5N1 and Disease X
The Telegraph joined scientists in Cambodia’s vibrant wet markets and vast bat caves to test revolutionary new disease surveillance tools
telegraph.co.uk
11th case of H5N1 in Cambodia has now been reported. Known exposure to sick poultry. This is the 7th case in June, and the 4th in Siem Reap. Continued vigilance, active surveillance, and a strong One Health response remain critical. #BirdFlu 🦠🔬🧪🐓💉😷🥼
Cambodia has confirmed its 9th and 10th human cases of H5N1 bird flu this year. 6 of these cases occurred in June alone. Sadly, 6 people have died in 2025. 🧪🧬🦠🔬🥼😷🐓💉
A long time coming, but our @nanoporetech.com P2Solo is finally running. Time to dive deeper into the messy unknown, hunt down mysterious pathogens, and maybe even find some shiny new viruses. Let's do this. 🦇🐓🧪🦠🧬🔬 #Nanopore #VirusHunting #Science #OneHealth #Genomics
I echo @systemsvirology.bsky.social - if anyone needs some support or ways to work, please reach out.
The Sato Lab (Kei Sato)@systemsvirology.bsky.social · last yr.For US🇺🇸 scientists/virologists🦠 - if you want to find better ways for your science and career, please let me know. Let us find better ways. Please do repost/retweet
A virus won’t go from “nothing” to “crisis” overnight—but ignoring it is like smelling smoke and thinking, “Eh, probably just toast.” Spoiler: it’s not toast. Early Warning is everything. Fund and improve systems that keep the kitchen from burning down. 🧪🦇🔬🦠💉😷 #ViroSky #IDSky
Experts: New Bat Coronavirus Being Watched
Expert advocates continued vigilance related to recent announcement of newly discovered coronavirus.
medscape.com
Yet another reminder that A/H5N1 is everywhere: Cambodia’s MoH just confirmed the country’s 75th case. A young child exposed to sick/dead poultry is critically ill. Staying alert, acting fast, and keeping people informed is how we prevent more spillover. 🧪🐓🦠😷💉 #ViroSky #IDSky tinyurl.com/mrxw5xew
Scientists, clinicians and public health from across the Pacific are discussing pathogen genomic surveillance at the Institut Pasteur de Novelle Caledonie at the stunning Pacific Community Building in Noumea. Here, @eakarlsson.bsky.social leads a discussion of wet lab technical requirements.
We must shift our mindset and upgrade how quickly, accurately, and cheaply we can detect pathogens, even before they become outbreaks. The next pandemic isn't hypothetical; it's guaranteed. Time for more bold innovation and real-world action. #ViroSky #IDSky 🥼🦠🔬🧪🧬
How the pandemic changed the world of disease control for worse -- and for better
Five years after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, there has been progress — and backsliding in the way the world responds to infectious disease.
npr.org
