51本色

I am mainly interested in the processes of disease ecology, principally the interactions between the host-microbiome and pathogens, as well as co-infection processes. My special interest are emerging fungal diseases in non-model species threatened by anthropogenic factors like pollution, habitat fragmentation and climate change. Since the emergence of fungal pathogens is increasing considerably, investigating the interaction of the host-associated microbiome and fungal infections is timely. Understanding these interactions can allow us to extend the knowledge about the susceptibility and the adaptability of host species threatened by new emerging diseases. My research interests include: 

• Microbiome and mycobiome composition of reptiles
• Microbiome assembly during host development
• The nidobiome concept applied to oviparous species lacking parental care
• Fungal emerging diseases
• Host-pathogen interaction
• Marine and freshwater turtles

During my master thesis I examined the effects of the new emerging fungal diseases fusariosis on the microbiome of the yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle, including I) quantifying the egg microbiome and the influence of the nest environment, II) quantifying the influence of the egg microbiome on the gut microbiome of new hatchlings III) gut microbiome assemblage along with juvenile development and the influence of the river environment. Since preliminary data from my master thesis have confirmed for the first time that fusariosis infections are affecting the hatching success of a freshwater turtle, my current research is focused on the infection processes of this new emerging fungal disease. Thus, my PhD research aims to understand the I) epidemiology and aetiology of Fusarium pathogens, II) interaction of the host-associated bacterial microbiome and fungal mycobiome with Fusariosis infection and hatching success of the yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle, and III) effects of pollution and forest fragmentation on the microbiome and how these stressors can affect disease susceptibility and adaptability processes.

Carranco AS, Romo D, de Lourdes Torres M, Wilhelm K, Gillingham MAF, Sommer S (2026) Egg microbiome of the yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) modulates fusariosis fungal infection and hatching success. Communications Biology.

Risely A, Byrne PG, Hunter DA, Carranco AS, Hoye BJ, Silla AJ (2024). Skin Bacterial and Fungal Microbiome Responses to Diet Supplementation and Rewilding in the Critically Endangered Southern Corroboree Frog. Molecular Ecology, 33: e17562.

Carranco AS, Gillingham MAF, Wilhelm K, de Lourdes Torres M, Sommer S & Romo D (2022). Transcending sea turtles: First report of hatching failure in eggs of an Amazonian freshwater turtle with symptoms of the fungal emerging disease fusariosis. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, tbed.14596.

Carranco AS, Romo D, de Lourdes Torres M, Wilhelm K, Sommer S & Gillingham MAF (2022). Egg microbiota is the starting point of hatchling gut microbiota in the endangered yellow鈥恠potted Amazon river turtle. Molecular Ecology, mec.16548.

[Preprint] 
Carranco AS, Romo D, de Lourdes Torres M, Wilhelm K & Sommer S. From nest to hatchling: nidobiome assembly and host selection in oviparous vertebrates without parental care. bioRxiv.

April 2026: EGG2026: 70^th Anniversary of the British Ecological Society interest group of Ecological Genetics in Sheffield, UK. Oral presentation. Best student presentation award.
May 2025: Blended Intensive Program for developing linguistic and cultural skills for PhD students in AI. Krems, Austria. Oral presentation.
Aug 2024: Second Global Amphibian and Reptile Disease (GARD) Conference and the 10^th World Congress of Herpetology, Kuchin. Oral presentation.
June 2024: 29^th European Meeting for PhD students in Evolutionary Biology Conference (EMPSEB29), Vienna. Oral presentation and poster.
Feb 2024: Environmental and Agronomical Genomics Symposium (EAGS 2024), Toulouse. Poster
Oct 2023: Zoonoses 2023 - International Symposium on Zoonoses Research, Berlin. Oral presentation.
Sept 2022:  First International Symposium on ONE HEALTH Epigenomes and Microbiomes: From Soil to People, Quito. Virtual. Oral presentation and poster.