Pathology in general and parasites in particular cause major impacts in animal health and their sustainable production. The Animal Pathology Research team is dedicated to the study of Parasitology and Pathology of Aquatic Organisms, mainly marine fish, but also echinoderms (e.g. sea urchins), crustacean and molluscs (e.g.: oysters) as an early-warning tool in the evaluation of environmental quality.
The effort to characterize new parasitic organisms (micro and macroparasites) and their pathology are strongly linked with health evaluation status of wild or cultivated organisms from marine or freshwater origin, from Portugal or Brazil, in order to mitigate their negative effects.
We also use the health status of invertebrate and vertebrate as biological models to assess the environmental quality, vulnerability and risks.
The main objectives of our team are threefold: i) to study parasites biology and ecology in order to avoid food contamination; ii) to study new parasites in wild and cultivated animals, from marine or freshwater origin, from Portugal and Brazil, and; iii) to study animal pathology as an early-warning tool in the evaluation of environmental quality.
Maria João Santos is Professor Associate Aggregate at Faculty of Science of Porto University (FCUP) and Researcher in CIIMAR, where she leads the team of Animal Parasitology and Pathology. She got the degree, PhD and Aggregation in Biology at FCUP.
She teaches Invertebrates, Vertebrates and Parasitology. She is the director of the course in Scientific Illustration from UP.
She works in the field of parasitology of aquatic organisms, ecology, pathology and diseases, mainly with Metazoan parasites ( Myxozoa, Platyhelminthes, Nematoda and Crustacea), and in particular with zoonotic parasites. She belongs now to the EU “Working Group of Parasites in Fishery products”, promoted by EFSA.
Dr Camilo Ayra-Pardo is Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society since 2018. From 2017 – 2020, Camilo worked as an overseas expert on insect pathology at the Nanyang Normal University (China). Previously, Camilo managed a research group on insect pest control at the public biotechnology company CIGB (Cuba). He has been a visiting scholar at Cambridge University, Imperial College London, and Lausanne University. Camilo has published > 40 peer-reviewed articles, a book chapter, two international patents, and > 100 technical reports (CIGB know-how). He has supervised 2 PhD, 4 MSc and 16 BSc students. Camilo speaks Spanish and English fluently.
Andreia Juliana Rodrigues Caldeira is Professor and Researcher at the State University of Goiás – Brazil, since 1999. She is an external collaborator at CIIMAR / FCUP – Portugal, since 2019. She graduated in Biological Sciences (Brazil – 1996). Master in Molecular Biology (Brazil – 1999) and PhD in Genetics and Breeding (Brazil – 2009). He has a Postdoctoral Degree in Scientific Dissemination (FCUP – Portugal – 2020). It operates in the areas of genetics, public health and the environment, fish parasites, scientific dissemination and education.
Aurélia Saraiva is professor in the Biology Department at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto and researcher in CIIMAR. She began her scientific activity in the study of fish pathology, especially diseases of bacterial etiology of obligatory declaration. She participated in investigations that led to the notification of the occurrence in Portugal, for the first time, of a notifiable diseases (Furunculosis) and of the Ulcerative Dermal Necrosis (UDN). She described a new species for science (Myxobolus portucalensis Saraiva & Molnar, 1990). At the moment she works mainly in fish parasitology and fish histopathology/ fish health status and welfare. She has published over 60 refereed publications.
Link para CV Ciência Vitae
Dr Camilo Ayra-Pardo is Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society since 2018. From 2017 – 2020, Camilo worked as an overseas expert on insect pathology at the Nanyang Normal University (China). Previously, Camilo managed a research group on insect pest control at the public biotechnology company CIGB (Cuba). He has been a visiting scholar at Cambridge University, Imperial College London, and Lausanne University. Camilo has published > 40 peer-reviewed articles, a book chapter, two international patents, and > 100 technical reports (CIGB know-how). He has supervised 2 PhD, 4 MSc and 16 BSc students. Camilo speaks Spanish and English fluently.
Caner Sirin completed his Ph.D. in Aquaculture and Fish Diseases at the Faculty of Fisheries, Ege University, in 2022. Since 2024, he has been serving as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Marine Sciences, Ordu University. His research primarily focuses on myxozoan parasites in farmed marine fish and parasitic fish diseases. With a postdoctoral research fellowship awarded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK), he is conducting research at the Animal Parasitology and Pathology Laboratory at CIIMAR.
