Charlotte Houldcroft
@virologyhouldcroft.bsky.social
Virology with a side-order of human evolution.
Geogenetics and the Globe Institute know how to decorate...
December 2, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Geogenetics and the Globe Institute know how to decorate...
Not a bad BBC back catalogue
November 27, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Not a bad BBC back catalogue
I am seeing a lot of people saying "everyone's ill, it's covid but no one is testing". Some thoughts: if we could distinguish the respiratory illnesses on cough & cold symptoms alone, we would not need PCR & bacterial culture; and actually, the data *from testing* says it's the common cold or flu.
November 12, 2025 at 1:45 PM
I am seeing a lot of people saying "everyone's ill, it's covid but no one is testing". Some thoughts: if we could distinguish the respiratory illnesses on cough & cold symptoms alone, we would not need PCR & bacterial culture; and actually, the data *from testing* says it's the common cold or flu.
Are we at Mexico City levels yet? I saw the pendulum shortly after the 2017 quake, and it had lurched again. Plus the general problem of putting your city on a lake bed and then extracting all the water from the aquifer.
November 12, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Are we at Mexico City levels yet? I saw the pendulum shortly after the 2017 quake, and it had lurched again. Plus the general problem of putting your city on a lake bed and then extracting all the water from the aquifer.
Over 24 weeks, 55% of the participants had a respiratory virus detected at least once, although they don't always need to symptoms. The youngest (ages 3-8) were most likely to be positive for a virus AND most likely to have symptoms; if staff were virus+, it was likely to be symptomatic.
November 11, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Over 24 weeks, 55% of the participants had a respiratory virus detected at least once, although they don't always need to symptoms. The youngest (ages 3-8) were most likely to be positive for a virus AND most likely to have symptoms; if staff were virus+, it was likely to be symptomatic.
What does respiratory virus transmission in schools look like with COVId in the mix? Let's look at data from the USA, 600 students (ages 3-18) and 200 staff. Goldman et al. Respiratory Virus Detection and Acute Respiratory Illness
Rates in Students and Staff in Schools. Pediatrics, 2025.
Rates in Students and Staff in Schools. Pediatrics, 2025.
November 11, 2025 at 11:27 AM
What does respiratory virus transmission in schools look like with COVId in the mix? Let's look at data from the USA, 600 students (ages 3-18) and 200 staff. Goldman et al. Respiratory Virus Detection and Acute Respiratory Illness
Rates in Students and Staff in Schools. Pediatrics, 2025.
Rates in Students and Staff in Schools. Pediatrics, 2025.
The last line...
November 8, 2025 at 9:52 PM
The last line...
The equivalent of 1.57USD here in the UK. I was shocked by the price of fresh vegetables in the US in April.
November 2, 2025 at 7:56 PM
The equivalent of 1.57USD here in the UK. I was shocked by the price of fresh vegetables in the US in April.
My guess is that RSV will peak later than usual due to flu being earlier.
October 30, 2025 at 2:56 PM
My guess is that RSV will peak later than usual due to flu being earlier.
Other viruses are being at least temporarily 'pushed out' by flu
October 30, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Other viruses are being at least temporarily 'pushed out' by flu
It's being driven by cases in children and young adults, but is unlikely to stay in those age groups
October 30, 2025 at 2:53 PM
It's being driven by cases in children and young adults, but is unlikely to stay in those age groups
Here's what unusually early looks like compared to previous years:
October 30, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Here's what unusually early looks like compared to previous years:
Unsolicited...
October 11, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Unsolicited...
The sacred masculine just down the road from Mousehole, at Boscawen-Un (no idea how to pronounce that correctly).
October 11, 2025 at 2:55 PM
The sacred masculine just down the road from Mousehole, at Boscawen-Un (no idea how to pronounce that correctly).
There's a lot of rhinovirus about, especially in littlies. SARS-CoV-2 signal looks like 85+ might be driving it. Over 75s vaccination campaign starts Monday www.nhs.uk/vaccinations...
September 26, 2025 at 12:35 PM
There's a lot of rhinovirus about, especially in littlies. SARS-CoV-2 signal looks like 85+ might be driving it. Over 75s vaccination campaign starts Monday www.nhs.uk/vaccinations...
Strong stock photo from Healio
September 10, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Strong stock photo from Healio
On the wall of the Whittle Lab...
August 22, 2025 at 7:34 PM
On the wall of the Whittle Lab...
Love me some journal metrics
July 8, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Love me some journal metrics
Ipswich looking glorious in the sun. Brilliant 48h with the @pducambridge.bsky.social solving the pressing questions in infectious diseases, competing in penalty shoot outs and cooking up a storm #PDURetreat
July 4, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Ipswich looking glorious in the sun. Brilliant 48h with the @pducambridge.bsky.social solving the pressing questions in infectious diseases, competing in penalty shoot outs and cooking up a storm #PDURetreat
At some of the study site, over FIFTY% of deaths involved diarrhoea. It's often a co-factor or precipitating factor even if not the direct cause of death. And such a range of pathogens: journals.plos.org/globalpublic...
July 1, 2025 at 8:52 AM
At some of the study site, over FIFTY% of deaths involved diarrhoea. It's often a co-factor or precipitating factor even if not the direct cause of death. And such a range of pathogens: journals.plos.org/globalpublic...
I enjoyed these signs in Joshua Tree. With a then-11 month old, we were getting up at dawn, coming out again at dusk, hunkering down in the day. We just don't live like that in England but maybe we need to start doing so in summer. Cambridge is Very Warm more and more frequently.
June 20, 2025 at 11:48 AM
I enjoyed these signs in Joshua Tree. With a then-11 month old, we were getting up at dawn, coming out again at dusk, hunkering down in the day. We just don't live like that in England but maybe we need to start doing so in summer. Cambridge is Very Warm more and more frequently.
You will have inherited that virus from an ancestor hundreds-tens of thousands of years ago. This has happened at least a handful of times in European (pre)history, so if you eg have HHV6B lineage 8, your virus will always be in the telomere of chr17.
June 6, 2025 at 2:06 PM
You will have inherited that virus from an ancestor hundreds-tens of thousands of years ago. This has happened at least a handful of times in European (pre)history, so if you eg have HHV6B lineage 8, your virus will always be in the telomere of chr17.
You are much more likely than average to have a HHV6B genome in *your* genome if you are Scottish
June 6, 2025 at 2:03 PM
You are much more likely than average to have a HHV6B genome in *your* genome if you are Scottish
@alanmcn1.bsky.social Your emails are iconic
June 1, 2025 at 7:30 PM
@alanmcn1.bsky.social Your emails are iconic
Even healthy toddlers who received MMR had irritable days (don't we all) but you can see when the live vaccine component has really got going by the increase in irritability in the MMR recipients.
May 23, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Even healthy toddlers who received MMR had irritable days (don't we all) but you can see when the live vaccine component has really got going by the increase in irritability in the MMR recipients.