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WHO Collaborating Centre

for Modelling, Evolution and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases
 

Biography

Nicola Lewis is a senior research associate and veterinarian in the Department of Zoology. Her research interests focus on the antigenic and genetic evolution of viral pathogens, particularly influenza A viruses in both wild and domestic animals, the host population ecology and the potential role in disease dynamics, and the inter-host interface in the context of emerging infectious diseases.

Ongoing projects include the establishment of a surveillance system and local capacity building to enable the study the ecology and evolution of avian influenza viruses in wild and domestic birds in the Republic of Georgia, phylogeographic studies of avian influenza A viruses in Palearctic wild birds, using population genetics to characterize the structure of wild avian influenza A host species, and quantifying the antigenic and genetic evolution of influenza A viruses in birds, swine and horses globally, particularly to inform vaccine strain selection as a means of control.

Nicola is a member of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Experts on Control of Equine Influenza who meet annually to decide on equine influenza vaccine strain selection and the OFFLU swine influenza virus group who globally co-ordinate swine influenza virus surveillance and research, and providing up-to-date expert scientific advice to OIE, FAO and WHO. Nicola is also a member of the OFFLU avian influenza network consisting of avian influenza experts who aim to address priority influenza-related issues.

Publications

Key publications: 
  1. Landscape risk factors for attacks of vampire bats on cattle in Sao Paulo, Brazil  Murilo Novaes Gomes, Antonio Miguel Vieira Monteiro, Nicola Lewis, Celso Alberto Goncalves, Vladimir de Souza Nogueira Filhoomes, M.N., etal., Prev. Vet. Med. (2009), doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2009.10.006  
  2. Antigenic and genetic variations in European and North American equine influenza virus strains (H3N8) isolated from 2006 to 2007 Bryant, N.A., Rash, A.S., Russell, C.A., Ross, J., Cooke, A., Bowman, S., MacRae, S., Lewis, N.S., Paillot, R., Zanoni, R., Meier, H., Griffiths, L.A., Daly, J.M., Tiwari, A., Chambers, T.M., Newton, J.R., and Elton, D.M..Vet Microbiol. 2009 Jul 2;138(1-2):41-52. 
  3. Australian equine influenza: vaccine protection in the UK. Bryant, N.A., Rash, A.S., Lewis, N.S., Elton, D., Montesso, F., Ross, J., Newton, J.R., Paillot, R., Watson, J., and Jeggo, M.  (2008) Vet. Rec. 162:491-492.
  4. Comparison of two modern vaccines and previous influenza infection against challenge with an equine influenza virus from the Australian 2007 outbreak Bryant, N. A., R. Paillot, A. S. Rash, E. Medcalf, F. Montesso, J. Ross, J. Watson, M. Jeggo, N. S. Lewis, J. R. Newton, and D. M. Elton. 2010.  .Veterinary research 41:19. 
  5. Antigenic and genetic variations in European and North American equine influenza virus strains (H3N8) isolated from 2006 to 2007Bryant, N. A., A. S. Rash, C. A. Russell, J. Ross, A. Cooke, S. Bowman, S. MacRae, N. S. Lewis, R. Paillot, R. Zanoni, H. Meier, L. A. Griffiths, J. M. Daly, A. Tiwari, T. M. Chambers, J. R. Newton, and D. M. Elton. 2009.. Veterinary Microbiology 138:41-52. 
  6. Antigenic and genetic evolution of equine influenza A (H3N8) virus from 1968 to 2007Lewis, N. S., J. M. Daly, C. A. Russell, D. L. Horton, E. Skepner, N. A. Bryant, D. F. Burke, A.S. Rash, J. L. Wood, T. M. Chambers, R. A. Fouchier, J. A. Mumford, D. M. Elton, and D. J. Smith. 2011. Journal of Virology 85:12742-12749.
  7. Genetic and antigenic characterization of H1 influenza viruses from United States swine from 2008. Lorusso, A., A. L. Vincent, M. L. Harland, D. Alt, D. O. Bayles, S. L. Swenson, M. R. Gramer, C. A. Russell, D. J. Smith, K. M. Lager, and N. S. Lewis. 2011.The Journal of general virology 92:919-930.
  8. Characterization of H1N1 swine influenza viruses circulating in Canadian pigs in 2009. Nfon, C. K., Y. Berhane, T. Hisanaga, S. Zhang, K. Handel, H. Kehler, O. Labrecque, N. S. Lewis, A. L. Vincent, J. Copps, S. Alexandersen, and J. Pasick. 2011. Journal of Virology 85:8667-8679.
  9. Quantifying the impact of immune escape on transmission dynamics of influenza. Park, A. W., J. M. Daly, N. S. Lewis, D. J. Smith, J. L. Wood, and B. T. Grenfell. 2009. Science 326:726-728.
  10. Avian Influenza Virus Surveillance in Wild Birds in Georgia: 2009–2011.Lewis NS, Javakhishvili Z, Russell CA, Machablishvili A, Lexmond P, et al. (2013) PLoS ONE 8(3): e58534. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058534 
  11. Review of Influenza A Virus in Swine Worldwide: A Call for Increased Surveillance and Research A. Vincent, L. Awada, I. Brown, H. Chen, F. Claes, G. Dauphin, R. Donis, M. Culhane, K. Hamilton, N. Lewis, E. Mumford, T. Nguyen, S. Parchariyanon, J. Pasick, G. Pavade, A. Pereda, M. Peiris, T. Saito, S. Swenson, K. Van Reeth, R.Webby, F. Wong and J. Ciacci-Zanella   
Senior Research Associate
Veterinarian
Dr Nicola  Lewis

Affiliations

Classifications: 
Departments and institutes: 

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