Dr. Andres Velasco-Villa

Part-time Faculty, Biology
School of Science and Technology|Biological Sciences

Contact Information

Email

avelascovilla@ggc.edu

Mobile phone

678.886.8291

About

Biography

Dr. Andrés Velasco-Villa is a distinguished Mexican-American microbiologist and public health scientist known for his extensive work on the molecular epidemiology and control of rabies. He recently retired in 2025 after a 22-year career at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

CDC Tenure (2003-2025)

He served as a senior service fellow and microbiologist in the Poxvirus and Rabies Branch. His core responsibilities included coordinating high-profile molecular epidemiological investigations into rabies outbreaks both in the United States and internationally.

Leadership in Mexico (1997-2003)

Before joining the CDC, he was the chief of the Rabies Section and deputy director of Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases at the Instituto Nacional de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos (InDRE) in Mexico City.

Global Advising

He has served as a consultant for the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) since 1996, assisting in landmark achievements such as Mexico's recognition as the first Latin American country free of human rabies transmitted by dogs. 

Education

  • Doctorate – biomedical sciences – Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico
  • Master's – microbiology – Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico
  • Bachelor's – chemistry, bacteriology and parasitology – Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico

Academic Interests

  • Teaching undergrad and graduated students
  • Rabies virus
  • Zoonotic diseases ecology
  • Metagenomics
  • Ecological niche modeling
  • Vaccine development
  • Disease ecology
  • Global laboratory capacity building
  • Vaccine development for wildlife

Distinctions

Dr. Velasco-Villa has received numerous honors, including the Charles Shepard Science Award, Nakano citation, medal of 10 and 20 years of service for the Federal Government, and several distinctions from the USDA and CDC for his work in global rabies control and elimination and for outbreak responses like the mpox global outbreak and rabies re-emergence, CoVID-19, rabies in humans and public health service.

Research funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) from the Department of Defense; American Fellows from the Department of State; the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Publications

