CHIARA VIRGILLITO

Dottoressa di ricerca

ciclo: XXXIV



Titolo della tesi: DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF MATHEMATICAL AND STATISTICAL METHODS TO ESTIMATE RISK OF MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES AND EFFECTIVENESS OF CONTROL INTERVENTIONS

Vector-borne diseases represent one of greatest health problem worldwide, accounting for >17% of all infectious diseases. Anopheles, Aedes and Culex mosquitoes are the insects most involved in the transmission of vector-borne human diseases. Some species of genus Anopheles are responsible for the transmission of malaria parasite. Aedes and Culex are instead vectors of human (es. Yellow Fever, Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya) and zoonotic (e.g. West Nile, Japanese encephalitis) arboviruses, and of filarial nematodes. Mosquito-borne diseases are disproportionally transmitted in tropical regions. However, in the last years, they increase their relevance also in temperate regions, previously considered at low risk. This is due to global invasion of Asian Aedes invasive vectors of human arboviruses and to climatic conditions favouring the transmission of zoonotic arboviruses by native Culex species. The goal of medical entomology is to understand and define vector species bionomics under specific eco-climatic conditions in order to feed model useful to predict the patterns of pathogen’s transmission, and to develop effective prevention and control interventions and methods to assess their efficacy. The latter are particularly crucial in non-endemic countries where sporadic pathogen’s circulation require assessment based on entomological parameters. Collaboration between medical entomologists, mathematicians and statisticians is instrumental to progress towards these goal. In fact, mathematical and statistical models provide a simplified representation of a complex system, which involves a variety of underlying factors, interactions, heterogeneity, random variations and fluctuations that have an impact on the prediction. The overarching objective of this thesis was to apply my mathematical background to research questions in the field of medical entomology - with specific reference to mosquito and mosquito-borne diseases - and to complement it with advanced statistical approaches. Under the tutoring of the Medical Entomology group of the Department of Public Health and Infectious Disease of Sapienza University in Rome, I became familiar with the research field of vector ecology and vector-borne disease and acquired data from field studies in Italy and Africa, on which I based my analyses. Under the tutoring by the Applied Ecology at the Research and Innovation Centre of Fondazione Edmund Mach, I exploited my background in mathematical modelling and I learned and applied basic and advanced statistical techniques to model mosquito dynamics and mosquito-borne pathogen transmission. More in detail during the first part of my PhD I learned and applied inferential statistic techniques based on frequentist approach to analyse field data from to two studies on species of the An. gambiae complex from Afro-tropical malaria-endemic regions. Afterwards, I exploited my mathematical background to develop advanced mathematical tools based on Partial Differential Equations to estimate epidemiologically relevant parameters (population size, survival rate and dispersal) of Ae. albopictus in Italy from Mark-Release-Recapture data. Finally, I enriched my knowledge on statistical inference by studying and applying the Bayesian framework in order to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional and innovative mosquito control tools. Results are summarized in 3 chapters, each of which introduces the specific entomological/epidemiological topic(s) and briefly describes the scientific questions addressed, the experimental field designs, the analytical approaches applied (discussed in the framework of conventional analytical tools) and the results obtained. At the end of each chapter, the scientific articles related to each specific topic are provided, in order to include all details of the individual studies, for a total of 5 published papers, and manuscript in preparation.

Produzione scientifica

11573/1706973 - 2024 - Age-related transcript changes in type I interferon signaling in children and adolescents with long COVID
Fracella, Matteo; Mancino, Enrica; Nenna, Raffaella; Virgillito, Chiara; Frasca, Federica; D'auria, Alessandra; Sorrentino, Leonardo; Petrarca, Laura; La Regina, Domenico; Matera, Luigi; Di Mattia, Greta; Caputo, Beniamino; Antonelli, Guido; Pierangeli, Alessandra; Viscidi, Raphael P; Midulla, Fabio; Scagnolari, Carolina - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH-Verl.) pp. - - issn: 1521-4141 - wos: (0) - scopus: (0)

11573/1693041 - 2023 - Mosquito vectors, malaria and other vector-borne diseases
Arcà, Bruno; Bevivino, Giulia; Caputo, Beniamino; Della Torre, Alessandra; De Marco, Carlo Maria; Dipaola, Maria Greta; Gabrielli, Simona; Lombardo, Fabrizio; Longo, Eleonora; Manzi, Sara; Micocci, Martina; Modiano, David; Perugini, Eleonora; Pichler, Verena; Poggi, Cristiana; Pombi, Marco; Serini, Paola; Virgillito, Chiara - 04f Poster
congresso: La Facoltà di Farmacia e Medicina presenta le attività di ricerca scientifica dei Dipartimenti di afferenza. Highlighting the Research Activity of the Sapienza Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine. (Sapienza University - Rome (Italy))
libro: La Facoltà di Farmacia e Medicina presenta le attività di ricerca scientifica dei Dipartimenti di afferenza. - ()

