2001 “Habilitation” in Molecular Microbiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria
1992 Ph. D. in Viral and Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Bordeaux II, Bordeaux, France
Since 2015 Chair of the joint research unit, UMR 1225 INRAe-ENVT, Host-Pathogen Interactions, National Veterinary School of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
2010-2015 Dean for Research and Scientific affairs, Veterinary School of Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
Since 2006 Group leader of the mycoplasma team, UMR 1225 INRA-ENVT Toulouse, France
Since 2004 Research Director, UMR 1225 INRA-ENVT, Host-Pathogen Interaction, Veterinary National School of Toulouse and National Institute for Research in Agronomy, Toulouse, France
2000-2004 Vice-Chair, Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria
1997-2004 Associate Prof. and Prof. in Molecular Microbiology, Research Group Leader, Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria
1993-1996 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, US
Activités de recherche
Dr. Christine Citti is an international, recognized leader in the field of Mycoplasmology. Several of her seminal publications have challenged common, well-established views on pathogenic animal mycoplasmas, further prompting veterinarians and pharmaceutical companies to revisit strategies for controlling mycoplasma infection in livestock animals.
Mycoplasmas are atypical bacteria characterized by a small genome and a lack of cell-wall. Since their discovery these organisms have attracted much attention for two main reasons. First, they represent some of the smallest and simplest life-forms capable of self-replication outside of a host and thus offer a simplified model for the basic study of living organisms. Second, over 100 mycoplasma species are currently known as etiologic agents of diseases in man and a wide range of animals. Remarkably, several mycoplasma diseases of poultry and ruminants are listed by the world organization of animal health (OIE), a situation that reflects the health and economic damages caused by mycoplasmas to livestock animals due to the lack of satisfactory vaccines and the alarming rate of antibiotic resistance.
Dr. Citti’s research interest focuses on avian and ruminant pathogenic mycoplasmas species, most of which are listed by the OIE. At an early stage of her career, she has made a first breakthrough by elucidating the strategy developed by
mycoplasma to escape the host immune response. Later on, she was the first to experimentally demonstrate that pathogenic mycoplasmas can disseminate through the surface of the respiratory tract to inner organs, including the brain, and that
mycoplasma cell invasion was key this process. Fifteen years ago, Dr. Citti quickly understood the benefit of using new sequencing technologies to identify key mycoplasma virulence factors. While conducting comparative genomics, CC and her team developed a set of genetic tools which allowed them to shift towards functional genomics. By combining these approaches to genetic experiments, they made a new breakthrough by challenging an old concept in mycoplasmology: mycoplasmas have retained of form of sexuality and this sophisticated phenomenon is key in
mycoplasma emergence, adaptation and survival in their host.
Some key papers and reviews
Geonomic Islands in Mycoplasmas
Citti C, Baranowski E, Dordet-Frisoni E, Faucher M, Nouvel LX.
Genes (Basel). 2020 Jul 22;11(8):836. doi: 10.3390/genes11080836.
PMID: 32707922 Free PMC article. Review.
Mycoplasma Chromosomal Transfer: A Distributive, Conjugative Process Creating an Infinite Variety of Mosaic Genomes
Dordet-Frisoni E, Faucher M, Sagné E, Baranowski E, Tardy F, Nouvel LX, Citti C.
Front Microbiol. 2019 Oct 23;10:2441. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02441. eCollection 2019.
PMID: 31708906 Free PMC article.
First detection of Mycoplasma wenyonii in France: Identification, evaluation of the clinical impact and development of a new specific detection assay
Nouvel LX, Hygonenq MC, Catays G, Martinelli E, Le Page P, Collin É, Inokuma H, Schelcher F, Citti C, Maillard R. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis. 2019 Apr;63:148-153. doi: 10.1016/j.cimid.2019.01.010. Epub 2019 Jan 22.
PMID: 30961812
Mycoplasmas under experimental antimicrobial selection: The unpredicted contribution of horizontal chromosomal transfer
Faucher M, Nouvel LX, Dordet-Frisoni E, Sagné E, Baranowski E, Hygonenq MC, Marenda MS, Tardy F, Citti C.
PLoS Genet. 2019 Jan 22;15(1):e1007910. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007910. eCollection 2019 Jan.
PMID: 30668569 Free PMC article.
Horizontal Gene Transfers in Mycoplasmas (Mollicutes)
Citti C, Dordet-Frisoni E, Nouvel LX, Kuo CH, Baranowski E.
Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2018;29:3-22. doi: 10.21775/cimb.029.003. Epub 2018 Apr 12.
PMID: 29648541 Review.
Chromosomal transfers in mycoplasmas: when minimal genomes go mobile
Dordet-Frisoni E, Sagné E, Baranowski E, Breton M, Nouvel LX, Blanchard A, Marenda MS, Tardy F, Sirand-Pugnet P, Citti C.
mBio. 2014 Nov 25;5(6):e01958. doi: 10.1128/mBio.01958-14.
PMID: 25425234 Free PMC article.
Phase and antigenic variation in mycoplasmas
Citti C, Nouvel LX, Baranowski E.
Future Microbiol. 2010 Jul;5(7):1073-85. doi: 10.2217/fmb.10.71.
PMID: 20632806 Review.
Mycoplasmas and their host: emerging and re-emerging minimal pathogens
Citti C, Blanchard A.
Trends Microbiol. 2013 Apr;21(4):196-203. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2013.01.003. Epub 2013 Feb 16.
PMID: 23419218 Review.
For a full list visit
Management de la recherche
Dr. Citti is currently the head of a multidisciplinary research unit focusing on infectious diseases that brings together scientists, veterinarians, clinicians, and professors with complementary expertise in microbiology, cell biology, immunology, parasitology, and epidemiology. The integration of these is particular suited in response to the complex and challenging questions raised by infectious diseases in a context of durability.
CC’s has also served as the co-chair of the bacteriology institute of the University of Veterinary Medicine prior to 2004 and as the dean of scientific affairs of the vet schools for a 5-years mandate from 2010-2015. CC has been actively involved in committees for national evaluation of grants (ANR) or institutes (ANSES), in national recruiting panels (INRAE, Universities), and in promoting international collaborative projects in her field of expertise (IOM, IRPCM). Finally, CC has been actively involved in INRAE flagship programs: at an early stage starting with the benchmarking of similar international programs to define their framework and as a member of several steering committees to define and implement their scientific priorities (GISA, MEM, Holloflux)
