Dr. Rowan Durrant
@rowandurrant.bsky.social
Postdoc at McMaster University, formerly University of Glasgow 🦠 rabies genomics & modelling 🐕 she/her
Pinned
Looks like I've been added to a couple of starter packs over the weekend, so to (re)introduce myself: hi, I'm Rowan, and I'm in the end stages of my PhD in infectious diseases studying rabies 🧪 Outside of academia I enjoy climbing/mountaineering, chess and knitting!
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
I’ve released a tool to sketch and edit phylogenetic trees!
yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/
Load a Newick file and intuitively add/remove/resize branches.
Useful for quick conceptual trees, extracting subtrees, or turning ideas into Newick.
yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/
Load a Newick file and intuitively add/remove/resize branches.
Useful for quick conceptual trees, extracting subtrees, or turning ideas into Newick.
PhyloWeaver – Interactive phylogenetic tree editor
Edit and visualize phylogenetic trees directly in your browser. PhyloWeaver lets you interactively rearrange tree topologies and export high-quality figures for publications and presentations.
yawak.jp
November 18, 2025 at 1:59 AM
I’ve released a tool to sketch and edit phylogenetic trees!
yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/
Load a Newick file and intuitively add/remove/resize branches.
Useful for quick conceptual trees, extracting subtrees, or turning ideas into Newick.
yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/
Load a Newick file and intuitively add/remove/resize branches.
Useful for quick conceptual trees, extracting subtrees, or turning ideas into Newick.
is nothing safe from AI
November 18, 2025 at 2:45 PM
is nothing safe from AI
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
The outbreak in Ethiopia is #Marburg virus, the first such outbreak for this country. 9 cases so far, including some health workers. x.com/drtedros/sta...
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X: "#Ethiopia has confirmed the outbreak that has infected at least 9 people in the south of the country is of #Marburg virus disease. I commend Ethiopia’s @FMoHealth for its rapid and transparent response to the outbreak, and the work of the Ethiopia Public Health Institute and" / X
#Ethiopia has confirmed the outbreak that has infected at least 9 people in the south of the country is of #Marburg virus disease. I commend Ethiopia’s @FMoHealth for its rapid and transparent response to the outbreak, and the work of the Ethiopia Public Health Institute and
x.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:22 PM
The outbreak in Ethiopia is #Marburg virus, the first such outbreak for this country. 9 cases so far, including some health workers. x.com/drtedros/sta...
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
Update on the wild #polio discovery in Germany: The virus was found in wastewater in Hamburg. @rki.de, the German public health agency, says the virus sequence is very similar to some isolated in Afghanistan, so the likely source was an infected human. (page 10 here: www.rki.de/DE/Aktuelles...)
www.rki.de
November 13, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Update on the wild #polio discovery in Germany: The virus was found in wastewater in Hamburg. @rki.de, the German public health agency, says the virus sequence is very similar to some isolated in Afghanistan, so the likely source was an infected human. (page 10 here: www.rki.de/DE/Aktuelles...)
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
My 1st first-author paper is out as a preprint! Excited to share the fascinating story of marine-feeding vampire bats 🌊🦇 We found that marine-diet bats were exposed to #H5#AvianFlu 🦠 from marine wildlife and could potentially spread it to livestock via blood feed🩸
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
November 11, 2025 at 8:38 PM
My 1st first-author paper is out as a preprint! Excited to share the fascinating story of marine-feeding vampire bats 🌊🦇 We found that marine-diet bats were exposed to #H5#AvianFlu 🦠 from marine wildlife and could potentially spread it to livestock via blood feed🩸
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.09.686930
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
Regardless of fox’s actual rabies status.
This is your reminder vaccinate for rabies. Always. Even if indoor only.
The ONLY way to test for rabies is euthanize the animal and remove brain tissue. There is no live test for rabies and your state/local health department will not play
This is your reminder vaccinate for rabies. Always. Even if indoor only.
The ONLY way to test for rabies is euthanize the animal and remove brain tissue. There is no live test for rabies and your state/local health department will not play
Apparently missing out on some exciting rabid fox neighborhood drama
Got this photo via two different group chats
Got this photo via two different group chats
November 9, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Regardless of fox’s actual rabies status.
