Dr. Georges Diatta | Trench fever Award | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Georges Diatta, IRD, Switzerland

Georges Diatta, a Senegalese biologist-researcher. He holds a PhD in Animal Biology with a specialization in Parasitology from Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Dakar. With over 21 years of experience, Diatta has become a renowned expert in the field of emerging vector-borne diseases, particularly tick-borne borreliosis, zoonoses, and airborne infectious diseases. His research primarily focuses on the epidemiology, geographical distribution, and climate-driven dynamics of vector-borne pathogens in West and North Africa. Diatta currently works at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) in Dakar, Senegal, where he leads investigations on infectious diseases transmitted by ticks, fleas, lice, and contaminated aerosols. His efforts include mapping the distribution of tick vectors such as Ornithodoros spp. and associated Borrelia pathogens across multiple countries, including Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Morocco, and Algeria. Diatta’s innovative preventive strategy for tick-borne borreliosis in the Sine Saloum region of Senegal significantly reduced infection rates in the local population, impacting public health outcomes.

Professional Profile:

ORCID

Summary of Suitability for Best Researcher Award: Georges Diatta

Dr. Georges Diatta is a prominent biologist-researcher specializing in emerging infectious diseases, particularly tick-borne and airborne diseases, with a significant focus on their epidemiology in West and North Africa. With over 21 years of experience, he has made substantial contributions to the understanding and management of these diseases, which are increasingly relevant due to climate change.

Education:

• PhD in Animal Biology, Specialization in Parasitology
  • Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Dakar, Senegal (2016)
  • Mention: Très honorable avec félicitations du jury
• Doctoral Thesis (3rd Cycle) in Animal Biology, Option Parasitology
  • Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Dakar, Senegal (2005)
  • Mention: Très honorable avec félicitations du jury
• Diplôme d’Études Approfondies (DEA/Master) in Animal Biology, Option Parasitology
  • Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Dakar, Senegal (1992)
  • Mention: Bien
• Licence ès-Sciences Naturelles (Natural Sciences Degree)
  • Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Dakar, Senegal (1989)
  • Mention: Assez-bien
• Recipient of the ASTMH Travel Award
  • Awarded by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
  • Participated in the Annual Conference, Washington DC, USA (2013)

Work Experience:

• 2016–2023:
  Supervised students and directed Master’s theses in Animal Biology.
• 2022–2023:
  • Supervised a Master’s thesis on “Identification of the prevalence of Mansonella perstans and other filaria in the Kédougou and Kolda regions of Senegal.”
  • Supervised another Master’s thesis titled “Study of the prevalence of tick-borne borreliosis caused by Borrelia crocidurae in endemic regions of Senegal.”
• 2017–2018:
  • Scientific coordinator of the clinical trial project “IVERAZITH,” studying the therapeutic efficacy of Azithromycin/Ivermectin in treating pediculosis in Senegal.
  • Directed a Master’s thesis on “The circulation of Q fever, Coxiella burnetii DNA, and Borrelia spp. among humans, ticks, and in domestic environments in rural areas of Senegal.”
• 2014–2015:
  Led the IVERMECTINE project to control lice infestations in Dielmo and Ndiop, Senegal (clinical trial).
• 2013–2016:
  Managed the preventive tick-borne borreliosis control plan in Sine Saloum, Senegal.
• 2002–2017:
  Scientific coordinator and principal investigator of multiple research projects on infectious diseases at the IRD, Dakar, Senegal.
• 2002–2014:
  Directed research programs on the epidemiology and distribution of tick-borne borreliosis across West, North, and Central Africa.
• 2010–2012:
  Co-investigator in the IDEPATH project, identifying non-malarial fever pathogens in various epidemiological settings in Senegal.