The bat morbillivirus paper is finally out! I'm so proud of this work and grateful for all of the scientists involved in this tour de force of virology. A particularly huge shoutout to @satoshi84570237 for spearheading this project. 1/
Since anti-vaxxers seem to care so much about “naturally acquired immunity,” perhaps we should tell them that if they get Measles, their immune system will be depleted and much of that “infection-earned” memory could be lost and potentially reduce COVID antibodies. 1/n
One reason this “immunological amnesia” occurs is because Measles is really good at infecting multiple immune cell types. Which you can guess are important for preserving immune memory and antibody levels. 2/ science.sciencemag.org/content/366/64…
Jul 1, 2021 • 15 tweets • 5 min read
In honor of it being the last day of June—which is CMV awareness month—let’s do a thread!
Human Cytomegalovirus, or HCMV, is a human herpesvirus related to HSV (herpes), VZV (chickenpox), and EBV (causes mono). But HCMV doesn’t get enough attention. #stopCMV 1/15
HCMV is ubiquitous, which is science jargon for common. By mid-adulthood, most people are infected with HCMV. Seroprevalence (the amount of people with HCMV-specific antibodies) is more than 85% worldwide. You probably have HCMV. 2/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30706584/
May 14, 2021 • 16 tweets • 4 min read
Virologists on my timeline reacting to the CDC’s masking recommendations right now: A 🧵
The repetitive ones
Nov 17, 2020 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
How to talk about COVID vaccines, a thread:
After perusing social media and talking with my non-scientist friends, the biggest concern I keep hearing about COVID vaccines is that the speed at which they’re being developed makes people question the vaccines’ safety. 1/
There will ALWAYS be people who are anti-vaxx, no matter what. No amount of evidence, personal conversation, empathy etc. will change their minds. I can usually spot these people quite fast and have learned not to engage further. It’s futile and draining. 2/
Feb 28, 2020 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
To bring some levity to the craziness that‘s been this week in #coronavirus news, here’s a thread of how I’m processing it all with Harry Potter gifs. 1/
How it felt sitting together after Monday meeting in the Microbiology department at Sinai, discussing the latest science and medicine regarding #SARSCoV2 2/
Dec 8, 2019 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
How I chose the lab where I did my PhD, a thread:
In my biomedical sciences program, I had to rotate through 4 separate labs (it’s a lot, I know). 1/n
#AcademicChatter#phdchat
When I started grad school, I was certain I wanted to join a virology lab, so 3/4 of my rotations were in molecular virology labs. I was having fun, but was overwhelmed with classes and imposter syndrome. 2/n
