Ana Rivero
I am a CNRS researcher at
the department of Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (Génétique
et Evolution des Maladies Infectieuses - GEMI, UMR CNRS 2724). We are based at the IRD
Research Centre in Montpellier, in the South of France.
My research concerns the evolution of mosquito-Plasmodium interactions. Malaria is among the most dangerous vector-borne disease in the world, killing around 1 million people per year. Work on human malaria is often hampered by both technical and ethical constraints. While several, more convenient, experimental malaria models exist, these models often artificially combine host-vector-parasite associations not found in nature. We are currently working on the interaction between Plasmodium relictum (the aetiological agent of the most prevalent form of avian malaria) and its natural vector, the mosquito Culex pipiens, both of which are present in the Montpellier area. Avian malaria has historically played an important role as models in the study of human malaria (click here for a historical account), and for good reason: they share a distant common ancestor, have a very similar life cycle and allow experimenters to overcome many of the obstacles associated with working with humans.
We work on the physiological, immunological and behavioural alterations that take place in mosquitoes when they are infected by Plasmodium, the consequences of the evolution of insecticide resistance on the interaction, and the potential interference between Plasmodium and bacterial endosymbionts such as Wolbachia.
