[Leish-l] Fw: Colombia´s loss - María Cristina Ferro de Carrasquilla

[Leishmania News]

Colombia´s loss - María Cristina Ferro de Carrasquilla

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*Obituary and contributions to the field of Entomology*

The passing of María Cristina Ferro de Carrasquilla on 29 July 2015 at the
age of 68 represents a loss to medical entomology. María Cristina had a
long and distinguished career at the Entomology Laboratory from the
National Institute of Health, Colombia. She was born on May 6th 1947 in
Ipiales, Colombia. She was the oldest of nine children. Since she was a
child, the insects were her passion. María Cristina graduated from High
School at the Real Colegio De Santa Isabel-La Asunción in Madrid, Spain.
She received a bachelor of Science-Microbiology from Los Andes University
in Colombia in 1969, and a M.S. in Medical Parasitology from the London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1976. In 1969 she joined the
Entomology Laboratory from the National Institute of Health, Colombia. María
Cristina worked as a professional specialist until 1994, when she started
to lead the Entomology Laboratory until 2005, when she retired, and
continued working as an Emeritus Researcher throughout her life.

Her research centered on the * Leishmania* and Venezuelan Equine
Encephalitis vectors. Her studies on leishmaniasis focused on the
identification and distribution of phlebotomus in Colombia, sand fly
vectorial capacity, genetics of sand fly disease vectors and the environmental
and ecological factors associated with *Leishmania* transmission. Her
research on Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis focused on the study of the
epidemiological
conditions for its transmission, and the ecological and genetic parameters
of its vectors. She was extremely talented identifying sand flies and
mosquitoes. She worked in collaboration with researchers from national and
international universities and research centers, including Yale University,
University of Texas, University of Florida, Centro Internacional de
Entrenamiento e Investigaciones M*é*dicas CIDEIM, and Centro de
Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Tropical CIMPAT-Los Andes
University.

María Cristina received numerous honors, including the Colciencias Emeritus
Researcher Award, the Ernesto Osorno Mesa Award from the Colombian
Entomological Society Socolen and several Colciencias recognitions to the
Entomology Laboratory for its outstanding research while she was the
director of the group. Two new species were named after her, a
phlebotomus *Lutzomyia
ferroae *in 1987, and a triatomine bug *Belminus ferroae* in 2007, in
recognition for her contributions to the field of medical entomology.  María
Cristina was the advisor of several bachelor and graduate students, whom
she trained with her magnificent teaching skills, always transmitting the
passion that she had for her profession. She published more than 100
scientific publications, and four chapters in scientific books. In addition
to her own publications, María Cristina contributed through her service as
an editor for the Colombian Scientific Journal “Biomédica”.

In the late 80’s, with her colleagues from the National Institute of
Health, University of Florida and Yale University, she participated in the
first confirmed isolations of *Leishmania* parasites from Colombian sand
flies.  In the 80’s and 90’s, in collaboration with researchers from the
National Institute of Health and La Salle University,  María Cristina
demonstrated the experimental transmission of *Leishmania* parasites for
the first time in Colombia. María Cristina participated in the description
of three new sand fly species: *Lutzomyia falcate*, *L. torvida*, and *L.
tolimensis*. She was working on the update of the distribution of
*Leishmania* vectors in Colombia in collaboration with researchers from the
National Institute of Health and Los Andes University.

She met her husband Fernando Carrasquillla Carrasquilla, in Bogota,
Colombia, and they married in 1977. They had two children, Germán and María
Cristina. María Cristina Ferro de Carrasquilla is survived by her son and
daughter, her grandson, her brother and sisters, and her students and
colleagues. She will be deeply missed.