# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Animal Virus Infections Studies Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/animal-virus-infections-studies/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Animal Virus Infections Studies research in the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 in Animal Virus Infections Studies is heavily focused on SARS-CoV-2 evolution, particularly immune evasion by Omicron subvariants like XBB.1.5 and JN.1. A major shift from 2023 to 2024 shows rising focus on reactogenicity, antibody durability, and newer variants like EG.5.1 and JN.1, alongside a relative decline in broader SARS-CoV-2 research.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Animal Virus Infections Studies |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 5014 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Immune evasion, Omicron XBB.1.5, SARS-CoV-2, Spike protein |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 45–145 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved September 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b dynamics in experimentally infected calves and cows | Nico Joel Halwe, Konner Cool, Angele Breithaupt, Jacob Schön, Jessie D Trujillo, Mohammed Nooruzzaman, Taeyong Kwon, Ann Kathrin Ahrens, Tobias Britzke, Chester D McDowell, Ronja Piesche, Gagandeep Singh, Vinicius Pinho Dos Reis, Sujan Kafle, Anne Pohlmann, Natasha N Gaudreault, Björn Corleis, Franco Matias Ferreyra, Mariano Carossino, Udeni B R Balasuriya, Lisa Hensley, Igor Morozov, Lina M Covaleda, Diego G Diel, Lorenz Ulrich, Donata Hoffmann, Martin Beer, Juergen A Richt | Martin Beer, Jüergen A. Richt | Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Germany | Nature | 145 | 10.1038/s41586-024-08063-y |
| 2 | XBB.1.5 monovalent mRNA vaccine booster elicits robust neutralizing antibodies against XBB subvariants and JN.1 | Qian Wang, Yicheng Guo, Anthony Bowen, Ian A Mellis, Riccardo Valdez, Carmen Gherasim, Aubree Gordon, Lihong Liu, David D Ho | Aubree Gordon, Lihong Liu, David D. Ho | Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, United States | Cell Host & Microbe | 136 | 10.1016/j.chom.2024.01.014 |
| 3 | Efficacy and Safety of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Prefusion F Protein Vaccine (RSVPreF3 OA) in Older Adults Over 2 RSV Seasons | Michael G Ison, Alberto Papi, Eugene Athan, Robert G Feldman, Joanne M Langley, Dong-Gun Lee, Isabel Leroux-Roels, Federico Martinon-Torres, Tino F Schwarz, Richard N van Zyl-Smit, Céline Verheust, Nancy Dezutter, Olivier Gruselle, Laurence Fissette, Marie-Pierre David, Lusine Kostanyan, Veronica Hulstrøm, Aurélie Olivier, Marie Van der Wielen, Dominique Descamps, AReSVi-006 Study Group | Aurélie Olivier, Marie Van der Wielen | Bethesda, United States | Clinical Infectious Diseases | 91 | 10.1093/cid/ciae010 |
| 4 | Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86 variant | Tomokazu Tamura, Keita Mizuma, Hesham Nasser, Sayaka Deguchi, Miguel Padilla-Blanco, Yoshitaka Oda, Keiya Uriu, Jarel E M Tolentino, Shuhei Tsujino, Rigel Suzuki, Isshu Kojima, Naganori Nao, Ryo Shimizu, Lei Wang, Masumi Tsuda, Michael Jonathan, Yusuke Kosugi, Ziyi Guo, Alfredo A Hinay, Olivia Putri, Yoonjin Kim, Yuri L Tanaka, Hiroyuki Asakura, Mami Nagashima, Kenji Sadamasu, Kazuhisa Yoshimura, Genotype to Phenotype Japan (G2P-Japan) Consortium, Akatsuki Saito, Jumpei Ito, Takashi Irie, Shinya Tanaka, Jiri Zahradnik, Terumasa Ikeda, Kazuo Takayama, Keita Matsuno, Takasuke Fukuhara, Kei Sato | Tomokazu Tamura | Hokkaido University, Japan | Cell Host & Microbe | 76 | 10.1016/j.chom.2024.01.001 |
