Carla A. Sousa

Carla A. Sousa is Assistant Professor at the Medical Parasitology Unit of IHMT/UNL since 2008.
She got a degree in Biology (1990) from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and a PhD in Medical Parasitology (2008) from the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of the New University of Lisbon. Her PhD studies were focused on the vectorial capacity and competence of Anopheles atroparvus Van Thiel, 1927, the former malaria vector in Portugal.  From 1995 to 2000 she held a position as a Junior Assistant of Medical Entomology and from 2000 to 2008 as an Assistant, both at IHMT.

She has developed studies on the bio-ecology, systematics, genetics and control of disease vectors, particularly mosquitoes. Has both teaching and research (laboratorial and field work) experience in Portugal (in mainland and Madeira archipelago) and in Portuguese speaking countries/regions: Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Cabo Verde São Tomé e Príncipe, Macau and Guinea-Bissau. Acted as a consultant for Madeira Health authorities during Dengue outbreak in 2012, and as WHO consultant during Mozambique’s Dengue outbreak (2014). Since 2012, she is a consultant for the Portuguese National Directorate of Health within the framework of the “Plataforma de Especialistas em Entomologia Médica e Saúde Pública”.

Teaching commitments include the coordination of the Master Course in Medical Parasitology, since 2015, and the coordination of one Curricular Unit, since 2011. She is/was the co/main supervisor of 2 PhD students, 7 MSc students and 1 graduation student.

At IHMT, she is member of the Scientific Council, Ethical Board and IHMT’s Council.

C. A. Sousa is author/co-author of 43 peer reviewed research papers and 4 book chapters.

Current research activities are mainly focus on risk assessment of mosquito-borne emergent diseases and development of new tools for mosquito surveillance and control.

1. Dengue’s activity and vector´s monitoring in Madeira archipelago. Field-based entomological research, currently being undertaken, is being related with environmental analysis (including remote and /or GIS-based data), and social studies in order to model the emergence and progress of Aedes aegypti-transmitted arboviruses, in the archipelago of Madeira. New methodologies for early warning, surveillance and monitoring, are under development, as well as improved tools (beside those mentioned in 2) for vector control.
2. New tools for individual protection against mosquito bites. This research line is being developed in collaboration with other research groups and also in joint ventures with industry. These projects aim at the development of clothing and other materials treated with mosquito repellents/insecticides. Lab and field trials are being undertaken to determine the efficacy of this type of protective measures.

Equipa: Ana Jesus (Mater Student), Bianca Pires (Grant Holder), Flávia Ribeiro (Grant Holder), Gonçalo Alves (Collaborating Researcher), Gonçalo Seixas (PhD Student), Teresa Nazareth (Collaborating Researcher )

1. Nazareth T.L., Sousa C.A., Porto G., Gonçalves L., Seixas G., Antunes L., Silva A.C., Teodósio R. Impact of a dengue outbreak experience in the preventive perceptions of the community from a temperate region: Madeira Island, Portugal. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 9 (3): e0003395-e0003395.
2. Richard P., Sousa C.A., Sakuntabhai A., Devine G. (2014) Mosquito control might not bolster imperfect dengue vaccines. Lancet, 384: 1747-1748.
3. Capinha C., Rocha J., Sousa C.A. (2014). Macroclimate Determines the Global Range Limit of Aedes aegypti. Ecohealth. 11: 420-428. DOI: 10.1007/s10393-014-0918-y
4. Sousa C.A., Clairouin M., Seixas G., Viveiros B., Novo M.T., Silva A.C., Escoval M.T., A Economopoulou A. (2012). Ongoing outbreak of dengue type 1 in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal: preliminary report. Eurosurveillance 17: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=20333
5. Pinto J., Donnelly M.J., Sousa C.A., Gil V., Ferreira C., Elissa N., do Rosário V.E., Charlwood J.D. (2002). Genetic structure of Anopheles gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) in São Tomé and Príncipe (West Africa): implications for malaria control. Molecular Ecology 11: 2183-2187.