About

Andrea L. Graham is the head researcher of the Graham Group, bringing a background in ecology and evolutionary biology that has shaped her approach to immunoparasitology. Her research integrates the fields of immunology, ecology, parasitology, and evolutionary biology, working at the interface of these disciplines alongside both empiricists and theoreticians. The group’s work involves complex experiments and fieldwork, investigating immune-mediated life history tradeoffs, physiology, and the ecology of host-parasite interactions. Andrea’s leadership fosters a collaborative environment that spans multiple areas of expertise, reflecting her commitment to advancing understanding of immune function in ecological and evolutionary contexts.

Research topics

• Biology
• Immunology
• Medicine
• Virology
• Environmental health
• Microbiology

Selected publications

• Seroprevalence of endemic and emergent coronaviruses among SARS-COV-2 patients and healthcare workers in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

  BMC Infectious Diseases · 2026-03-27

  articleOpen access

  Understanding the serological landscape of endemic and emergent coronaviruses is critical to interpreting early-pandemic immune responses and evaluating hypotheses of cross-reactivity. It was proposed that prior exposure to endemic coronaviruses could affect susceptibility or shape symptom severity through cross-reactive antibody responses. However, little was known about baseline coronavirus seroprevalence in many global regions, including Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Characterizing this landscape provides key insights into early pandemic immunity and the potential influence of prior coronavirus exposures on SARS-CoV-2 immune response. Here, we probe this using data from syndromic surveillance in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, collected between September 2020 and July 2021. We quantified IgG antibody levels to both spike and nucleocapsid proteins for emergent coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV) and endemic coronaviruses (HKU1, OC43, NL63 and 229E) using high-throughput multiplex bead assay. Samples were collected from SARS-CoV-2 negative healthcare workers (N = 202) and SARS-CoV-2 positive patients (N = 207). SARS-CoV-2 positive patients returned for repeat sampling at day 28 (N = 131). SARS-CoV-2 negative healthcare workers had higher SARS-CoV-1 seropositivity [0.27 (CI: 0.21–0.33) vs. 0.18 (CI: 0.13–0.24)] and SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity [0.52 (CI: 0.46–0.59) vs. 0.37 (CI: 0.31–0.44)] than SARS-CoV-2 positive patients. There were no significant differences among endemic coronaviruses between the healthcare workers and patients. Among the endemic coronaviruses, seropositivity was highest for 229E at 0.96 (95% CI: 0.94–0.98) and lowest for HKU1 at 0.56 (95% CI: 0.51–0.61) We found no significant sex difference in seropositivity to any coronavirus. These findings provide a snapshot of endemic and emergent coronavirus seroprevalences during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Abidjan. We observed high seroprevalence to endemic alphacoronaviruses (229E and NL63), slightly lower levels for betacoronaviruses (HKU1 and OC43), and cross-reactive antibody signals to SARS-CoV-1. Among SARS-CoV-2 positive patients sampled again after 28 days, we did not observe evidence of boosting antibody levels to endemic coronaviruses, suggesting no cross-reactive responses. However, studies incorporating conserved S2 regions are needed to more fully assess cross-reactivity.

  PublisherDOI

• Convergence and divergence of individual immune responses over the life course

  Science · 2025-08-07 · 19 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Three ingredients create the strikingly variable immune trajectories observed across human populations: (i) genetic variation, (ii) individual-scale generation of additional genetic diversity solely in lymphocytes, and (iii) collision of these processes with a changing environment through life, triggering plastic responses that can have lasting effects. We explore what generates or reduces immune variation, integrating recent empirical advances with potential overarching evolutionary principles. We posit that the multiple components of the immune system each present trade-offs (such as self-defense-self-harm, and investments in memory-retaining flexibility for future responses) that vary through life, and that variation in how immune components balance these trade-offs increases homeostasis to external and internal threats. Disentangling the mechanisms that shape immune diversity could inform effective strategies to manage microbial interactions and mitigate the burden of immune-mediated chronic diseases.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Architecture of the neutrophil compartment

  Nature · 2025-12-03 · 19 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Transient rewilding alters the lung immunologic landscape enhancing host protective responses to helminth infection 3007

  The Journal of Immunology · 2025-11-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Description Infection of laboratory-housed mice with the helminth N. brasiliensis (Nb) triggers lung inflammation, contributing to hemorrhaging and acute lung injury (ALI) followed by the development of a polarized type 2 pulmonary immune response and host protective macrophages. (Chen F et al, NI 2014, CR 2022). To examine whether exposure of mice to a rewilding environment might alter this response, mice were housed in an outdoor mesocosm reflecting a natural environment, for five weeks, after which they were returned to the lab and immediately infected with Nb. The RW mice showed a significantly lower worm burden at day 5 after infection. At day 2, increased ALI and lung hemorrhaging, was also significantly reduced.To examine potential changes in the lung immunologic landscape, scRNAseq was performed on rewilded WT and IL-4/IL-13-/- mice. RW WT mice showed significant increases in lung M2 macrophage activation, which was blocked in IL-4/IL-13-/- mice. Inoculation with microbiota isolated from RW mice, which includes Aspergillus species (Yeung F et al, CHM 2020), showed reduced worm burden, hemorrhaging and ALI after Nb infection. Inoculation with RW purified fungi A. fumigatus followed by Nb infection two weeks later showed similar host protective effects. These studies suggest that fungi acquired during transient rewilding can markedly alter pulmonary immune cell activation and function resulting in polarization towards type 2 inflammatory responses. Topic Categories Microbial, Parasitic, and Fungal Immunology (MPF)

