Vânia Borges Ferreira

Vânia Borges Ferreira, Ph.D., is a research scientist in the CBQF (Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina). Her area of research focuses on characterization of foodborne pathogens, using phenotypic and genotypic tools, to provide scientific knowledge and research data needed to develop effective measures of controlling microbial hazards in foods. She is also interested in assessing the effects of environmental stresses, as those impaired by food processing and food matrices, on the virulence potential of Listeria monocytogenes. Currently, she is member of the SafeConsumE team, a project funded by Horizon2020, that aims to create new strategies to help consumer mitigate food risks by increasing knowledge and skills in responsible and safe food handling and consumption, and thus to reduce the number of foodborne illness at consumer stage. She received BSc and PhD degrees  degree in Microbiology (2003) in Biotechnology (2010), respectively, from Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

Publications:

Calheiros, C.S.C., Ferreira, V., Magalhães, R., Teixeira, P. and Castro, P. M. L. 2017. Presence of microbial pathogens and genetic diversity of Listeria monocytogenes in a constructed wetland system. Ecological Engineering 102, 344-351.

Komora, N., Bruschi, C., Magalhães, R., Ferreira, V. and Teixeira, P. 2017. Survival of Listeria monocytogenes with different antibiotic resistance patterns to food-associated stresses. International Journal of Food Microbiology 245, 79-87.

Ferreira da Silva, M., Ferreira, V., Magalhães, R., Almeida, G., Alves, A. and Teixeira, P. 2017. Detection of premature stop codons leading to truncated internalin A among food and clinical strains of Listeria monocytogenes. Food Microbiology 63, 6-11.

Rui Magalhães, R., Almeida, G., Ferreira, V., Santos, I., Silva, J., Mendes, M.M., Pita, J., Mariano, G., Mâncio, I., Sousa, M.M., Farber, J., Pagotto, F. and Teixeira, P. 2015. Cheese related listeriosis outbreak, Portugal 2009-2012. Eurosurveillance, Volume 20, Issue 17, 30 April 2015.

Ferreira, V., Wiedmann, M., Teixeira, P. and Stasiewicz M. 2014. Listeria monocytogenes persistence in food associated environments: epidemiology, strain characteristics, and implications for public health. Journal of Food Protection 77, 150-170.