  • Islam S, Kangoyé NM, Velasco-Villa A, Diallo AH, Katani R, Escobar LE. A field guide for sampling bats (Chiroptera) for eco-epidemiological studies. Front Vet Sci. 2025 Sep 9;12:1605150. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1605150. PMID: 40994785; PMCID: PMC12456185
  • Velasco-Villa, A. On skunk rabies and its prevention in North America. Equine Veterinary Education. 2023. 00, 1–5. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.13843.
  • Escobar LE, Velasco-Villa A, Satheshkumar PS, Nakazawa Y, Van de Vuurst P. Revealing the complexity of vampire bat rabies "spillover transmission". Infect Dis Poverty. 2023 Feb 13;12(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s40249-023-01062-7. PMID: 36782311; PMCID: PMC9924873.
  • Cárdenas-Canales EM, Velasco-Villa A, Ellison JA, Satheshkumar PS, Osorio JE, Rocke TE. A recombinant rabies vaccine that prevents viral shedding in rabid common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus). PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022 Aug 26;16(8):e0010699. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010699. PMID: 36026522; PMCID: PMC9455887.
  • Condori RE, Aragon A, Breckenridge M, Pesko K, Mower K, Ettestad P, Melman S, Velasco-Villa A, Orciari LA, Yager P, Streicker DG, Gigante CM, Morgan C, Wallace R, Li Y. Divergent Rabies Virus Variant of Probable Bat Origin in 2 Gray Foxes, New Mexico, USA. Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 Jun;28(6):1137-1145. doi: 10.3201/eid2806.211718. PMID: 35608558; PMCID: PMC9155866.
  • De Benedictis P, Leopardi S, Markotter W, Velasco-Villa A. The Importance of Accurate Host Species Identification in the Framework of Rabies Surveillance, Control and Elimination.  Viruses. 2022 Feb 28;14(3):492. doi: 10.3390/v14030492.
  • Gettings JR, Gold JAW, Kimball A, Forsberg K, Scott C, Uehara A, Tong S, Hast M, Swanson MR, Morris E, Oraka E, Almendares O, Thomas ES, Mehari L, McCloud J, Roberts G, Crosby D, Balajee A, Burnett E, Chancey RJ, Cook P, Donadel M, Espinosa C, Evans ME, Fleming-Dutra KE, Forero C, Kukielka EA, Li Y, Marcet PL, Mitruka K, Nakayama JY, Nakazawa Y, O'Hegarty M, Pratt C, Rice ME, Rodriguez Stewart RM, Sabogal R, Sanchez E, Velasco-Villa A, et al., SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a Georgia school district - United States, December 2020-January 2021. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Jan 29: 74 (2): 319-326 ciab332. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab332. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33864375; PMCID: PMC8083290.
  • Urushadze L, Babuadze G, Shi M, Escobar LE, Mauldin MR, Natradeze I, Machablishvili A, Kutateladze T, Imnadze P, Nakazawa Y, Velasco-Villa A. A Cross Sectional Sampling Reveals Novel Coronaviruses in Bat Populations of Georgia. Viruses. 2021 Dec 31;14(1):72. doi: 10.3390/v14010072. PMID: 35062276; PMCID: PMC8778869.
  • Binkley L, Deressa A, Shi M, Jara M, Escobar LE, Mauldin MR, Matheny A, O'Quin J, Pieracci EG, Kling C, Hartloge C, Yimer G, Abate E, Gebreyes W, Reynolds M, Belay E, Shiferaw M, Nakazawa Y, Velasco-Villa A. Use of partial N-gene sequences as a tool to monitor progress on rabies control and elimination efforts in Ethiopia. Acta Trop. 2021 Sep; 221:106022. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.106022. Epub 2021 Jun 20. PMID: 34161816.
  • Gold JAW, Gettings JR, Kimball A, Franklin R, Rivera G, Morris E, Scott C, Marcet PL, Hast M, Swanson M, McCloud J, Mehari L, Thomas ES, Kirking HL, Tate JE, Memark J, Drenzek C, Vallabhaneni S; Georgia K–12 School COVID-19 Investigation Team. Clusters of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Elementary School Educators and Students in One School District - Georgia, December 2020-January 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 Feb 26;70(8):289-292. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7008e4. PMID: 33630823.
  • Benavides JA, Valderrama W, Recuenco S, Uieda W, Suzán G, Avila-Flores R, Velasco-Villa A, AlmeidaM, Andrade FAG, Molina-Flores B, Vigilato MAN, Pompei JCA, Tizzani P, Carrera JE, Ibanez D, Streicker DG. Defining New Pathways to Manage the Ongoing Emergence of Bat Rabies in Latin America. Viruses. 2020 Sep 8;12(9):1002. doi: 10.3390/v12091002.
