Chris Brooke

Careers Minimum qualifications:PhD, MD, or equivalent in a relevant field of study, plus applicable postdoctoral experience.

Excited to announce that we have a new faculty search opening in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Minnesota for a tenure track Assistant Professor in RNA Virology. More info can be found here: hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/365...

Mysteries of trafficking of the vRNP segmented genome and assembly of influenza A virus revealed by in situ cryo-ET!
🔗 rdcu.be/eMmct
We are very excited that our paper is finally out!
🎉 Big congratulations to Moritz Wachsmuth-Melm and to everyone involved.

Evolution of antibody cross-reactivity to influenza H5N1 neuraminidase from an N2-specific germline Lv et al. isolated a protective antibody against influenza neuraminidase that acquires cross-reactivity to avian H5N1 as a byproduct of affinity maturation against human H3N2. Along with structural an...

Evolution of Ab cross-reactivity to influenza H5N1 NA

New work isolates & characterizes protective antibody against influenza neuraminidase that acquires cross-reactivity to avian H5N1 as a byproduct of affinity maturation against human H3N2 @wchnicholas.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

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 ...

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...

Tonic type I interferon signaling optimizes the antiviral function of plasmacytoid dendritic cells
www.nature.com/articles/s41... @natimmunol.nature.com @idoyagalab.bsky.social

RFK fired the CDC official (w/decades of experience) leading the measles outbreak response. It's been decades since we've had such a large outbreak. And just to ensure they they can spread the measles outbreak even farther, they also fired the leadership for the center focused on immunization.

NEW: @CDCgov hit hard by massive firings that several staff describe to me as a “bloodbath.”
Among those RIFd:
—leadership of the center for immunization and respiratory diseases;
—leadership of global health center
—leadership of the measles outbreak response; 1/4

Job alert ‼️ UChicago Micro is hiring! Open to tenured/tenure track faculty at all levels in any area of microbiology. Come join our amazing and growing department. apply.interfolio.com/174404

A large (2.5M+) sibling control analysis that found "no evidence of increased risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability associated with acetaminophen use" seems to be the kind of data that requires serious consideration before declaring mission accomplished.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Reporters on the ground in Chicago are screaming to be heard over the false narrative that Pritzker defeated Trump there. PLEASE listen to them.

Figure 3 of our paper, which shows viral coinfection networks at the virus level

New preprint! 🥳🎉 We looked at viral coinfection patterns at the largest scale ever in wildlife. We found a strong association among CoVs, PMVs, and influenza A, and higher coinfection rates in wildlife trade; plus, evidence that bats accumulate persistent infections. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Latent infection of Caenorhabditis elegans by Orsay virus induces age-dependent immunity and cross-protection Nature Communications - Orsay virus establishes a latent infection in C. elegans, triggering age-dependent immunity and RNAi based cross-protection that limits secondary infections and reveals...

Check the latest publication from our group!
rdcu.be/ey1Fj
@i2sysbio.es @csic.es

I'm thrilled to share that the oPool⁺ display is on the cover of this week's #ScienceTranslationalMedicine! We hope that the future use of this platform can accelerate antibody characterization, benefit therapeutic & vaccine development, and facilitate iterative refinements of antibody AI models.

Population diversity declines between inoculated and exposed guinea pigs. Viral titers in nasal lavage samples are indicated by the overall height of the bar. Red lines show LOD (50 PFU/mL). Colors within the bars represent unique barcodes, and the height of each color indicates barcode frequency within the sample. Plots for individual animals are paired with those of their cage mate. Representative pairs for direct contact (top half) and aerosol (bottom half) exposure are shown from three experimental replicates. Guinea pig ID numbers are shown in the upper right corner of each plot.

What causes viral transmission bottlenecks? This study uses barcoded virions to show that in the case of #influenza A #virus, early within-host replication dynamics (rather than a reduced inoculum population) drive loss of diversity during transmission @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4ngicDK

CDC headquarters windows with visible bullet holes

I took this picture myself at the CDC protest today. These are among the hundreds of bullet holes in CDC headquarters windows, visible from the street. I heard today that the admin has no urgent plan to fix these windows.