11573/1698000 - 2023 - Mosquito Alert ITALIA 2020−2022: citizen engagement, achievements and criticisms
Caputo, B.; Virgillito, C.; Longo, E.; De Marco, C. M.; Micocci, M.; Venturini, S.; Serini, P.; Zucchelli, M. V.; Lencioni, V.; Paoli, F.; Michelutti, A.; Montarsi, F.; Severini, F.; Palmer, J.; Bartumeus, F.; Della Torre, A. - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
rivista: JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION ([London] : Site is managed by Natural History Museum and Public Health England on behalf of the contributors) pp. 34-34 - issn: 2054-930X - wos: (0) - scopus: (0)
congresso: XIth international EMCA conference. Shaping the future of vector control in Europe (Palma, Spain)
libro: Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association - ()

11573/1693038 - 2023 - Promotion, exploitation and results by Mosquito Alert ITALIA: the story of a successful citizen science project.
Caputo, B.; Virgillito, C.; Longo, E.; De Marco, Cm.; Serini, P.; Venturini, S.; Zucchelli, Mv; Montarsi, F.; Severini, F.; Della Torre, A. - 04f Poster
congresso: European Congress of Entomology 2023 (Cultural Conference Center of Heraklion Crete, Greece)
libro: ECE2023 - ()

11573/1693039 - 2023 - Is Aedes albopictus truly exophagic in Italy? Citizen science data can tell.
Caputo, Beniamino; Longo, Eleonora; Virgillito, Chiara; De Marco, Carlo Maria; Serini, Paola; Micocci, Martina; Lencioni, Valeria; Montarsi, Fabrizio; Severini, Francesco; Della Torre, Alessandra - 04f Poster
congresso: European Congress of Entomology 2023 (Cultural Conference Center of Heraklion Crete, Greece)
libro: ECE2023 - ()

11573/1680112 - 2023 - A bacterium against the tiger. Further evidence of the potential of noninundative releases of males with manipulated wolbachia infection in reducing fertility of aedes albopictus field populations in Italy
Caputo, Beniamino; Moretti, Riccardo; Virgillito, Chiara; Manica, Mattia; Lampazzi, Elena; Lombardi, Giulia; Serini, Paola; Pichler, Verena; Beebe, Nigel W; Della Torre, Alessandra; Calvitti, Maurizio - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (John Wiley & Sons Limited:1 Oldlands Way, Bognor Regis, P022 9SA United Kingdom:011 44 1243 779777, EMAIL: cs-journals@wiley.co.uk, INTERNET: http://www.wiley.co.uk, Fax: 011 44 1243 843232) pp. - - issn: 1526-498X - wos: WOS:000983225100001 (1) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85158882115 (1)

11573/1696191 - 2023 - A high proportion of malaria vector biting and resting indoors despite extensive LLIN coverage in Côte d’Ivoire
Tondossama, Naminata; Virgillito, Chiara; Ibrahima Coulibaly, Zanakoungo; Pichler, Verena; Dia, Ibrahima; Della Torre, Alessandra; Offianan Touré, Andre; Maurice Adja, Akré; Caputo, Beniamino - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: INSECTS (Basel : Molecular Diversity Preservation International) pp. 1-12 - issn: 2075-4450 - wos: WOS:001080909900001 (0) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85172190223 (0)

11573/1680151 - 2022 - Eco-Climatic Factors Shaping The Distribution Of Anopheles coluzzii And An. gambiae Malaria Vectors And Of Their Putative Hybrids Across Their Sympatric Range.
Caputo, Beniamino; Frosi, Leonardo; Virgillito, Chiara; De Marco, Carlo Maria; Pichler, Verena; Filipponi, Federico; Della Torre, Alessandra - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
congresso: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2022 (ASTMH 2022) (Seattle)
libro: ASTMH 2022 - ()

11573/1671429 - 2022 - AIM-COST expands mosquito monitoring by Citizen Science across Europe: first results from Mosquito Alert Italia network
Caputo, Beniamino; Longo, Eleonora; Virgillito, Chiara; De Marco, Carlo Maria; Serini, Paola; Micocci, Martina; Vittoria Zucchelli, Maria; Montarsi, Fabrizio; Severini, Francesco; Della Torre, Alessandra - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
congresso: The 22ND European Society for Vector Ecology conference “Meeting following a pandemic; bringing clarity to vector ecology in days of uncertainty” (Sofia, Bulgaria)
libro: Meeting following a pandemic; bringing clarity to vector ecology in days of uncertainty - ()

