Biography :

Leptospirosis is one of the major zoonotic diseases worldwide, most frequently found in tropical and subtropical countries, especially in regions with poor sanitation. It is a disease with over one million new cases each year, and is fatal in 5-10% of them.Pathogenic leptospires are quite resistant to the action of the Complement System, while non-pathogenic leptospires die rapidly. We investigated the mechanisms by which these bacteria are able to evade this system, which bacterial proteins are involved in this evasion, and interactions between Complement System proteins and leptospiral proteins. In parallel, we also developed experimental models where vaccine candidates are being tested, with the aim of proposing more efficient prophylactic measures for the control of this zoonosis.

Leptospirosis is one of the main zoonosis worldwide, being more frequently in countries with tropical and sub-tropical climates, especially in regions with poor sanitation. It is a disease with more than one million new cases each year, being fatal in 5-10% of them.Pathogenic leptospires are quite resistant to the Complement System activation, while non-pathogenic leptospires are quite susceptible. We investigate the mechanisms by which these bacteria are able to escape this system, which bacterial proteins are involved in this evasion and interactions between the Complement System and leptospiral proteins. In addition, we are also interested in experimental vaccine models, in order to suggest efficient immunoprophylaxy to control this zoonosis.