Position
Research associate at the IRL REHABS and at SRU
Contact Information
Virginie.Rougeron@mandela.ac.za
Location
Nelson Mandela University, George Campus
Since 2015, I have held a permanent position with the CNRS, dedicated to spearheading diverse projects focused on the evolutionary and adaptive history of organisms. Initially, my journey led me to spend six years at the MiVEGEC Laboratory, first in Gabon and later in France, where my research focused on the evolution of pathogens. In acknowledgment of my contributions, I was honored with the CNRS bronze medal in 2020. Throughout my career, I led the SHAPE and HEAT teams at the MiVEGEC Laboratory for four years. As a principal investigator, I successfully guided multiple research-funded projects, notably the ANR-17-ERC3-002 initiative on the "Evolutionary adaptation of human Plasmodium vivax," which culminated in sequencing the first genome of African great apes infected with P. vivax-like parasites. Additionally, I served as the principal investigator for the PEPS ECOMOB project, which delved into the origin of human P. vivax, uncovering its southeast Asian roots.
Presently, I am at the helm of an ANR JCJC project delving into the evolutionary history and adaptation of pathogens in South America, alongside an annual CEBA project aimed at characterizing non-human primate Plasmodium circulation in French Guiana. My involvement extends beyond research, as I dedicated two years to serving on the CID52 section of the CNRS national committee for researcher and senior researcher recruitment (2020-2021), and six years on the scientific council of INEE (2018-2024).
In December 2021, I transitioned to George in South Africa to join the International Research Laboratory for Reconciling Ecological and Human Adaptations for a Biosphere-based Sustainability (REHABS and SRU). In this capacity as a research associate, I am leading a comprehensive research endeavor on the adaptation of chacma baboon populations in Austral Africa. This initiative encompasses exploring various facets: the evolutionary history of chacma baboons, their genetic adaptation to diverse environments, and their phenotypic variability across different habitats, including behaviors, morphology, and their gut microbiome. Furthermore, I am actively engaged in establishing a molecular biology laboratory and have recently secured an NRF grant focusing on the impact of anthropogenic diets on chacma baboons' microbiome and health. Additionally, I am involved in collaborative efforts concerning the management of jackal, lion, hyena, and cheetah populations, as well as research on the ecology and genetics of Toxoplasma gondii in wildlife populations.
Throughout my career, I have consistently taught courses in population genetics and molecular genetics at the university level. Additionally, I have played a role in supervising or co-mentoring postdoctoral fellows, doctoral students, veterinary doctoral students, Master's students, and Honor’s students. Our collective efforts have resulted in invitations to various international conferences, seminars, and workshops where we have had the opportunity to showcase our research and contributions to the field.
Davis RS, Overton EK, Prugnolle F, Rougeron V, Sievert O, & Venter. JA. (2023). Baboons (Papio spp.) as a potentially underreported source of food loss and kleptoparasitism of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) kills. Food Webs.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2023.e00331
Mombo IM, Rieu O, Fritz M, Boundenga L, Mebaley TN, Mbou-Boutambe C, Lenguiya. LH, Maganga GD, Rougeron V, Prugnolle F, Thomas F, & Leroy EM. (2023). Absence of Coronavirus RNA in Faecal Samples from Wild Primates in Gabon, Central Africa. Pathogens
https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12101272
Imboumy-Limoukou KR, Lendongo Wombo JB, Lekana-Douki SE, Rougeron V, Kouna LC, & Lekana-Douki J-B. (2023). Saliva and stool samples from P. falciparum infected children in a highly endemic region showed low parasite detection. Diagnostics.
https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fdiagnostics13203271
Valente A, Jiolle D, Ravel S, Porciani A, Vial L, Michaud V, Kwiatek O, Pedarrieu 0, Misse D, Ferraris P, Bretagnolle F, Bitome-Essono P-Y, Makanga BK, Rougeron V, Prugnolle F, &Paupy C. (2023). Flying syringes for emerging enzootic virus screening: proof of concept for the development of noninvasive xenosurveillance tools based on tsetse flies. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/9145289
Lefebvre MJM, Daron J, Legrand E, Fontaine MC#, Rougeron V#, & Prugnolle F#. (2023). Population genomic evidence of adaptive response during the invasion history of Plasmodium falciparum in the Americas. Molecular Biology and Evolution.
https://doi-org.inee.bib.cnrs.fr/10.1093/molbev/msad082
Boundenga L, Mombo IM, Augustin MO, Barthélémy N, Nzassi PM, Moukodoum ND, Rougeron V, & Prugnolle F. (2023). Molecular identification of trypanosome diversity in domestic animals reveals the presence of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in historical foci of human african trypanosomiasis in Gabon. Pathogens.
https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fpathogens11090992
Mwakasungula S*, Rougeron V*, Arnathau C, Boundenga L, Miguel E, Boissière A, Jiolle D, Durand P, Msigwa A, Mswata S, Olotu A, Sterkers Y, Roche B, Killeen G, Cerqueira F, Bitome-Essono PY, Bretagnolle F, Masanja H, Paupy C, Sumaye R, & Prugnolle F. (2022). Using haematophagous fly blood meals to study the diversity of blood-borne pathogens infecting wild mammals. Molecular Ecology Resources.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13670
Rougeron V, Boundenga L, Arnathau C, Durand P, & Prugnolle F. (2022). The origin of Plasmodium vivax: science or story telling? FEMS Microbiology Reviews.
https://doi.org/10.1093/femsre/fuac016
Rougeron V, Daron J, Fontaine MC, & Prugnolle F. (2022). Evolutionary history of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium simium in the Americas. Malaria Journal.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04132-7
Rougeron V, Boundenga L, Arnathau C, Durand P, Renaud F, & Prugnolle F. (2022). A population genetic perspective on the origin, spread and adaptation of the human malaria agents Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. FEMS Microbiology Reviews.
https://doi.org/10.1093/femsre/fuab047
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