Detail

Keywords

Arthropod Vectors; Evolution, Molecular; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; Zoonoses

Research interests

My main research focuses on understanding the diversity, ecology, and evolution of viruses, with a strong emphasis on (primarily zoonotic) RNA viruses. The goal of this research is to understand how viruses change, and how those changes affect the pathogenicity and/or immune responses in humans. The practical side of this research is gaining new diagnostic methods to detect and characterize viruses, while the translational side of the research relates building molecular and bio-informatic tools to characterize the virome using 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation sequencing. Principal virological taxa include: Bunyaviruses (Order Bunyavirales, families Hantaviridae, Peribunyaviridae, and Nairoviridae); Mosquito- and tick-borne flaviviruses (West Nile virus, Usutu virus, Tick-borne encephalitis virus); Influenza A/B/C viruses; Respiratory syncytial virus (Human orthopneumovirus A/B)

Techniques, methods & infrastructure

We rely heavily on 1st (Sanger), 2nd (Illumina), and 3rd (MinION nanopore) generation sequencing platforms, as well as state-of-the-art bioinformatic techniques to characterize virus diversity and infer/predict their evolutionary history. We have recently implemented virome analysis as a diagnostic tool for physicians submitting samples to our testing facility.

Grants

• Exploring Dengue Virus Transmission Dynamics and Immune Responses (2024)
  Source of Funding: OeAD (Agency for Education and Internationalisation), Collaborative Research between Taiwan and Austria
  Principal Investigator
• Cryptic mosquitoes and the ecology of urban West Nile virus (2017)
  Source of Funding: City of Vienna, Hochschuljubiläumsstiftung der Stand Wien
  Principal Investigator
• Vector competence of invasive mosquitoes for native arboviruses (2017)
  Source of Funding: EU, COST EurNegVec Short-term Scientific Mission
  Principal Investigator

Selected publications

1. Florian, D.M. et al. (2026) “Widespread circulation of Alongshan virus in Austria and serological evidence for infection in humans: a nationwide molecular and serological observational study,” The Lancet Microbe. Edited by , p. 101404. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanmic.2026.101404.
2. Redlberger‐Fritz, M. et al. (2023) “Respiratory syncytial virus surge in 2022 caused by lineages already present before the COVID‐19 pandemic,” Journal of Medical Virology. Edited by , 95(6). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.28830.
3. Camp, J.V. et al. (2021) “Genetic Diversity of Puumala orthohantavirus in Rodents and Human Patients in Austria, 2012–2019,” Viruses. Edited by , 13(4), p. 640. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/v13040640.
4. Camp, J.V. et al. (2021) “The transmission ecology of Tahyna orthobunyavirus in Austria as revealed by longitudinal mosquito sampling and blood meal analysis in floodplain habitats,” Parasites & Vectors. Edited by , 14(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-05061-1.
5. Camp, J.V. et al. (2021) ‘Mixed Effects of Habitat Degradation and Resources on Hantaviruses in Sympatric Wild Rodent Reservoirs within a Neotropical Forest’, Viruses, 13(1), p. 85. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v13010085.