This is your reminder vaccinate for rabies. Always. Even if indoor only.
The ONLY way to test for rabies is euthanize the animal and remove brain tissue. There is no live test for rabies and your state/local health department will not play
This is your reminder vaccinate for rabies. Always. Even if indoor only.
The ONLY way to test for rabies is euthanize the animal and remove brain tissue. There is no live test for rabies and your state/local health department will not play
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
BREAKING: "The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."
Statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada on Canada’s Measles Elimination Status
Following over 12 months of transmission across the country, PAHO confirms Canada's loss of measles elimination status. We are coordinating efforts with provinces and territories to restore the status...
www.canada.ca
November 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM
BREAKING: "The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
🚨 NEW: The majority holder of the world's genetic sequence data is a bad actor who can cut off access to critics and competing services. We've tolerated this for years, and now it threatens the pandemic treaty. Time for WHO to step in. With @ctrlalttim.com: www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/to-f...
To Finish the Pandemic Agreement, WHO Needs a Trustworthy Viral Database | Think Global Health
Online platforms for sharing virus sequences are in disarray. The World Health Organization has a chance to build something new
www.thinkglobalhealth.org
November 5, 2025 at 3:31 PM
🚨 NEW: The majority holder of the world's genetic sequence data is a bad actor who can cut off access to critics and competing services. We've tolerated this for years, and now it threatens the pandemic treaty. Time for WHO to step in. With @ctrlalttim.com: www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/to-f...
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
Sarawak rabies update
Sadly rabies continues there 😢 Now 80 deaths since 2017
“no record of any animal bite or scratch,“ but “handled the carcass of his pet dog in June”
(CW: angry dog photo)
51-year-old man is Sarawak’s sixth rabies fatality for 2025
www.theborneopost.com/2025/10/28/5...
Sadly rabies continues there 😢 Now 80 deaths since 2017
“no record of any animal bite or scratch,“ but “handled the carcass of his pet dog in June”
(CW: angry dog photo)
51-year-old man is Sarawak’s sixth rabies fatality for 2025
www.theborneopost.com/2025/10/28/5...
November 5, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Sarawak rabies update
Sadly rabies continues there 😢 Now 80 deaths since 2017
“no record of any animal bite or scratch,“ but “handled the carcass of his pet dog in June”
(CW: angry dog photo)
51-year-old man is Sarawak’s sixth rabies fatality for 2025
www.theborneopost.com/2025/10/28/5...
Sadly rabies continues there 😢 Now 80 deaths since 2017
“no record of any animal bite or scratch,“ but “handled the carcass of his pet dog in June”
(CW: angry dog photo)
51-year-old man is Sarawak’s sixth rabies fatality for 2025
www.theborneopost.com/2025/10/28/5...
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
Oh heck no. Anti-vaccine disinformation is now making some owners refuse to vaccinate their pets against rabies.
Vaccine Skepticism Comes for Pet Owners, Too
www.nytimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Oh heck no. Anti-vaccine disinformation is now making some owners refuse to vaccinate their pets against rabies.
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
Our paper on the phenomenon of persistence and latency in Ebola virus in an unobserved reservoir is finally out in preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Evidence of latency reshapes our understanding of Ebola virus reservoir dynamics
Ebola virus (EBOV) has caused severe outbreaks of haemorrhagic fever in Central and West Africa since the first observed zoonotic epidemic in the late 1970s. While recent outbreaks have revealed much ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 19, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Our paper on the phenomenon of persistence and latency in Ebola virus in an unobserved reservoir is finally out in preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
The fact that the 6 L (leucine) codons come together to form an L should be interpreted as a sign that this is a good way to visualize the aa table. 🙂
8/8
8/8
September 30, 2025 at 6:53 PM
The fact that the 6 L (leucine) codons come together to form an L should be interpreted as a sign that this is a good way to visualize the aa table. 🙂
8/8
8/8
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
Working with @rowandurrant.bsky.social on ways to visualize the amino-acid table and better understand viral evolution.
We started with a two-by scheme for nucleotides (small square), where bond partners are horizontally adjacent and transition-connected nts are vertically adjacent.
