Personal profile
Research interests
I am a Lecturer in Infectious Disease at King's College London and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). My research focuses on host-pathogen interactions, genomic epidemiology, and antimicrobial resistance for globally relevant bacterial pathogens. In my lab, we use the zebrafish model to recapitulate human infections with a variety of bacteria, including Shigella, E. coli, Salmonella, and Mycobacterium. We are also interested in cell biology and we explore infections as a tool to obtain a better understanding of cell functions in both physiological and pathological contexts. Over the last few years, my work focused on the persistent carriage of enteropathogens and on the development of innovative strategies to counteract Shigella infections.
I was previously a Senior Lecturer in Microbiology and Co-Course Leader for BSc (Hons) Medical Sciences at the University of Westminster, an Assistant Professor and Wellcome ISSF Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a Marie Curie Research Fellow at Imperial College London and a Marie Curie PhD Fellow at Leiden University.
I was awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching (LSHTM), a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology (Leiden University), a MSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology (Salerno University) and a BSc in Molecular and Computational Biology (Salerno University).
Education/Academic qualification
Education, Postgraduate Certificate , PGCiLT, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Award Date: 4 Jul 2022
Microbiology and Immunology, Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, Leiden University
12 Jan 2012 → 30 Jun 2016
Award Date: 17 Nov 2016
Biology , Master of Science, MSc, Università di Salerno
Award Date: 26 Oct 2011
Molecular and Computational Biology, Bachelor of Science, BSc, Università di Salerno
Award Date: 10 Dec 2009
External positions
Visiting Researcher, LSHTM London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
5 Jan 2022 → …
Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, University of Westminster
5 Jan 2022 → …
Associate Editor, Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
1 Jan 2021 → …
Assistant professor, Wellcome ISSF Fellow, LSHTM London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
1 Jul 2018 → 4 Jan 2022
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow, Imperial College London
1 Jul 2016 → 30 Jun 2018
Keywords
- Q Science (General)
- Shigella
- Zebrafish
- macrophage
- microbial genomics
- Escherichia coli
- Diabetic foot
- Sindbis virus
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
-
SDG 2 Zero Hunger
-
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
-
SDG 4 Quality Education
-
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
-
Population structure, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence factors of diabetic foot-associated Escherichia coli
Ajumobi, V., Tahir, Z., Hayes, P., McCormick, A. & Torraca, V., 3 Feb 2026, In: Microbiology Spectrum . 14, 2, p. 1-19 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Downloads (Pure) -
Shigella sonnei infection of zebrafish reveals that O-antigen mediates neutrophil tolerance and dysentery incidence
Torraca, V., Kaforou, M., Watson, J., Duggan, G. M., Guerrero-Gutierrez, H., Krokowski, S., Hollinshead, M., Clarke, T. B., Mostowy, R. J., Tomlinson, G. S., Sancho-Shimizu, V., Clements, A. & Mostowy, S., 2019, In: PLoS Pathogens. 15, 12, e1008006.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access26 Citations (Scopus) -
Zebrafish infection: From pathogenesis to cell biology
Torraca, V. & Mostowy, S., Feb 2018, In: Trends in cell biology. 28, 2, p. 143-156 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open Access140 Citations (Scopus) -
Shigella sonnei
Torraca, V., Holt, K. & Mostowy, S., 8 Apr 2020, In: Trends in Microbiology. 28, 8, p. 696-697 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Short survey › peer-review
Open Access33 Citations (Scopus) -
Septins restrict inflammation and protect zebrafish larvae from Shigella infection
Mazon-Moya, M. J., Willis, A. R., Torraca, V., Boucontet, L., Shenoy, A. R., Colucci-Guyon, E. & Mostowy, S., 2017, In: PLoS Pathogens. 13, 6, e1006467.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access52 Citations (Scopus)
-
APP13282: Controlling persistent infection and antimicrobial resistance in Shigella
Torraca, V. (Primary Investigator)
6/02/2025 → 5/02/2028
Project: Research
-
PRISM: PeRsistent Infection of Shigella in Macrophages (PRISM): Shedding light on the intra-phagocytic lifestyle of Shigella sonnei using human induced pluripotent stem cell derived macrophage
Torraca, V. (Primary Investigator) & Mcdonald, J. (Co-Investigator)
1/08/2026 → 31/07/2028
Project: Research
Datasets
-
Enrichment of gene sets altered in dram1 mutant zebrafish larvae
Zhang, R., Varela, M., Forn-Cuni, G., Torraca, V., Vaart, M. V. D. & Meijer, A., Zenodo, 29 Mar 2019
Dataset
-
Macrophages target Salmonella by Lc3-associated phagocytosis in a systemic infection model
Masud, S., Prajsnar, T. K., Torraca, V., Lamers, G. E. M., Benning, M., Vaart, M. V. D. & Meijer, A. H., Taylor & Francis, 24 Jan 2019
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.7624820
Dataset
-
Supplementary RNAseq dataset files
Sommer, F., Torraca, V. & Meijer, A. H., Zenodo, 19 May 2020
Dataset
-
A public resource of 15 genomically characterised representative strains of Shigella sonnei
Miles, S., Hawkey, J., Vezina, B., Torraca, V., Jenkins, C., Weill, F.-X., Baker, S., Baker, K., Mostowy, S. & Holt, K. E., figshare, 5 Nov 2025
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.28302986
Dataset