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Dr Corrado Minetti

Profile summary

  • Central Academic Staff
  • Lecturer in Epidemiology
  • Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
  • School of Life, Health & Chemical Sciences
  • corrado.minetti

Professional biography

I graduated in biology (zoology and ecology) at the University of Turin, Italy. I then specialized in medical parasitology and entomology in the UK with a Master at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM). After a PhD in parasite molecular epidemiology at Liverpool University, I worked both in the laboratory and on the field in Ghana on the epidemiology and xenomonitoring of lymphatic filariasis, malaria, and arboviruses. Before joining the OU in May 2024, I completed a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) training fellowship in public health microbiology at the Instituto Nacional de Saúde Ricardo Jorge (INSA) in Lisbon. I am a member of the British Society for Parasitology (BSP), European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), and EPIET Alumni Network (EAN)  

Research interests

I work on integrating epidemiological and molecular (including genomic) data to study and investigate infectious disease transmission and ecology. This include both basic and applied aspects in the fields of disease surveillance and preparedness. More specifically, I am interested in vector-borne pathogens and (re-)emerging public and animal health issues (One Health). 

Research topics

1. Assessing the diversity and adundance of arthropod vectors (primarily mosquitoes and ticks) and their pathogens in mixed urban-rural environments (such as Milton keynes, where the OU is based), to understand the impact of urban greenery on disease ecology and risk.

2. Characterizing the virome of arthropod vectors using metagenomics and metatrancriptomics, for both surveillance and discovery science.

3. Exploring and testing novel approaches for the field detection of vectors and pathogens, including arthropod saliva or environmental DNA/RNA (eDNA/RNA), for disease epidemiology and surveillance.

The work is in collaboration with the School of Environment, Earth, and Ecosystem Sciences (EEES) and Open Living Lab at the OU, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Prospective research students opportunities

I am a registered prospective supervisor for the BBSRC/NERC ILESLA Doctoral Landscape award. My work aligns with the following research themes:

1. Animal and Human Health - Infectious diseases of animals; Microbiome science

2. Rules of Life - Evolutionary biology; Ecological processes

3. Transformative Technologies - Computational biology

Please check here for further details and how to apply through the Open University to work with me and collaborators: Current PhD opportunities | Life, Health and Chemical Sciences. The deadline for applications (October 2025 entry) is Wednesday 29th January 2025 (12:00 midday UK time).

I am also open to discuss projects for self-funded (Home or Overseas) prospective PhD students.

Teaching interests

Infectious disease epidemiology and public health microbiology. I am involved in the production of S291 (Biomedical Sciences) and in the presentation of SK297 and SHX390 (Health Sciences), SK320 and SXB390 (Biology), and laboratory schools (SS022, SS032).

Impact and engagement

I hold a first level master in science journalism and institutional communication of science from the University of Ferrara (Italy), and I have a personal interest in science communication and public engagement. 

Publications

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing reveals reduced susceptibility to azithromycin and other antibiotics in Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 isolates from Portugal (2024-07)
Minetti, Corrado; Barton, Rachael; Farley, Caitlin; Brad Spiller, Owen; Rodrigues, Raquel and Gonçalves, Paulo
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, 43 (pp. 1297-1308)

Orogenital and anal infection by Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma genitalium, and other sexually transmitted infections in men who have sex with men in Lisbon (2024-04)
Minetti, Corrado; Rocha, Miguel; Miguel Duque, Luís; Meireles, Paula; Correia, Cristina; Cordeiro, Dora; João, Inês; Manita, Carla; Soeiro, Sofia; Almeida Santos, João; Matos, Rita; Almeida, Catarina; Cortes Martins, Helena; Vinagre, Elsa; Lopo, Sílvia and José Borrego, Maria
International Journal of STD & AIDS, 35(5) (pp. 379-388)

Genomic epidemiology of fluoroquinolone-resistant strains of Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri in the Iberian Peninsula from 2015 to 2022 (2024)
Jacqueline, Camille; Minetti, Corrado; Monzon Fernandez, Sara; Silveira, Leonor; Cuesta De La Plaza, Isabel; Pista, Ângela and Herrera-Leon, Silvia
The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Article jiae596 ((early access))

Prevention, protocols, and lab capacity: lessons from a norovirus outbreak in the Algarve (2023)
Sá, Regina; Roque, Joana; Marques Mendes, Pedro; Gonçalves, Inês; Sousa, Judite; Matos, Cátia; Júnior, Álvaro; Coelho, Anabela; Belo Correia, Cristina; Manageiro, Vera; Minetti, Corrado; De Sousa, Rita; Horta Correia, Filomena; Lopes, Carlos; Fonseca, Ana; Almeida, Soraia; Jesus Ferreira, Maria; Almendra, Tiago; des Neves, Natalie; Fernandes, Aida; Queiroz, Carolina; Maia, Carla; Bodião, Joaquim; Cristina Guerreiro, Ana and Investigation Team, Outbreak
Archives of Virology, 168, Article 299 (2023)

Targeting a highly repetitive genomic sequence for sensitive and specific molecular detection of the filarial parasite Mansonella perstans from human blood and mosquitoes (2022)
Pilotte, Nils; Thomas, Tamara; Zulch, Michael F.; Sirois, Allison R.; Minetti, Corrado; Reimer, Lisa J.; Williams, Steven A. and Saunders, Lori J.
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 16, Article e0010615(12)

