Employing institution: Tropical Infections Diseases Research Centre(TIDRC), University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), Benin
Host institution: University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1 Ecology (Microbial Laboratory), France
Project title: Capacity building on the study of vertically transmitted symbionts and their involvement in mosquitoes biology.
Dr Moussé in 2016, completed a PhD in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin. She has been a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Tropical Infectious Disease Research Centre (TIDRC), since 2020. She discovered her passion for microbiology really early in her career, since during her undergraduate.
Her research work currently focuses on studying different types of pathogenic bacteria across various fields such as: food-borne infections, urinary tract infections, vector-borne diseases, antimicrobial resistance.
AREF Fellowship:
Malaria is a potentially fatal disease caused by vector-borne parasites. The disease occurs mainly in the tropical regions of Africa and Southeast Asia. To control this disease, one of the key method used is insecticides, whether through insecticide treated nets, indoor residual spraying or insecticides spraying in larvae breeding sites. Although resistance to the four commonly used classes -organochlorines, pyrethroids, carbamates, and organophosphates – of insecticides has emerged in malaria vector populations. To counter this problem, recent studies have shown potential links between mosquito gut microbiota and insecticide resistance. It is thus possible to work with the microbiota of mosquitoes to find more sustainable and effective solutions for malaria control.
During her fellowship, Dr Mousse will be placed at the Microbial Ecology Laboratory (LEM), University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 in France. Her goal is to acquire in-depth scientific knowledge on the microbial ecology of mosquito, which will help her to develop an microbial ecology of infectious diseases platform in her country. Beyond her fellowship training, she hopes to improve on her leadership skills by passing on her experience to African scientists at the beginning of their careers.
“Controlling the gut microbiota of mosquitoes could be an effective and sustainable alternative in the fight against malaria.”