| 5 | SARS-CoV-2-infection- and vaccine-induced antibody responses are long lasting with an initial waning phase followed by a stabilization phase | Komal Srivastava, Juan Manuel Carreño, Charles Gleason, Brian Monahan, Gagandeep Singh, Anass Abbad, Johnstone Tcheou, Ariel Raskin, Giulio Kleiner, Harm van Bakel, Emilia Mia Sordillo, PARIS Study Group, Florian Krammer, Viviana Simon | Florian Krammer, Viviana Simon | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States | Immunity | 74 | 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.01.017 |
| 6 | Sialic Acid Receptor Specificity in Mammary Gland of Dairy Cattle Infected with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus | Rahul K Nelli, Tyler A Harm, Chris Siepker, Jennifer M Groeltz-Thrush, Brianna Jones, Ning-Chieh Twu, Ariel S Nenninger, Drew R Magstadt, Eric R Burrough, Pablo E Piñeyro, Marta Mainenti, Silvia Carnaccini, Paul J Plummer, Todd M Bell | Rahul K Nelli | Unknown Institution, Unknown | Emerging infectious diseases | 70 | 10.3201/eid3007.240689 |
| 7 | SARS-CoV-2-specific plasma cells are not durably established in the bone marrow long-lived compartment after mRNA vaccination | Doan C Nguyen, Ian T Hentenaar, Andrea Morrison-Porter, David Solano, Natalie S Haddad, Carlos Castrillon, Martin C Runnstrom, Pedro A Lamothe, Joel Andrews, Danielle Roberts, Sagar Lonial, Ignacio Sanz, F Eun-Hyung Lee | F. Eun‐Hyung Lee | Emory University, United States | Nature Medicine | 64 | 10.1038/s41591-024-03278-y |
| 8 | Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 KP.3.1.1 variant | Yu Kaku, Keiya Uriu, Kaho Okumura, Genotype to Phenotype Japan (G2P-Japan) Consortium, Jumpei Ito, Kei Sato | Kei Sato | The University of Tokyo, Japan | The Lancet Infectious Diseases | 63 | 10.1016/s1473-3099(24)00505-x |
| 9 | Transmission of a human isolate of clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) virus in ferrets | Joanna A Pulit-Penaloza, Jessica A Belser, Nicole Brock, Troy J Kieran, Xiangjie Sun, Claudia Pappas, Hui Zeng, Paul Carney, Jessie Chang, Brandon Bradley-Ferrell, James Stevens, Juan A De La Cruz, Yasuko Hatta, Han Di, C Todd Davis, Terrence M Tumpey, Taronna R Maines | Joanna A. Pulit-Penaloza | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States | Nature | 62 | 10.1038/s41586-024-08246-7 |
| 10 | Development of a nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccine against clade 2.3.4.4b H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus | Colleen Furey, Gabrielle Scher, Naiqing Ye, Lisa Kercher, Jennifer DeBeauchamp, Jeri Carol Crumpton, Trushar Jeevan, Christopher Patton, John Franks, Adam Rubrum, Mohamad-Gabriel Alameh, Steven H Y Fan, Anthony T Phan, Christopher A Hunter, Richard J Webby, Drew Weissman, Scott E Hensley | Scott E. Hensley | University of Pennsylvania, United States | Nature Communications | 60 | 10.1038/s41467-024-48555-z |