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Rewilding catalyzes maturation of the humoral immune system

  Science Advances · 2025-03-07 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access

  Inbred mice used for biomedical research display an underdeveloped immune system compared with adult humans, which is attributed in part to the artificial laboratory environment. Despite representing a central component of adaptive immunity, the impact of the laboratory environment on the B cell compartment has not been investigated in detail. Here, we performed an in-depth examination of B cells following rewilding, the controlled release of inbred laboratory mice into an outdoor enclosure. In rewilded mice, we observed B cells in circulation with increased signs of maturation, alongside heightened germinal center responses within secondary lymphoid organs. Rewilding also expanded B cells in the gut, which was accompanied by elevated systemic levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies reactive to the microbiota. Our findings indicate that exposing laboratory mice to a more natural environment enhances B cell development to better reflect the immune system of free-living mammals.

  PublisherDOI

• Strengthening serological studies: the need for greater geographical diversity, biobanking, and data-accessibility

  Trends in Microbiology · 2025-01-15 · 6 citations

  review
  PublisherDOI

• Density-dependent network structuring within and across wild animal systems

  Nature Ecology & Evolution · 2025-09-04 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sexual dimorphism shapes the gut microbiome of northern elephant seal pups across environments

  2025-01-13

  preprintOpen access

  Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) exhibit some of the strongest anatomical and behavioral sexual dimorphism of any mammalian species. The degree of dimorphism at the microbial level, especially in young individuals, is still relatively unknown. Here, we investigated the interplay between sex, county of stranding, rehabilitation environment, and host genetics on the gut microbiomes of 44 northern elephant seal pups that were stranded along the California coastline and brought to a rehabilitation facility. Using a metabarcoding approach, we characterized microbial communities shortly after admission to the facility and found that both sex and county of stranding contributed to variation in microbial composition. Through population genetic analyses, we showed that the effect of county of stranding on microbial composition was not driven by underlying genetic structure. More broadly, we did not find any correlation between host genetics and microbiome dissimilarity, perhaps related to the extremely low genetic diversity of this bottlenecked species. Finally, we analyzed paired samples from a subset of 24 seals at two time points: shortly after admission to the rehabilitation facility and a month post-acclimation in the facility. Although microbiome compositions became more similar over time, sex continued to contribute to variation. Sex had a weaker effect on microbiome variation at the second time point in comparison to the first, potentially due to the homogenizing effects of rehabilitation. Our findings ultimately help shape our understanding of how environment and sex shape the gut microbiomes of young NES during an understudied period of development.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Revealing trends in measles immunity during periods of varying measles circulation in Madagascar

  American Journal of Epidemiology · 2025-01-09

  articleOpen access

  Estimating the durability of immunity from vaccination is complicated by unreported revaccination and unobserved natural infection or reexposure, which could result in overestimation of protection longevity. We tested serial, cross-sectional serum samples from 2005 to 2015 (n = 2530) for immunoglobulin G (IgG) to examine measles seroprevalence, spatiotemporal patterns of titers across regions, and antibody dynamics among children aged 1-9 years who grew up during varying measles circulation in Madagascar under a 1-dose vaccination schedule. We found that measles seroprevalence generally decreased over this period. Furthermore, we conducted 2 nested serological surveys, analyzing 393 samples taken in 2005 (n = 158), a time point preceded by high levels of measles circulation, and 2015 (n = 235), a time point preceded by low levels of measles circulation. Among children alive during periods of limited measles circulation, we found lower measles seroprevalence in all age groups and lower antibody titers in children aged 7-9 years old. Notably, titers among children aged 7-9 dipped near the threshold of protection, highlighting the importance of additional measles vaccine doses. Our findings suggest vulnerabilities might emerge during periods of limited measles circulation for countries with a 1-dose schedule, due to both the buildup of susceptible individuals and waning titers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• From host to population: Bridging the viral immuno-evolutionary gap

  Immunity · 2025-12-30

  article
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• RCN: Infectious Disease Evolution Across Scales

  NSF · $500k · 2014–2019

• DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The effects of multi-species interactions on the community structure of parasites

  NSF · $16k · 2015–2017

Frequent coauthors

• Bryan T. Grenfell

  Princeton Public Schools

  66 shared

• C. Jessica E. Metcalf

  Princeton University

  49 shared

• Ken Cadwell

  34 shared

• P’ng Loke

  National Institutes of Health

  34 shared

• Kathryn Watt

  University of Edinburgh

  30 shared

• Daniel H. Nussey

  University of Edinburgh

  26 shared

• Judith E. Allen

  Wellcome Centre for Cell-Matrix Research

  23 shared

• Andrew F. Read

  Pennsylvania State University

  22 shared

Labs

• The Graham GroupPI

  Ecology and evolutionary biology approach to immunoparasitology

Education

• Ph.D., Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

  Cornell University

• Postdoc, Immunology

  University of Edinburgh

  2006

• q, Dynamic Epidemiology

  Oxford University

  1997