Joana Dias

Research Assistant at Department of Medicine

Most of my work is devoted to genomically characterising Salmonella Paratyphi A with a particular focus on AMR, virulence factors, phylogeny and global distribution of the pathogen. I am also interested in azithromycin resistance within S. Paratyphi A with a focus on the increase of resistance in low-mid-income countries.

Although S. Paratyphi A is the main focus of my research, I am also interested in studying the human gut microbiome.

Biography

University of Cambridge

Doctor of Philosophy - PhD Infectious Diseases

2020 - 2023

Activities and Societies: Cambridge Infectious Diseases - Early Career Researchers Committee Combining microbiology with bioinformatics to investigate the gut microbiome and S. Paratyphi A. Focusing on S. Paratyphi A genomics and mechanisms of resistance to azithromycin, as well as host-pathogen interactions.

University of Nottingham

Master's degree Biotechnology Distinction (1st)

2017 - 2018
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa - FCT NOVA

BSc Molecular and Cell Biology

2014 - 2017

Publications

Key publications:

Joana Pereira-Dias, Neelam Taneja, Jaspreet Mahindroo, Geeti Maheshwari, Padma J. Patel, Trang Nguyen Hoang Thu, Jacqui Keane, Zoe A. Dyson, Stephen Baker, Elli Mylona. The genomic characterization of Salmonella Paratyphi A from an outbreak of enteric fever in Vadodara, India. Microbial Genomics Volume 9, Issue 1

Joana Pereira-Dias, Chau Nguyen Ngoc Minh, Chau Tran Thi Hong, To Nguyen Thi Nguyen, Tuyen Ha Thanh, Caroline Zellmer, Hao Chung The, Lindsay Pike, Ellen E Higginson, Stephen Baker, The Gut Microbiome of Healthy Vietnamese Adults and Children Is a Major Reservoir for Resistance Genes Against Critical Antimicrobials, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 224, Issue Supplement_7, 15 December 2021, Pages S840–S847

Higginson EE, Sayeed MA, Pereira Dias J, Shetty V, Ballal M, Srivastava SK, Willis I, Qadri F, Dougan G, Mutreja A. Microbiome Profiling of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) Carriers Highlights Signature Differences between Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Individuals. mBio. 2022 May 10:e0015722. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00157-22