11573/1670056 - 2022 - Monitoring Aedes Invasive Mosquitoes by Citizen Science: Results of First Experiences in Italy.
Caputo, Beniamino; Longo, Eleonora; Virgillito, Chiara; Maria De Marco, Carlo; Serini, Paola; Pichler, Verena; Vittoria Zucchelli, Maria; Micheluttii, Alice; Montarsi, Fabrizio; Di Luca, Marco; Severini, Francesco; Della Torre, Alessandra - 04f Poster
congresso: XXXII Congresso Nazionale della Società Italiana di Parassitologia: ” Transizioni Parassitologiche” (Napoli)
libro: SOIPA22 - ()

11573/1605144 - 2022 - Is Côte D'Ivoire a new high hybridization zone for the two major malaria vectors, Anopheles coluzzii and An. gambiae (Diptera, Culicidae)?
Caputo, Beniamino; Tondossoma, Naminata; Virgillito, Chiara; Pichler, Verena; Serini, Paola; Calzetta, Maria; Manica, Mattia; Coulibaly, Zanakoungo Ibrahim; Dia, Ibrahima; Akré, Maurice; Offianan, Andre; Della Torre, Alessandra - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION (Elsevier BV:PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam Netherlands:011 31 20 4853757, 011 31 20 4853642, 011 31 20 4853641, EMAIL: nlinfo-f@elsevier.nl, INTERNET: http://www.elsevier.nl, Fax: 011 31 20 4853598) pp. 1-9 - issn: 1567-1348 - wos: WOS:000764440000006 (5) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85123922799 (5)

11573/1670053 - 2022 - Earth Observation and numerical modeling contribution for the monitoring of mosquito population dynamics.
Filipponi, F.; Caputo, B.; Manica, M.; Solimini, A.; Rosà, R.; Virgillito, C.; De Marco, C. M.; Frosi, L.; Della Torre, A. - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
congresso: European Space Agency’s 2022 Living Planet Symposium (Bonn)
libro: ESA - Living Planet Symposium 2022 - ()

11573/1671432 - 2022 - Pyrethroid resistance in the two mosquito vector species, Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens: a wake-up call for Europe
Micocci, Martina; Pichler, Verena; Valadas, Vera; Virgillito, Chiara; Serini, Paola; Joao, Pinto; Della Torre, Alessandra; Caputo, Beniamino - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
congresso: The 22ND European Society for Vector Ecology conference “Meeting following a pandemic; bringing clarity to vector ecology in days of uncertainty” (Sofia, Bulgaria)
libro: Meeting following a pandemic; bringing clarity to vector ecology in days of uncertainty - ()

11573/1671549 - 2022 - Genotypic and phenotypic resistance to diflubenzuron in Italian populations of Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus
Micocci, Martina; Pichler, Verena; Virgillito, Chiara; Serini, Paola; Paolo Lia, Riccardo; Otranto, Domenico; Arnoldi, Daniele; Rizzoli, Annapaola; Ballardini, Marco; Debiasi, Daniele; Lencioni, Valeria; Drago, Andrea; Martini, Simone; Ermenegildi, Arianna; De Liberato, Claudio; Della Torre, Alessandra; Caputo, Beniamino - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
congresso: XXXII Congresso Nazionale della Società Italiana di Parassitologia “Transizioni parassitologiche” (Centro Congressi Federico II, Napoli)
libro: Transizioni parassitologiche - (9788894357523)

11573/1669915 - 2022 - Geographic distribution of the V1016G knockdown resistance mutation in aedes albopictus. A warning bell for Europe
Pichler, V.; Caputo, B.; Valadas, V.; Micocci, M.; Horvath, C.; Virgillito, C.; Akiner, M.; Balatsos, G.; Bender, C.; Besnard, G.; Bravo-Barriga, D.; Bueno-Mari, R.; Collantes, F.; Delacour-Estrella, S.; Dikolli, E.; Falcuta, E.; Flacio, E.; Garcia-Perez, A. L.; Kalan, K.; Kavran, M.; L'ambert, G.; Lia, R. P.; Marabuto, E.; Medialdea, R.; Melero-Alcibar, R.; Michaelakis, A.; Mihalca, A.; Mikov, O.; Miranda, M. A.; Muller, P.; Otranto, D.; Pajovic, I.; Petric, D.; Rebelo, M. T.; Robert, V.; Rogozi, E.; Tello, A.; Zitko, T.; Schaffner, F.; Pinto, J.; Della Torre, A. - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: PARASITES & VECTORS (London: BioMed Central-Springer Nature.) pp. 1-7 - issn: 1756-3305 - wos: WOS:000836591900001 (3) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85135472444 (3)