  • Benavides JA, Velasco-Villa A, Godino LC, Satheshkumar PS, Nino R, Rojas- Paniagua E, Shiva C, Falcon N, Streicker DG. Abortive vampire bat rabies infections in Peruvian peridomestic livestock. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2020 Jun 29;14(6): e0008194. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008194. PMID: 32598388; PMCID: PMC7351222.
  • Dell'Armelina Rocha PR, Velasco-Villa A, et al. Unexpected rabies variant identified in kinkajou (Potos flavus), Mato Grosso, Brazil. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2020. 9(1):851-854. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1759380. PubMed PMID: 32403984.
  • Cárdenas-Canales EM, Gigante CM, Greenberg L, Velasco-Villa A, Ellison JA, Satheshkumar PS, Medina-Magües LG, Griesser R, Falendysz E, Amezcua I, Osorio JE, Rocke TE. Clinical Presentation and Serologic Response during a Rabies Epizootic in Captive Common Vampire Bats (Desmodus rotundus). Trop Med Infect Dis. 2020 Mar 1;5(1). pii: E34. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed5010034. PubMed PMID: 32121499.
  • Pieracci EG, Brown JA, Bergman DL, Gilbert A, Wallace RM, Blanton JD, Velasco-Villa A, Morgan CN, Lindquist S, Chipman RB. Evaluation of species identification and rabies virus characterization among bat rabies cases in the United States. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2020 Jan 1;256(1):77-84. doi: 10.2460/javma.256.1.77. PubMed PMID: 31841089.
  • Pieracci EG, Chipman RB, Morgan CN, Brown CM, Kirby JD, Blanton JD, Velasco-Villa A, Martin AD, Nelson KM, Singh A, LeMasters E, Weiner Z, Wallace RM. Evaluation of rabies virus characterization to enhance early detection of important rabies epizootic events in the United States. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2020 Jan 1;256(1):66-76. doi: 10.2460/javma.256.1.66. PubMed PMID: 31841088.
  • Binkley Laura and Velasco-Villa Andres. Herramientas moleculares aplicadas al monitoreo del control y eliminación de la rabia: caso Etiopia. 2019. Revista de Enfermedades Infecciosas Emergentes (REIE). 14: 27. ISSN: 0329-8507. https://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/90193
  • Velasco-Villa Andres. Origenes y consecuencias de la rabia perpetuada por perros en America: perspectivas para su eliminación y confrontamiento de nuevos desafíos. 2019. Revista de Enfermedades Infecciosas Emergentes (REIE). 14: 20-22. ISSN: 0329-8507. https://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/90189.
  • Birhane MG, Cleaton JM, Monroe BP, Wadhwa A, Orciari LA, Yager P, Blanton J, Velasco-Villa A, Petersen BW, Wallace RM. Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2015. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2017 May 15;250(10):1117-1130. doi: 10.2460/javma.250.10.1117.
  • Velasco-Villa A, Escobar LE, et al. Successful strategies implemented towards the elimination of canine rabies in the Western Hemisphere. Antiviral Res. 2017 Apr 4; 143:1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.03.023.
  • Clavijo A, Freire de Carvalho MH, Orciari LA, Velasco-Villa A, Ellison JA, Greenberg L, Yager PA, Green DB, Vigilato MA, Cosivi O, Del Rio-Vilas VJ. An inter- laboratory proficiency testing exercise for rabies diagnosis in Latin America and the Caribbean. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 Apr 3;11(4): e0005427. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005427. eCollection 2017 Apr. PubMed PMID: 28369139.
  • Velasco-Villa A, et al. The history of rabies in the Western Hemisphere. Antiviral Res. 2017 Mar 29. pii: S0166-3542(17)30006-2. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.03.013.
  • Wadhwa A, Wilkins K, Gao J, Condori Condori RE, Gigante CM, Zhao H, Ma X, Ellison JA, Greenberg L, Velasco-Villa A, Orciari L, Li Y. A Pan-Lyssavirus Taqman Real-Time RT-PCR Assay for the Detection of Highly Variable Rabies virus and Other Lyssaviruses. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 Jan 12;11(1):e0005258. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005258.
  • Elsiesy H, Hussain I, Abaalkhail F, Al-Hamoudi W, Elbeshbeshy H, Al Sebayel M, Broering D,Elgohary A, Al Fawaz S, Althawadi S, Alotaibi J, AlHindi H, Nair P, Al- Otaibi T, Nampoory N, Orciar L, Velasco-Villa A, et al. Donor Transmited Rabies Outbreak Involving Four Transplant Recepients in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Am J Transplant. 2016;16 (suppl 3).
  • Stading BR, Osorio JE, Velasco-Villa A, Smotherman M, Kingstad-Bakke B, Rocke TE.