Ongoing monkeypox virus outbreak, Portugal, 29 April to 23 May 2022 (2022)
Perez Duque, Mariana; Ribeiro, Sofia; Martins, João Vieira; Casaca, Pedro; Leite, Pedro Pinto; Tavares, Margarida; Mansinho, Kamal; Duque, Luís Miguel; Fernandes, Cândida; Cordeiro, Rita; Borrego, Maria José; Pelerito, Ana; de Carvalho, Isabel Lopes; Núncio, Sofia; Manageiro, Vera; Minetti, Corrado; Machado, Jorge; Haussig, Joana M; Croci, Roberto; Spiteri, Gianfranco; Casal, Ana Sofia; Mendes, Diana; Souto, Tiaga; Pocinho, Sara; Fernandes, Teresa; Firme, Ana; Vasconcelos, Paula and Freitas, Graça
Eurosurveillance, 27(22)

Laboratory evaluation of molecular xenomonitoring using mosquito excreta/feces to amplify Plasmodium, Brugia, and Trypanosoma DNA (2020-06-03)
Pilotte, Nils; Cook, Darren A.N.; Pryce, Joseph; Zulch, Michael F.; Minetti, Corrado; Reimer, Lisa J. and Williams, Steven A.
Gates Open Research, 3, Article 1734

Effects of insecticide resistance and exposure on Plasmodium development in Anopheles mosquitoes (2020-06)
Minetti, Corrado; Ingham, Victoria A and Ranson, Hilary
Current Opinion in Insect Science, 39 (pp. 42-49)

Field evaluation of DNA detection of human filarial and malaria parasites using mosquito excreta/feces (2020)
Minetti, Corrado; Pilotte, Nils; Zulch, Michael; Canelas, Tiago; Tettevi, Edward J.; Veriegh, Francis B. D.; Osei-Atweneboana, Mike Yaw; Williams, Steven A. and Reimer, Lisa J.
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 14, Article e0008175(4)

Selection and exploitation of prevalent, tandemly repeated genomic targets for improved real-time PCR-based detection of Wuchereria bancrofti and Plasmodium falciparum in mosquitoes (2020)
Zulch, Michael F.; Pilotte, Nils; Grant, Jessica R.; Minetti, Corrado; Reimer, Lisa J.; Williams, Steven A. and Carvalho, Luzia Helena
PLOS ONE, 15, Article e0232325(5)

An assessment of mosquito collection techniques for xenomonitoring of anopheline-transmitted Lymphatic Filariasis in Ghana (2018-11)
Opoku, Millicent; Minetti, Corrado; Kartey-Attipoe, Worlasi D.; Otoo, Sampson; Otchere, Joseph; Gomes, Bruno; de Souza, Dziedzom K. and Reimer, Lisa J.
Parasitology, 145(13) (pp. 1783-1791)

A superhydrophobic cone to facilitate the xenomonitoring of filarial parasites, malaria, and trypanosomes using mosquito excreta/feces (2018)
Cook, Darren A.N.; Pilotte, Nils; Minetti, Corrado; Williams, Steven A. and Reimer, Lisa J.
Gates Open Research, 1(7)

Focusing nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics and xenomonitoring approaches for human helminthiases amenable to preventive chemotherapy (2016)
Minetti, Corrado; Lacourse, E. James; Reimer, Lisa and Stothard, J. Russell
Parasitology Open, 2, Article e16

Giardiasis (2016)
Minetti, Corrado; Chalmers, Rachel M; Beeching, Nick J; Probert, Chris and Lamden, Kenneth
BMJ, Article i5369(355)

Determination of Giardia duodenalis assemblages and multi-locus genotypes in patients with sporadic giardiasis from England (2015-12)
Minetti, Corrado; Lamden, Kenneth; Durband, Caroline; Cheesbrough, John; Fox, Andrew and Wastling, Jonathan M.
Parasites & Vectors, 8, Article 444 (2015)

Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Sporadic Giardiasis and Parasite Assemblages in North West England (2015-10)
Minetti, Corrado; Lamden, Kenneth; Durband, Caroline; Cheesbrough, John; Platt, Katherine; Charlett, Andre; O'Brien, Sarah J.; Fox, Andrew and Wastling, Jonathan M.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 53(10) (pp. 3133-3140)

Investigation of Volatile Organic Compounds Emitted from Faeces for the Diagnosis of Giardiasis (2015-09)
Bond, Ashley; Vernon, April; Reade, Sophie; Mayor, Arno; Minetti, Corrado; Wastling, Jonathan; Lamden, Kenneth and Probert, Chris
Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases, 24(3) (pp. 281-286)

A trade-off between traits that contribute to male and female function in hermaphrodites (2015-01)
Di Bona, V.; Minetti, C.; Trotta, V.; Sella, G. and Lorenzi, M.C.
Ethology Ecology & Evolution, 27(1) (pp. 79-92)

Occurrence and Diversity of Giardia duodenalis Assemblages in Livestock in the UK (2014-12-08)
Minetti, C.; Taweenan, W.; Hogg, R.; Featherstone, C.; Randle, N.; Latham, S. M. and Wastling, J. M.
Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, 61(6) (e60-e67)

Population size, not density, serves as a cue for sex ratio adjustments in polychaete worms (2013-12)
Minetti, C.; Sella, G. and Lorenzi, M. C.
Italian Journal of Zoology, 80(4) (pp. 547-551)