11573/1671884 - 2022 - Evidence of pyrethroid resistance in two main European mosquito vector species, Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens
Pichler, Verena; Micocci, Martina; Virgillito, Chiara; Serini, Paola; Della Torre, Alessandra; Caputo, Beniamino - 04d Abstract in atti di convegno
congresso: XXXII Congresso Nazionale della Società Italiana di Parassitologia “Transizioni parassitologiche” (Centro Congressi Federico II, Napoli)
libro: Transizioni parassitologiche - (9788894357523)

11573/1680101 - 2022 - High levels of admixture in Anopheles gambiae populations from Côte d'Ivoire revealed by multilocus genotyping
Tondossama, Naminata; Coulibaly, Zanakoungo I; Traoré, Issouf; Ako, Bérenger A; Zoh, Danielle D; Virgillito, Chiara; Guindo-Coulibaly, Négnorogo; Serini, Paola; Assouho, Fabrice K; Dia, Ibrahima; Touré, Andre O; Adja, Maurice A; Caputo, Beniamino; Della Torre, Alessandra; Pichler, Verena - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: INSECTS (Basel : Molecular Diversity Preservation International) pp. 1-9 - issn: 2075-4450 - wos: WOS:000901324600001 (1) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85144692227 (1)

11573/1643012 - 2022 - Evaluation of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. Israelensis and Bacillus sphaericus combination against Culex pipiens in highly vegetated ditches
Virgillito, Chiara; Manica, Mattia; Marini, Giovanni; Rosà, Roberto; Della Torre, Alessandra; Martini, Simone; Drago, Andrea; Baseggio, Alberto; Caputo, Beniamino - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION (American Mosquito Control Association:PO Box 234:Eatontown, NJ 07724:(732)544-4645, EMAIL: amca@mosquito.org, INTERNET: http://www.mosquito.org, Fax: (732)932-0930, (318)478-9434) pp. 40-45 - issn: 8756-971X - wos: WOS:000886087500006 (2) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85126388650 (2)

11573/1576630 - 2021 - Aedes albopictus bionomics data collection by citizen participation on Procida Island, a promising Mediterranean site for the assessment of innovative and community-based integrated pest management methods
Caputo, Beniamino; Langella, Giuliano; Petrella, Valeria; Virgillito, Chiara; Manica, Mattia; Filipponi, Federico; Varone, Marianna; Primo, Pasquale; Puggioli, Arianna; Bellini, Romeo; D'antonio, Costantino; Iesu, Luca; Tullo, Liliana; Rizzo, Ciro; Longobardi, Annalisa; Sollazzo, Germano; Perrotta, Maryanna Martina; Fabozzi, Miriana; Palmieri, Fabiana; Saccone, Giuseppe; Rosà, Roberto; Della Torre, Alessandra; Salvemini, Marco - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES (San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science) pp. e0009698-1 - issn: 1935-2735 - wos: WOS:000724326200002 (2) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85116354003 (2)

11573/1576776 - 2021 - Entomological survey confirms changes in mosquito composition and abundance in senegal and reveals discrepancies among results by different host-seeking female traps
Ngom, E. H. M.; Virgillito, C.; Manica, M.; Rosa, R.; Pichler, V.; Sarleti, N.; Kasse, I.; Diallo, M.; Della Torre, A.; Dia, I.; Caputo, B. - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: INSECTS (Basel : Molecular Diversity Preservation International) pp. 1-14 - issn: 2075-4450 - wos: WOS:000689191200001 (4) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85112099604 (4)

11573/1561293 - 2021 - Modelling arthropod active dispersal using Partial differential equations: the case of the mosquito Aedes albopictus
Virgillito, Chiara; Manica, Mattia; Marini, Giovanni; Caputo, Beniamino; Della Torre, Alessandra; Rosà, Roberto - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: ECOLOGICAL MODELLING (Elsevier BV:PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam Netherlands:011 31 20 4853757, 011 31 20 4853642, 011 31 20 4853641, EMAIL: nlinfo-f@elsevier.nl, INTERNET: http://www.elsevier.nl, Fax: 011 31 20 4853598) pp. 1-7 - issn: 0304-3800 - wos: WOS:000684979100005 (2) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85109139498 (2)

11573/1405553 - 2020 - Behavioural plasticity of Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles arabiensis undermines LLIN community protective effect in a Sudanese-savannah village in Burkina Faso
Perugini, Eleonora; Moussa Guelbeogo, Wamdaogo; Calzetta, Maria; Manzi, Sara; Virgillito, Chiara; Caputo, Beniamino; Pichler, Verena; Ranson, Hilary; Sagnon, N’Fale; Della Torre, Alessandra; Pombi, Marco - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: PARASITES & VECTORS (London: BioMed Central-Springer Nature.) pp. 1-10 - issn: 1756-3305 - wos: WOS:000538082200004 (10) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85085909291 (10)

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