Alexandre J. da Silva

I initiated my career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a Junior Parasitologists in 1992. At CDC I built a parasitology diagnostic program based on molecular and parasitological methods, as well as telediagnosis. Through this program, a robust network for diagnostic response in parasitic diseases was implemented at health departments in the US states and territories. During this period, I developed and implemented several molecular and parasitological methods for diagnosis of parasitic diseases caused by Microsporidia, Plasmodium (etiologic agent of malaria), Leishmania, the life-threating free-living ameba Naegleria fowleri, Trypanosoma cruzi, Cryptosporidium, Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Cyclospora cayetanensis. I also discovered three new species of Cyclospora, isolated from simians originated from Ethiopia and initiated the genomics program on Cyclospora cayetanensis at CDC with funds from the Advanced Molecular Detection initiative. This program was funded at $500,000/year for 5 years. In September of 2014, I joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to build and lead a program focused on foodborne parasitology at CFSAN. I am currently leading the FDA Cyclospora task force to address knowledge gaps, develop prevention-based approaches and enhance the FDA’s response to Cyclospora issues. I was elected Convener Support Team for the ISO Technical Committee 34, Subcommittee 9 (ISO TC34/SC9) /WG6 (Foodborne Parasites) for a term of 3 years starting in 2021 and the lead of an ISO project to develop an international standard for the detection of C. cayetanensis in produce under ISO TC34/SC9/WG6. I have authored/co-authored more than 130 publications and book chapters in biological studies, detection of parasites, surveillance, and outbreak investigations of parasitic diseases. I currently serve as associated editor on editorial boards of reputable scientific journals such as Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Applied and Environmental Microbiology and Journal of Food Protection.