Rebecca Christofferson
Associate Professor Louisiana State University
- Baton Rouge LA
Dr. Christofferson is an international expert on emerging zoonotic and mosquito-borne viruses.
Areas of Expertise
Biography
Research Focus
Arbovirus Ecology & Epidemiology
Dr. Christofferson’s research focuses on arbovirus ecology and epidemiology, examining how environmental conditions and mosquito biology drive transmission of Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and West Nile viruses. She blends vector-competence experiments, field mosquito surveillance, and climate-based modeling to predict outbreak risk and guide Gulf Coast public-health and control strategies.
Answers
- What can you do to prevent rabies exposure?
Never handle wildlife if you don't have to, particularly bats. Also, don't approach random animals whose vaccination status you don't know. Also get your pets vaccinated and encourage pet vaccination in your network.
- Can you explain what prophylaxis is? Can people get vaccinated against rabies?
Prophylaxis in treatment given before the disease presents. So someone who was at risk for having had a rabies exposure will often receive treatment - the vaccine and immunoglobulin shots - "just in case." This is because once someone starts to show signs of disease, rabies is almost always fatal. There is a vaccine against rabies for people, and anyone can get it. However, it is strongly recommended for animal workers like animal control, veterinary professionals and paraprofessionals, etc. people traveling to areas where rabies is endemic are often recommended to get the vaccines; as well as people who like to explore caves or other places with lots of bats. It is a three shot course and not cheap. But you need all three shots for it to be fully effective.
- Who is at high risk for rabies?
People who work with or near animals - pets or wildlife - are at risk. People who have had contact with a wild animal - in particular bats or raccoons - are also at risk. Anyone who has a broken skin contact with an animal with unknown vaccination status should seek immediate medical attention.
Education
Louisiana State University
Ph.D.
2011
Louisiana State University
MApSt
2005
Louisiana State University
B.S.
2002
Accomplishments
Pereboom Alumni Association Professor of Excellence Ogden Honors College
2022-2025
2021 Worley Professor of Excellence
2021
Professorship awarded to one faculty annually at LSU for excellence in innovation and scholarship
Zoetis Research Award
2018
Excellent in research award for School of Veterinary Medicine
Media Appearances
America’s first severe case of bird flu confirmed in Louisiana
CNN
2024-12-18
“The cases across the US are a constellation of spillovers,” said Dr. Rebecca Christofferson, a virologist at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Experts still don’t understand exactly how these spillovers are happening and the specific factors that increase a person’s risk.
LSU Vet Professor weighs in on potential poultry vaccine for bird flu
KPLC tv
2025-02-24
Rebecca Christofferson is an associate professor at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine who specializes in infectious disease transmission.
“In 2023, France actually rolled out a bird flu vaccine for their duck industry and saw great success there,” Christofferson said.
One bird flu case found in Louisiana out of 60 in the country this year
WBRZ-ABC tv
2024-12-17
BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Department of Health announced its first confirmed human case of bird flu. The person, who is from southwestern Louisiana and is currently in the hospital, is one of 60 cases from around the country as of December 2024.
Of the 60 confirmed virus cases in humans, none of them have involved human-to-human transmission.
"There are spillover risks, and that is what we are seeing right now, which is when a virus comes from an animal population into the human population," said Dr. Rebecca Christofferson from LSU's Veterinarian School.
Researchers develop saliva-based test to make COVID-19 easier to track
Medical Xpress online
2020-08-04
LSU Professors Stephania Cormier, a respiratory immunologist, and Rebecca Christofferson, an emerging viruses expert, have developed a saliva-based test to help track COVID-19 in K-12 school children and teachers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Rebecca Christofferson Sheds Light on Virus Transmission Through Mosquito Research
225 Magazine online
2018-01-12
Rebecca Christofferson, Assistant Professor of Pathobiological Sciences with the Vector-borne Disease Laboratories at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine and TEDxLSU 2018 speaker, investigates potentially deadly viruses transmitted through mosquitoes.
Much of Christofferson’s research focuses on how and when mosquitoes carry viruses to uncover the patterns that dictate why and when humans get sick. She is a leading researcher on the Zika virus, which has spread to more than 60 countries in South and Central America, as well as the United States.
Articles
Exploring the transmission modalities of Bunyamwera virus
Experimental Biology and Medicine2024
Bunyamwera virus (BUNV) (Bunyamwera orthobunyavirus) has been found in Sub-Saharan Africa and demonstrated recently as cocirculating with Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV). Little is known regarding the breadth of transmission modalities of Bunyamwera. Given its co-occurence with RVFV, we hypothesized the transmission system of BUNV shared similarities to the RVFV system including transmission by Ae. aegypti mosquitoes and environmentally mediated transmission through fomites and environmental contamination.
Investigating the Effects of Microclimate on Arboviral Kinetics in Aedes aegypti
Pathogens2024
Aedes aegypti are indoor-dwelling vectors of many arboviruses, including Zika (ZIKV) and chikungunya (CHIKV). The dynamics of these viruses within the mosquito are known to be temperature-dependent, and models that address risk and predictions of the transmission efficiency and patterns typically use meteorological temperature data. These data do not differentiate the temperatures experienced by mosquitoes in different microclimates, such as indoor vs. outdoor.
Predicting severe COVID-19 using readily available admission indicators: SpO2/FiO2 ratio, comorbidity index, and gender
Experimental Biology and Medicine2024
The focus of this study was to identify risk factors for severe and critical COVID-19, evaluate local respiratory immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and develop a prognostic tool for COVID-19 severity using accessible early indicators.
Assessment of risk factors associated with and practices of cattle farmers in Kirehe District Rwanda with respect to vector-borne and zoonotic pathogens
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene2024
Rural Rwandan communities face health challenges for humans and animals, and the topography and climate of the Kirehe District of Rwanda put farmers at high risk for mosquito-borne diseases. Individuals from 92 Rwandan farms were surveyed about farm practices, as well as animal and human health histories between December 2017 and February 2018.
Long-term trends and spatial patterns of West Nile Virus emergence in California, 2004–2021
Zoonoses and Public Health2023
West Nile Virus (WNV) has remained a persistent source of vector-borne disease risk in California since first being identified in the state in 2003. The geographic distribution of WNV activity is relatively widespread, but varies considerably across different regions within the state. Spatial variation in human WNV infection depends upon social-ecological factors that influence mosquito populations and virus transmission dynamics. Measuring changes in spatial patterns over time is necessary for uncovering the underlying regional drivers of disease risk.
Media
