Sfara, Valeria

Independent Researcher CONICET

Assistant Professor (part-time)

sfaravaleria@gmail.com

 

CONICET Profile

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Valeria_Sfara

 

Professional resume + Expertise

Dr. in Biological Sciences, FCEyN, UBA.

Msc in Pest Control and its Environmental Impact, National University of San Martín; CONICET Adjunct Researcher; Associate Professor UNSAM.

Dr. Sfara's work is based on the study of the sensory physiology of insects, the behaviors produced by the reception of certain stimuli and the associated cellular mechanisms, in order to find specific and environmentally friendly tools for the control of insect pests. Hers studies also focus on the search for natural products derived from plants and/or semiochemicals, which can act as insecticides, repellants or attractants for integrated pest management programs. These studies can be framed in the area of ​​chemical ecology of pests. Additionally, Dr. Sfara studies the environmental effects of emerging pollutants in human productive systems in wetlands, mainly associated with the decrease in local biodiversity.

 

Keywords

toxicology; behavior; integrated pest management; emerging pollutants; wetlands.

 

Research projects

  • Development of low environmental impact control tools for urban pests; improvement toxic gel baits for cockroach control, based in the study of the feeding behavior of Blattella germanica;
  • Development of tools for biological control of forest pests through the implementation of strategies that increase the population density of native natural enemies;
  • Study of the impact of emerging pollutants associated with livestock production (antiparasitics, antibiotics) and forestry (insecticides) in wetlands, on the local arthropod biodiversity; lethal and sublethal toxic effects of these pollutants on the local biota.

 

Most important publications

Boné, E., González-Audino, P.A. & Sfara, V (2020). Spatial Repellency Caused by Volatile Pyrethroids is Olfactory-Mediated in the German Cockroach Blattella germanica (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae). Neotrop Entomol 49, 275–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-019-00739-9

Cano A, Pontes G, Sfara V, Anfossi D and Barrozzo R (2017). Nitric oxide contributes to high-salt perception in a blood-sucking insect model. Scientific Reports. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-15861-0.

Sfara V, Mougabure-Cueto GA and González-Audino PA. (2016). Modulation of the behavioral and electrical responses to the repellent DEET elicited by the pre-exposure to the same compound in Blattella germanica. PeerJ 4:e2150; DOI 10.7717/peerj.2150.

Mougabure-Cueto GA and Sfara V (2016). The analysis of dose-response curve from bioassays with quantal response: Deterministic or statistical approaches? Toxicology Letters, 248: 46-51.

Sfara V, Mougabure-Cueto GA, Zerba EN and Alzogaray RA (2013). Locomotor Behavior of Blattella germanica modified by DEET. PLoS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083433.

 

Public communication of science

Boné E, Casa V, Mataloni MG, Sfara V (2019). Ganadería y calidad de agua en el Delta del Paraná Desafíos y recomendaciones. ISBN: 978-987-29811-7-4.

Sfara V, Boné E, Zalts A, Basack S, Montserrat J (2017). Relevamiento de la información científica publicada sobre el problema de la utilización de plaguicidas en Argentina. En: “Gobernabilidad, percepción, control y efectos del uso de agroquímicos en la Región Metropolitana de Buenos Aires” Mariano Jager, compilador. Editorial Universidad Nacional de La Matanza, pp 177-193.