Background
Tito is a molecular entomologist and parasitologist who obtained his PhD in 2018 in the University of Yaoundé 1 (Cameroon) with the collaboration of the UMR172-IRD/CIRAD Montpellier (France), and that was founded by the French government through the “Institut de Recherches pour le Développement”, within the Aires Sud project supervised by Prof Flobert NJIOKOU. During his PhD, Tito was mainly interested in tsetse fly genetics, bio-ecology, and tsetse-parasite-microbiome interactions to produce baseline data useful in designing protocols using cheaper tools to fight human sleeping sickness and animal trypanosomiases.
During his career, Tito got the opportunity to acquire recent techniques useful in research on parasites and vectors, through high quality workshops like the famous BoP (MBL, Woods Hole, MA, USA, 2018) which made him an up-to-date researcher, capable of building good research topics for an efficient fighting against NTDs.
Research:
- Areas of interest:
Parasitology, tripartite relation between parasites-vectors-microbiome, vector control
- Research – an overview of his research areas(s)
Current research focuses on the use of insecticide treated nets called “Tiny Targets” for sleeping sickness elimination in Cameroon, especially the impact of these nets on tsetse fly population densities, their genetic structure, their infection with trypanosomes and symbiotic bacteria and their ability to transmit the sleeping sickness to Human. This subject is conducted within the framework of the PIIVeC project – Partnership for Increasing the Impact of Vector Control – funded by the UK GCRF through the Medical Research Council (MR/P027873/1), in which Dr Melachio was awarded a RCDF position.
- Research Areas:
Calmes Ursain BOUAKA TSAKENG, PhD student
Publications
- PCR‑based molecular identification of two intermediate snail hosts of Schistosoma mansoni in Cameroon. parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-020-04033-1
- Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) of mitochondrial genes helps to estimate genetic differentiation, demographic parameters and phylogeny of Glossina palpalis palpalis populations from West and Central Africa. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1567134820301349
Appointment/title/role
- Dr / Researcher, Deputy Head of the Department of Parasitology and Microbiology
Department:
- Parasitology and Microbiology
Department Research area:
- Parasitology, tripartite relation between parasites-vectors-microbiome, vector control