| 11 | Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB.1.5 variant | Tomokazu Tamura, Takashi Irie, Sayaka Deguchi, Hisano Yajima, Masumi Tsuda, Hesham Nasser, Keita Mizuma, Arnon Plianchaisuk, Saori Suzuki, Keiya Uriu, Mst Monira Begum, Ryo Shimizu, Michael Jonathan, Rigel Suzuki, Takashi Kondo, Hayato Ito, Akifumi Kamiyama, Kumiko Yoshimatsu, Maya Shofa, Rina Hashimoto, Yuki Anraku, Kanako Terakado Kimura, Shunsuke Kita, Jiei Sasaki, Kaori Sasaki-Tabata, Katsumi Maenaka, Naganori Nao, Lei Wang, Yoshitaka Oda, Genotype to Phenotype Japan (G2P-Japan) Consortium, Terumasa Ikeda, Akatsuki Saito, Keita Matsuno, Jumpei Ito, Shinya Tanaka, Kei Sato, Takao Hashiguchi, Kazuo Takayama, Takasuke Fukuhara | Shiho Tanaka, Shinya Tanaka, Kei Sato, Takao Hashiguchi, Kazuo Takayama, Takasuke Fukuhara | Hokkaido University, Japan | Nature Communications | 59 | 10.1038/s41467-024-45274-3 |
| 12 | Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus of clade 2.3.4.4b isolated from a human case in Chile causes fatal disease and transmits between co-housed ferrets | Joanna A Pulit-Penaloza, Nicole Brock, Jessica A Belser, Xiangjie Sun, Claudia Pappas, Troy J Kieran, Poulami Basu Thakur, Hui Zeng, Dan Cui, Julia Frederick, Rodrigo Fasce, Terrence M Tumpey, Taronna R Maines | Taronna R. Maines | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States | Emerging Microbes & Infections | 59 | 10.1080/22221751.2024.2332667 |
| 13 | A potent pan-sarbecovirus neutralizing antibody resilient to epitope diversification | Laura E Rosen, M Alejandra Tortorici, Anna De Marco, Dora Pinto, William B Foreman, Ashley L Taylor, Young-Jun Park, Dana Bohan, Tyson Rietz, John M Errico, Kevin Hauser, Ha V Dang, Justin W Chartron, Martina Giurdanella, Giuseppe Cusumano, Christian Saliba, Fabrizia Zatta, Kaitlin R Sprouse, Amin Addetia, Samantha K Zepeda, Jack Brown, Jimin Lee, Exequiel Dellota, Anushka Rajesh, Julia Noack, Qiqing Tao, Yvonne DaCosta, Brian Tsu, Rima Acosta, Sambhavi Subramanian, Guilherme Dias de Melo, Lauriane Kergoat, Ivy Zhang, Zhuoming Liu, Barbara Guarino, Michael A Schmid, Gretja Schnell, Jessica L Miller, Florian A Lempp, Nadine Czudnochowski, Elisabetta Cameroni, Sean P J Whelan, Hervé Bourhy, Lisa A Purcell, Fabio Benigni, Julia di Iulio, Matteo Samuele Pizzuto, Antonio Lanzavecchia, Amalio Telenti, Gyorgy Snell, Davide Corti, David Veesler, Tyler N Starr | Davide Corti, David Veesler, Tyler N. Starr | Vir Biotechnology, United States | Cell | 57 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.09.026 |
| 14 | A single mutation in dairy cow-associated H5N1 viruses increases receptor binding breadth | Marina R Good, Monica L Fernández-Quintero, Wei Ji, Alesandra J Rodriguez, Julianna Han, Andrew B Ward, Jenna J Guthmiller | Jenna J. Guthmiller | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, United States | Nature Communications | 56 | 10.1038/s41467-024-54934-3 |
| 15 | Interim Report of the Reactogenicity and Immunogenicity of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 XBB–Containing Vaccines | Spyros Chalkias, Nichole McGhee, Jordan L Whatley, Brandon Essink, Adam Brosz, Joanne E Tomassini, Bethany Girard, Darin K Edwards, Kai Wu, Arshan Nasir, Diana Lee, Laura E Avena, Jing Feng, Weiping Deng, David C Montefiori, Lindsey R Baden, Jacqueline M Miller, Rituparna Das | Spyros Chalkias | Moderna, United States | The Journal of Infectious Diseases | 53 | 10.1093/infdis/jiae067 |
| 16 | An Omicron-specific, self-amplifying mRNA booster vaccine for COVID-19: a phase 2/3 randomized trial | Amit Saraf, Rohan Gurjar, Swarnendu Kaviraj, Aishwarya Kulkarni, Durgesh Kumar, Ruta Kulkarni, Rashmi Virkar, Jayashri Krishnan, Anjali Yadav, Ekta Baranwal, Ajay Singh, Arjun Raghuwanshi, Praveen Agarwal, Laxman Savergave, Sanjay Singh, GEMCOVAC-OM Study Investigators | Sanjay Singh | Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited, India | Nature Medicine | 50 | 10.1038/s41591-024-02955-2 |
