Maria Cristina Ferro de Carrasquilla

Maria Cristina Ferro de Carrasquilla (1947–2015) was a Colombian microbiologist and Leishmaniasis researcher who worked for more than forty years at the National Health Institute of Colombia. Most of her research was focused on sandflies (Phlebotominae subfamily), which are Leishmaniasis vectors, contributing with the description of three new species: Lutzomyia torvida, Lutzomyia falcata, and Lutzomyia tolimensis. Given her research contributions, a sandfly species was named after her: Lutzomyia ferroae (Young & Morales 1987). Ferro also worked with Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus and received the Emeritus Researcher award from the National Health Institute of Colombia in 2007. In 2006, she became principal researcher of several projects and editor of the National Health Institute journal: Biomedica. In 2007, Ferro was recognized as Emeritus Researcher for her research contributions in Leishmaniasis and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus in the medical entomology field.

Research field Ferro's research was focused on the study of Leishmaniasis and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus vectors. She described three new species of phlebotomines: Lutzomyia torvida., Ernesto Osorno Mesa Award - Entomological Colombian Society Conference

Selected publications During her scientific career, Ferro published more than one hundred scientific papers and four book chapters, and advised several undergraduate and graduate research projects. To date, her most cited publications are:

Weaver, S. C., Ferro, C., Barrera, R., Boshell, J., & Navarro, J. C. (2004). Venezuelan equine encephalitis. Annual Reviews in Entomology, 49(1), 141–174. Travi, B. L., Tabares, C. J., Cadena, H., Ferro, C., & Osorio, Y. (2001). Canine visceral leishmaniasis in Colombia: relationship between clinical and parasitologic status and infectivity for sand flies. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 64(3), 119–124. Morrison, A. C., Ferro, C., Morales, A., Tesh, R. B., & Wilson, M. L. (1993). Dispersal of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) at an endemic focus of visceral leishmaniasis in Colombia. Journal of medical entomology, 30(2), 427–435. Corredor, A., Gallego, J. F., Tesh, R. B., Morales, A., de Carrasquilla, C. F., Young, D. G.... & Pelaez, D. (1989). Epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis in Colombia. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 40(5), 480–486. Morrison, A. C., Ferro, C., & Tesh, R. B. (1993). Host preferences of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis at an endemic focus of American visceral leishmaniasis in Colombia. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 49(1), 68–75. Corredor, A., Kreutzer, R. D., Tesh, R. B., Boshell, J., Palau, M. T., Caceres, E.... & Hernandez, C. A. (1990). Distribution and etiology of leishmaniasis in Colombia. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 42(3), 206–214. Aguilar, P. V., Estrada-Franco, J. G., Navarro-Lopez, R., Ferro, C., Haddow, A. D., & Weaver, S. C. (2011). Endemic Venezuelan equine encephalitis in the Americas: hidden under the dengue umbrella. Future virology, 6(6), 721–740.