Isabel Couto

Isabel Couto holds a PhD in Biology – Molecular Biology, by Universidade Nova de Lisboa. 

Associate Professor of Medical Microbiology (Bacteriology) at Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (IHMT-NOVA). 

Teaches at several Curricular Units of Master and Doctorate Courses at IHMT-NOVA.  

Member of the Scientific Committees of the Master Course in Biomedical Sciences (IHMT-NOVA) and Master Course in Medical Microbiology (NOVA).  

Vice-President of IHMT´s Scientific Council. 

Elected member of IHMT´s General Council. 

Main area of scientific activity:
Molecular characterization and antimicrobial resistance of bacterial pathogens, focusing on staphylococci and mycobacteria. 

Current research interests:
1. Characterization of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in bacteria, particularly efflux-driven resistance.
2. Characterization of antibiotic and biocide resistance determinants in staphylococci.
3. Molecular tools for the rapid identification of pathogenic bacteria, in particular drug-resistant staphylococci and mycobacteria. 

Coordinator of 6 funded research projects in these areas; also integrated the research teams of >25 R&D projects involving national and international groups. Supervisor of several post-doctoral, PhD and Master students. 

Coordinator of the FEDER/FCT funded project “BIOSAFE: Preventing antimicrobial resistance in the community – the safe use of biocides.” PORL/FEDER, FCT, PTDC/CAL-EST/30713/2017 (http://biosafe.ihmt.unl.pt/ ). 

Co-author of over 110 research papers in international journals with peer-review and 11 book chapters.
ResearcherID: I-2640-2012; Scopus Author ID: 55916738200 

Coordinator of the 1st and 2nd Summer School on “Summer School on Antimicrobial Resistance” (2022, 2024) https://amrsummerschool.wixsite.com/summerschool2024 

Co-coordinator of “GHTM Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Day”. 

Team: Sofia Santos Costa (PhD researcher); Catarina Morais (PhD student); Carolina Ferreira (PhD student); Marta Leal (PhD student); Mariana Andrade (PhD student); Joana Neves (researcher); Ana Santos (MSc student); Maria Bento (MSc student). 

1. Garrine, M, SS Costa, A Messa, S Massora, D Vubil, S Ácacio, T Nhampossa, Q Bassat, I Mandomando, I Couto. Antimicrobial resistance and clonality of Staphylococcus aureus causing bacteraemia in children admitted to the Manhiça District Hospital, Mozambique, over two decades. Front Microbiol. 2023 Jul24;14:1208131. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1208131 
2. Morais C, SS Costa, M Leal, B Ramos, M Andrade, C Ferreira, P Abrantes, C Pomba, I Couto. Genetic diversity and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius associated with skin and soft-tissue infections in companion animals in Lisbon, Portugal. Front Microbiol. 2023, 14:1167834. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1167834 
3. Ferreira C, P Abrantes, SS Costa, M Viveiros, I Couto. Occurrence and Variability of the Efflux Pump Gene norA across the Staphylococcus Genus. Int J Mol Sci 2022, 23(23), 15306. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232315306 
4. Ferreira C, SS Costa, M Serrano, K Oliveira, G Trigueiro, C Pomba, I Couto. Clonal lineages, antimicrobial resistance and PVL carriage of Staphylococcus aureus associated to skin and soft tissue infections from ambulatory patients in Portugal. Antibiotics 2021, 10(4), 345. http://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10040345 
5. Costa SS, B Sobkowiak, R Parreira, J Edgeworth, M Viveiros, TG Clark, I Couto. Genetic diversity of norA, coding for a main efflux pump of Staphylococcus aureus. Front. Genet. 9, 710. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2018.00710