| 17 | Recurrent SARS-CoV-2 spike mutations confer growth advantages to select JN.1 sublineages | Qian Wang, Ian A Mellis, Jerren Ho, Anthony Bowen, Theresa Kowalski-Dobson, Riccardo Valdez, Phinikoula S Katsamba, Madeline Wu, Caitlin Lee, Lawrence Shapiro, Aubree Gordon, Yicheng Guo, David D Ho, Lihong Liu | Aubree Gordon, Yicheng Guo, David D. Ho, Lihong Liu | Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, United States | Emerging Microbes & Infections | 49 | 10.1080/22221751.2024.2402880 |
| 18 | The evolution and diversity of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in China | Lei Zhou, Jun Han, Hanchun Yang | Hanchun Yang | China Agricultural University, China | Veterinary Microbiology | 47 | 10.1016/j.vetmic.2024.110252 |
| 19 | PEDV-spike-protein-expressing mRNA vaccine protects piglets against PEDV challenge | Yongxiang Zhao, Baochao Fan, Xu Song, Jie Gao, Rongli Guo, Cheng Yi, Zhaoming He, Hongpeng Hu, Jianhao Jiang, Lixiang Zhao, Tianyi Zhong, Bin Li | Yongxiang Zhao | Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China | mBio | 46 | 10.1128/mbio.02958-23 |
| 20 | Long-Term Prognosis of Patients With Myocarditis Attributed to COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination, SARS-CoV-2 Infection, or Conventional Etiologies | Laura Semenzato, Stéphane Le Vu, Jérémie Botton, Marion Bertrand, Marie-Joelle Jabagi, Jérôme Drouin, François Cuenot, Florian Zores, Rosemary Dray-Spira, Alain Weill, Mahmoud Zureik | Laura Semenzato, Mahmoud Zureik | EPI-PHARE Scientific Interest Group, France | JAMA | 45 | 10.1001/jama.2024.16380 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The Animal Virus Infections Studies field for the Class of 2026 is overwhelmingly driven by research into SARS-CoV-2 and its continued evolution. Dominant themes include immune evasion strategies, the Spike protein, and specific Omicron subvariants, particularly XBB.1.5. This clustering suggests that the primary focus of highly cited research has shifted from acute pandemic response to understanding the persistent challenges of viral mutation and vaccine efficacy. The prominence of terms like 'reactogenicity' and 'antibody evasion' alongside 'bivalent COVID-19 vaccine' highlights a sustained effort to evaluate and optimize vaccination strategies in the face of an evolving virus.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

Between the Class of 2025 and 2026, the landscape of Animal Virus Infections Studies shifted markedly toward understanding the long-term dynamics of COVID-19 immunity and newer viral lineages. The most significant risers include specific emergent variants such as JN.1, EG.5.1, and XBB.1.16, alongside functional concerns like 'antibody durability' and 'reactogenicity.' Conversely, broader topics like general SARS-CoV-2 research and older subvariants like Omicron BA.2 saw relative declines. This pattern indicates a maturation in the field, moving away from characterizing the pandemic broadly toward precise tracking of viral escape mechanisms and the waning of vaccine-induced immunity.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Animal Virus Infections Studies Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/animal-virus-infections-studies/2026. Accessed 2026-10-29.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```