Carlos Azevedo, Full Professor of Cellular Biology (Retired from ICBAS/UP since September 2004), Researcher at CIIMAR/UP in the field of microparasitology of aquatic fauna, having published more than 100 articles, of which they report the description of about 80 new species of microparasites. He coordinated the editing of Cellular and Molecular Biology books.
Cristina Cruz is assistant professor and vice director of Master`s degree of Biological Aquatic Resources at Department of Biology of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. She graduated in Biology in 1985 and obtained PhD degree in 1995 by Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto. Her main research interests focus in fish parasitology, with special relevance in species with economic and public health impact. She is author of 48 publications in international journals
Master in Aquatic Biology with concentration area in fish parasitology (taxonomy and ecology). PhD student in Biology at the biology department of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. Research fellow by CIIMAR. Develops research in marine fish parasitology within the scope of the project “Pact of Blue Bioeconomy”.
Full Professor (retired) from the Department of Biology from Faculty of Science of Porto. Research about fish parasitology and ictiozoonosis. Description of 13 new species, 107 communications in meetings; review of manuscripts for 40 international journals, member of the Editorial Board of 17 journals in several countries. Review of project proposals in Portugal, Brasil, Holand, Spain and European Commision. Authored six books (Portugal, Brasil, Spain) and 156 research publications mostly in indexed international journals. 3,972 citations (Research Gate, h-index 32), or 6,030 (Google Scholar, h-index 35); included, in 2021, in the “World Top 2% Scientistis List”, University of Stanford, containing the 2% of scientists more influential in the world.
Luis Rangel holds a PhD in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. He is an assistant researcher at CIIMAR, in the Animal Parasitology and Pathology group. He studies parasites of fish and other aquatic organisms, including Myxozoa, Apicomplexa, Platyhelminthes, and Nematoda. His studies include the description of new species, the unraveling of their life cycles, and the zoonotic potential of some parasites when consumed alive or dead (allergies) by humans.
Manuel Santos was born in 1990 in Oporto, where he lives, studies and works.
He develops artistic work in the field of scientific illustration, of figurative drawing and of figurative painting.
He concluded the bachelor degree in Drawing, in the Faculty of Fine-Arts of the University of Lisbon, concluded the Masters in Teaching of Visual Arts in the 3º. Cycle of Basic Education and in Secondary Education in the Faculty of Psychology and of Educational Sciences of the University of Porto, and attends the course of Doctorship in Plastic Arts in the Faculty of Fine-Arts of Oporto.
Ricardo Severino is currently the chief technology officer (CTO) at Vale da Lama Fish Farm. He graduated in Marine Biology, and specialized in Applied Ecology (Master). The guidelines of his research explore the control of aquaculture production systems with particular concern for animal welfare. He has taught three courses on pathology: Fish Pathological Diagnosis in Barcelona; Fish Pathological Diagnosis in Portugal; CEFAS Histopathology in the United Kingdom.
Ramos P., Ayra-Pardo C., Oliveira M.M., Rangel L.F., Atroch F., Caner S., Santos, M.J.
2025Food and Waterborne Parasitology, 41, e00305.Atroch F., Rangel L.F., Ramos P., Ayra-Pardo C., Santos, M.J.
2025 Food and Waterborne Parasitology., 41, e00303.Xavier, R., Cardoso, J., Barroso, R., Nogueira, S., Cruz, C., Pereira, A., Saraiva, A.
2020Parasitol. Res. 119: 2139 - 2147.Ayra-Pardo, C.; Ramaré, V.; Couto, A.; Almeida, M.; Martins, R.; Sousa, J.A.; Santos, M.J.
2025Toxins, 17, 84.Rangel, L.F., Severino, R., Santos, M.J., Rocha, S.
2024Parasitology 1-8.EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ), Koutsoumanis, K., Allende, A., Alvarez-Ordóñez, A., Bover-Cid, S., Chemaly, M., De Cesare, A., Herman, L., Hilbert, F., Lindqvist, R., Nauta, M., Nonno, R., Peixe, L., Ru, G., Simmons, M., Skandamis, P., Suffredini, E., Buchmann, K., Careche, M., Levsen, A., Mattiucci, S., Mladineo, I., Santos, M.J., Barcia-Cruz, R., Broglia, A., Chuzhakina, K., Goudjihounde, S. M., Guerra, B., Messens, W., Guajardo, I. M., Bolton, D.
2024E F S A Journal. 22(4): e8719 ; pp. 1-86.