Imagine being a CDC employee going to work under these conditions

My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.

The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.

Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.

The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."

We are hiring! The Dept of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics is looking for faculty at the Assistant or Associate professor level (tenure track). Please consider joining our vibrant microbiology and immunology community at the University of Pittsburgh School of medicine

Department members sit at a very long table in the hallway eating a pre-Thanksgiving potluck feast.

Faculty search announcement 2025: Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Microbiology at UT Southwestern. We seek candidates working in microbial pathogenesis (some preference may be given to bacterial pathogens). Come join our community! (1/5) www.utsouthwestern.edu/departments/...

Anti-vaccine myths surged on social media ahead of the CDC shooting Before the shooting, social media companies relaxed their protocols around misinformation.

Anti-vaccine myths surged on social media ahead of the CDC shooting. “On X, for example, verified accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers openly claimed in recent weeks that Covid vaccines act like ‘chemical lobotomies,’ which is false.” www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...

A terrorist targeted federal workers last week. There wasn’t much reporting on it. But I’m not finished thinking about it! 🧵

An anti-vaxxer fired more than 500 gunshots into CDC Atlanta, shattering 150 “blast-proof” windows on 6 buildings. Employees were pinned down in terror.

The CDC shooting was public health’s Jan. 6 “In RFK Jr.’s America, it will never be safe to practice public health or medicine," write an epidemiologist and a former CDC staffer.

NEW 🚨 The violence is the point. Elected Dems must call for widespread resignations (RFK, Bhattacharya, Prasad) in response to the CDC shooting. Public health must demand this of them, and the public must demand that of us. With @publichealthguy1.bsky.social in STAT: www.statnews.com/2025/08/15/c...

Motherfucker wrote one sloppy paper in April 2020 and instead of being like oops, shit, my bad, he has kept doubling down until now he's killing most promising medical technology of the past quarter century rather than going to therapy.

mRNA vaccines are the only platform that currently allows us to go from new pathogen to millions of vaccine doses in under a year. These vaccines saved 20 million lives from COVID. I remember crying tears of joy when I got my first pfizer shot in December 2020.
Do not let them rewrite history!

How conspiracy theories about COVID’s origins are hampering our ability to prevent the next pandemic The COVID pandemic likely began when the virus jumped from animals to humans, and didn’t start in a lab. But false narratives continue to circulate.

You’ve been badly misled over COVID origins theconversation.com/how-conspira...

Mixing was deleterious under almost all conditions, suggesting that reassortment is generally (but not always!) bad for viruses.

These results add to our understanding of the evol. consequences of virus-virus interactions and may explain the prevalence of superinfection exclusion mechanisms.
6/6

This allowed her to explore how different features of virus biology and genetic structure (e.g. patterns of epistasis and genetic dominance) influenced the effects of reassortment on viral fitness - something that would not be possible using purely experimental approaches.
5/6

To address this open question, @mfarjo.bsky.social developed an approach to simulate the replication and evolution of a generic segmented virus with varying degrees of genetic mixing.

She used this approach to detail how reassortment can alter the makeup of viral populations.
4/6

Numerous studies have shown how reassortment can be beneficial or deleterious depending on the system and the context.

Thus there is not a simple answer to the question "is reassortment good for the virus?"
3/6

When segmented or multipartite viruses co-infect a cell, they can exchange gene segments through a process called reassortment, giving rise to hybrid progeny with novel genotypes.

Influenza is the best known example of this - every major pandemic strain has been the product of reassortment.
2/6

The fitness consequences of coinfection and reassortment for segmented viruses depend upon viral genetic structure Cellular coinfection between multiple virions is a common feature of viral infections. The collective virus-virus interactions enabled by these coinfections can influence the fitness of viral populati...

Check out @mfarjo.bsky.social's new preprint where she uses a simulation-based approach to explore the evolutionary consequences of genetic mixing through co-infection for segmented viruses:

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

hope you like it!