1/8
We started with a two-by scheme for nucleotides (small square), where bond partners are horizontally adjacent and transition-connected nts are vertically adjacent.
1/8
September 30, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Working with @rowandurrant.bsky.social on ways to visualize the amino-acid table and better understand viral evolution.
We started with a two-by scheme for nucleotides (small square), where bond partners are horizontally adjacent and transition-connected nts are vertically adjacent.
1/8
We started with a two-by scheme for nucleotides (small square), where bond partners are horizontally adjacent and transition-connected nts are vertically adjacent.
1/8
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
Sequence data from the new Ebola outbreak in DRC suggests it is indeed a new spillover.
And just incredible to see the virus sequenced and the data publicly shared less than 24 hours after confirmation of the outbreak.
#IDsky 🧪
virological.org/t/the-16th-e...
And just incredible to see the virus sequenced and the data publicly shared less than 24 hours after confirmation of the outbreak.
#IDsky 🧪
virological.org/t/the-16th-e...
The 16th Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Bulape Health Zone, Kasai, Democratic Republic of the Congo: A new spillover event from an unknown reservoir host
Background The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently facing concurrent outbreaks including mpox, cholera and malaria (1-4). The Ministry of Public Health, DRC has declared the 16th Ebola...
virological.org
September 5, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Sequence data from the new Ebola outbreak in DRC suggests it is indeed a new spillover.
And just incredible to see the virus sequenced and the data publicly shared less than 24 hours after confirmation of the outbreak.
#IDsky 🧪
virological.org/t/the-16th-e...
And just incredible to see the virus sequenced and the data publicly shared less than 24 hours after confirmation of the outbreak.
#IDsky 🧪
virological.org/t/the-16th-e...
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
Six deaths from rabies have been reported over the last 12 months in the U.S., the highest number in years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
'They would never have known:' New warnings about rabies outbreaks as cases rise in the U.S.
The CDC's rabies team says it's tracking 15 different likely outbreaks from New York to Oregon.
www.nbcnews.com
September 1, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Six deaths from rabies have been reported over the last 12 months in the U.S., the highest number in years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
New study on scientific understanding in the US:
Vaccines have mostly been a benefit to human health
69% Agree
20% Unsure
11% Disagree
Vaccines have mostly been a benefit to human health
69% Agree
20% Unsure
11% Disagree
August 7, 2025 at 5:52 PM
New study on scientific understanding in the US:
Vaccines have mostly been a benefit to human health
69% Agree
20% Unsure
11% Disagree
Vaccines have mostly been a benefit to human health
69% Agree
20% Unsure
11% Disagree
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
🚨Our study on characterising the within-host SARS-CoV-2 evolution during persistent infections is now out in @lancetmicrobe.bsky.social!
👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
July 30, 2025 at 11:47 AM
🚨Our study on characterising the within-host SARS-CoV-2 evolution during persistent infections is now out in @lancetmicrobe.bsky.social!
👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
'The basic logic of the prion – a protein that can radically change its structure and function, and force that change onto other proteins too – may turn out to be so common that it ranks among the vital biological processes.'
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Stephen Buranyi · Folding and Unfolding: Protein to Prion
How and why do proteins, which are produced by our body to build structures (such as skin and muscle) or carry out tasks...
www.lrb.co.uk
July 26, 2025 at 7:19 AM
'The basic logic of the prion – a protein that can radically change its structure and function, and force that change onto other proteins too – may turn out to be so common that it ranks among the vital biological processes.'
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
We talked about this back when the first trial for lenacapavir first said the magic words everyone wants to hear, "halted for efficacy"(*), so a recap: this is not a vaccine or a treatment. It's PrEP aka "pre-exposure prophylaxis": you take the drug so if exposed to the virus, you will not catch it.
If you were alive in the 1980s, this is among the most wonderful & truly incredible things you have ever witnessed in your lifetime.
July 28, 2025 at 4:05 AM
We talked about this back when the first trial for lenacapavir first said the magic words everyone wants to hear, "halted for efficacy"(*), so a recap: this is not a vaccine or a treatment. It's PrEP aka "pre-exposure prophylaxis": you take the drug so if exposed to the virus, you will not catch it.
