Dr Silvia Ciocchetta

Research Fellow

School of Veterinary Science
Faculty of Science

Overview

I am a fully qualified Veterinarian in Italy, with a Masters in Animal Health, Animal Farming and Animal Productions and a PhD in Medical Entomology (QUT).

I have worked for more than 10 years supporting research and public health projects in Australia and internationally including developing countries, gaining wide field and laboratory experience in Medical Entomology, Vector-Borne Diseases Surveillance, Vector Biology and Control, Infectious Diseases, Zoonoses and Parasitology. My wide range of technical field and laboratory expertise includes biological and vector competence studies, virology assays and molecular biology, leading field monitoring in a variety of settings, researching novel diagnostic tools for human and animal infectious diseases, and investigating new animal models for human parasites under high biosecurity containment levels (BLS 3) and quarantine conditions. I have a total of eleven publications in peer-reviewed international journals and I have presented my research at 8 national conferences and 8 international conferences.

Prior to commencing my PhD program in Australia, I gained significant professional experience during a five years training at the Parasitology Laboratory of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (Italian Health Authority and Research Organisation for Animal Health and Food Safety) where I underwent diagnostic training on diagnosis of parasitic diseases of domestic and wild animals (coprological examinations and blood smears), identification of endo and ectoparasites, and knowledge of the microbiological, immunological and biomolecular assays applied to veterinary clinical settings.

I recently worked on an innovative Schistosoma models, and on a multidisciplinary project that brings together academic research groups, government agencies and livestock industry partners from different Australian states, to understand Q fever prevalence and dynamics in macropods and livestock, at the UQ School of Veterinary Science. I am leading a study on the field monitoring of the dog heartworm vectors in Queensland at the same School.

I am a team member of the UQ Infectious disease diagnostics group at the School of Public Health (https://public-health.uq.edu.au/research/infectious-disease-diagnostics) where I am currently involved as co-investigator on an innovative Med Tech research: a light-based rapid detection method (NIRS) for the quantification of intestinal worm burden in humans, with Doctor Sikulu-Lord, and I am the Principal Investigator of a project on targeted surveillance of major zoonotic arboviral and other vector-borne diseases in Australia using the spectroscopy technology.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Veterinary Public Health
  • Bachelor of Veterinary Science

Publications

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Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

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Available Projects

View all Available Projects

Publications

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Goh, Brendon, Visendi, Paul, Ciocchetta, Silvia, Soares, Ricardo, Liu, Wenjun and Lord, Maggy (2022). In vitro detection of dengue 1 virus in human whole blood, plasma, and serum with nearinfrared spectroscopy. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2022 Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, United States, October 30 - November 3, 2022. Arlington, VA United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  • Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Kariyawasam, Tharanga, Ciocchetta, Silvia, Soares Magalhaes, Ricardo J. and Giacomin, Paul (2022). Novel diagnostic tools for soil transmitted helminths with non-invasive capability. The nearinfrared spectroscopy and artificial intelligence. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2022 Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, United States, October 30 - November 3, 2022. Arlington, VA United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  • Ciocchetta, Silvia, Frentiu, Francesca D., Michelutti, Alice, Montarsi, Fabrizio, Capelli, Gioia and Devine, Gregor J. (2022). Investigation on key aspects of Aedes koreicus mating biology. The 22nd European Society for Vector Ecology Conference, Sofia, Bulgaria, 11-14 October 2022.

  • Ciocchetta, S., Giacomin, P. R., Niroshini, T. K., Visendi, P., Floyd, D. E., Soares, R. M. and Sikulu-Lord, M. (2021). The potential of NIR technique for diagnosis of Trichuris muris. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2021 Annual Meeting, Online, 17-21 November 2021.

  • McPherson, Brady, Sheridan, Sarah, Owada, Kei, Naseri, Take, Thomsen, Robert, Mauala, Tautala, Mayfield, Helen, Rigby, Lisa, Ciocchetta, Silvia, Maguire, Julia, Pilotte, Nils, Gonzalez, Andrew M., Williams, Steven A., Gass, Katherine, Graves, Patricia M. and Lau, Colleen L. (2019). Lymphatic filariasis elimination in Samoa: evaluating the use of molecular xenomonitoring as a surveillance tool. 68th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), National Harbor, MD, United States, 20-24 November, 2019. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2019

  • Montarsi, F, Ciocchetta, S, Ravagnan, S, Simonato, G, Mutinelli, F, Camuffo, S, Frangipane di Regalbono, A and Capelli, G (2014). Laboratory evidence on vector competence of the invasive mosquito Aedes koreicus [Hulecoeteomyia koreica] for Dirofilaria immitis. 1st Conference on Neglected Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases (EurNegVec): with Management Committee and Working Group Meetings of the COST Action TD1303, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 8-11 April 2014. London, United Kingdom: BioMed Central. doi: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-s1-o34

Other Outputs

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.