    Infectivity of attenuated poxvirus vaccine vectors and immunogenicity of a raccoonpox
    vectored rabies vaccine in the Brazilian Free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis). Vaccine.
    2016 Sep 17. pii: S0264-410X (16)30796-4. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.08.088.
  • Streicker DG, Winternitz JC, Satterfield DA, Condori-Condori RE, Broos A,Tello C, Recuenco S, Velasco-Villa A, Altizer S, Valderrama W. Host-pathogen evolutionary signatures reveal dynamics and future invasions of vampire bat rabies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Sep 12. pii: 201606587.
  • Caicedo Y, Paez A, Kuzmin I, Niezgoda M, Orciari LA, Yager PA, Recuenco S, Franka R,
    Velasco-Villa A, Willoughby RE Jr. Virology, immunology and pathology of human rabies
    during treatment. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2015 May;34(5):520-528.
  • Wallace RM, Bhavnani D, Russell J, Zaki S, Muehlenbachs A, Hayden-Pinneri K, Aplícano RM,Peruski L, Vora NM, Balter S, Elson D, Lederman E, Leeson B, McLaughlin T, Waterman S,Fonseca-Ford M, Blanton J, Franka R, Velasco-Villa A, Niezgoda M, Orciari L, Recuenco S,Damon I, Hanlon C, Jackson F, Dyer J, Wadhwa A, Robinson L; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rabies death attributed to exposure in Central America with symptom onset in a U.S. detention facility - Texas, 2013. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep.2014 May 23;63(20):446-9.
  • Torres C, Lema C, Dohmen FG, Beltran F, Novaro L, Russo S, Freire MC, Velasco-Villa A, Mbayed VA, Cisterna DM. Phylodynamics of vampire bat-transmitted rabies in Argentina. Mol Ecol. 2014 May;23(9):2340-52.
  • Wadhwa A, Kumar N, Velasco-Villa A, Eda S. Overview of Johnes’s disease
    immunology.Veterinary World. 2013. 6: 901-904.
  • Vora NM, Basavaraju SV, Feldman KA, Paddock CD, Orciari L, Gitterman S, Griese S, Wallace RM, Said M, Blau DM, Selvaggi G, Velasco-Villa A, Ritter J, Yager P,Kresch A, Niezgoda M, Blanton J, Stosor V, Falta EM, Lyon GM 3rd, Zembower T, Kuzmina N, Rohatgi PK, Recuenco S, Zaki S, Damon I, Franka R, Kuehnert MJ;Transplant-Associated Rabies Virus Transmission Investigation Team, Benator D, Bennett S, Blythe D, Bohen E, Buchanan BD, Burgess TH, Condori-Condori RE, Drew CP, Gabel J, Gordin FM, Hightower D, Hodge JJ, Jackson F, Kan V, Krulak DC Muehlenbachs A, Smith TG, Shieh WJ, Vancil GW, Wade BH, Williams C, Wu X. Raccoon rabies virus variant transmission through solid organ transplantation. JAMA. 2013. Jul 24;310(4):398-407.
  • Condori-Condori RE, Streicker DG, Cabezas-Sanchez C, Velasco-Villa A. Enzootic and
    epizootic rabies associated with vampire bats, Peru. Emerg Infect Dis. 2013;19(9).
  • Seetahal JF, Velasco-Villa A, Allicock OM, Adesiyun AA, Bissessar J, Amour K, Phillip-Hosein A, Marston DA, McElhinney LM, Shi M, Wharwood CA, Fooks AR, Carrington CV. Evolutionary history and phylogeography of rabies viruses associated with outbreaks in Trinidad. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2013 Aug22;7(8):e2365.
  • O'Sullivan A, Willoughby RE, Mishchuk D, Alcarraz B, Cabezas-Sanchez C,Condori RE, David D, Encarnacion R, Fatteh N, Fernandez J, Franka R, Hedderwick S, McCaughey C, Ondrush J, Paez-Martinez A, Rupprecht C, Velasco-Villa A, Slupsky CM. Metabolomics of Cerebrospinal Fluid from Humans Treated for Rabies. J Proteome Res. 2013. 12(1): 481-490.
  • Hussain Z, Hiader MS, Ahsan Qureshi ZU, Velasco-Villa A, Afzaal S, Wu X. Efficacy test in
    mice of two rabies vaccine candidates using a Pakistan rabies virus glycoprotein gene. J
    Antivir Antiretrovir. 2012. S15. doi: 10.4172/jaa. S15-003.
  • Streicker DG, Altizer SM, Velasco-Villa A, Rupprecht CE. Variable evolutionary routes to
    host establishment across repeated rabies virus host shifts among bats. Proc Natl Acad Sci U
    S A. 2012 Nov 27;109(48):19715-20.
  • Ivan Kuzmin, Mang Shi, Lillian A. Orciari, Pamela A Yager, Andres Velasco-Villa, Natalia A. Kuzmina, Daniel G. Streicker, David L. Bergman, Charles E. Rupprecht. Molecular Inferences Suggest Multiple Host Shifts of Rabies Viruses from Bats to Mesocarnivores in Arizona During 2001-2009. PLoS Pathog. 2012. http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1002786.
  • Streicker DG, Lemey P, Velasco-Villa A, Rupprecht CE. Rates of viral evolution are linked to host geography in bat rabies. PLoS Pathog. 2012 May;8(5): e1002720.

Professional Affiliations

  • Academia