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
Characterisation of a persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection lasting more than 750 days in a person living with HIV: a genomic analysis www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Characterisation of a persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection lasting more than 750 days in a person living with HIV: a genomic analysis
Convergent SARS-CoV-2 evolution, both in and outside the spike protein, observed in
this study suggests parallels with the evolutionary process leading to emergence of
the omicron VOC. The inferred ab...
www.thelancet.com
July 23, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Characterisation of a persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection lasting more than 750 days in a person living with HIV: a genomic analysis www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
🦇 NEW RESEARCH: Our 3-year study of Australian flying foxes identified six co-circulating coronaviruses, with highest rates of infection and co-infection in young bats, and evidence of circulating recombinants 🧪🌏 🧵
Available open access in @natcomms.nature.com
📄 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Available open access in @natcomms.nature.com
📄 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Synchronized seasonal excretion of multiple coronaviruses coincides with high rates of coinfection in immature bats - Nature Communications
Bats harbor diverse coronaviruses but temporal dynamics are less well studied. Here, the authors analyzed coronaviruses in Australian flying foxes over 3 years showing peak shedding and co-infections ...
doi.org
July 21, 2025 at 6:40 AM
🦇 NEW RESEARCH: Our 3-year study of Australian flying foxes identified six co-circulating coronaviruses, with highest rates of infection and co-infection in young bats, and evidence of circulating recombinants 🧪🌏 🧵
Available open access in @natcomms.nature.com
📄 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Available open access in @natcomms.nature.com
📄 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
🦇 Grooming rabies away
A new study finds vampire bats can lick rabies vaccines off each other, spreading immunity through grooming. 88% of a colony was vaccinated in days.
🔗 www.science.org/content/arti...
#SciComm #Zoonoses 🧪
A new study finds vampire bats can lick rabies vaccines off each other, spreading immunity through grooming. 88% of a colony was vaccinated in days.
🔗 www.science.org/content/arti...
#SciComm #Zoonoses 🧪
Vampire bats’ mutual grooming helps spread innovative rabies vaccine
A gel that bats lick off one another’s fur could help prevent rabies outbreaks in cattle, a growing problem in Latin America
www.science.org
July 9, 2025 at 6:02 AM
🦇 Grooming rabies away
A new study finds vampire bats can lick rabies vaccines off each other, spreading immunity through grooming. 88% of a colony was vaccinated in days.
🔗 www.science.org/content/arti...
#SciComm #Zoonoses 🧪
A new study finds vampire bats can lick rabies vaccines off each other, spreading immunity through grooming. 88% of a colony was vaccinated in days.
🔗 www.science.org/content/arti...
#SciComm #Zoonoses 🧪
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
What to do if you are bitten by a Bat?
- copiously wash bite wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes.
- apply and antiseptic like betadine
- seek medical care urgently- you will like be offered rabies post exposure prophylaxis including vaccination.
bit.ly/3GBBsvy
- copiously wash bite wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes.
- apply and antiseptic like betadine
- seek medical care urgently- you will like be offered rabies post exposure prophylaxis including vaccination.
bit.ly/3GBBsvy
Lyssavirus is rare, but deadly. What should you do if a bat bites you?
A man in Australia has died after being infected with bat lyssavirus. Here’s what to know about this infection.
bit.ly
July 11, 2025 at 2:15 PM
What to do if you are bitten by a Bat?
- copiously wash bite wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes.
- apply and antiseptic like betadine
- seek medical care urgently- you will like be offered rabies post exposure prophylaxis including vaccination.
bit.ly/3GBBsvy
- copiously wash bite wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes.
- apply and antiseptic like betadine
- seek medical care urgently- you will like be offered rabies post exposure prophylaxis including vaccination.
bit.ly/3GBBsvy
Reposted by Dr. Rowan Durrant
Person dies of rabies in Yorkshire after contact with dog in Morocco
Person dies of rabies in Yorkshire after contact with dog in Morocco
UK Health Security Agency says person had contact with stray animal while on holiday in north Africa
A person has died in Yorkshire from rabies after contact with a stray dog while on holiday in Morocco, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.
More details soon …
Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
June 18, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Person dies of rabies in Yorkshire after contact with dog in Morocco