Faculty and Staff Profile

Lídia Gual Gonzalez

Educational Background

Ph.D. Epidemiology
University of South Carolina 2023

M.Sc. Zoonoses and One Health
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 2019

B.Sc. Biomedical Sciences
Universitat de Lleida 2017

Courses Taught

HLTH 3800 Epidemiology

Profile

Dr. Gual is a multidisciplinary researcher with a passion for vector-borne disease surveillance and field epidemiology, using a One Health approach. Dr. Gual has been working under the One Health umbrella since 2018, with experience in the non-profit sector and academia, at the global level. Originally from Catalonia, Dr. Gual has conducted research and intervention work in the fields of human, animal, and environmental health in Spain, Uganda, Colombia, El Salvador, and the USA.

Research Interests

Vector-borne diseases
Zoonotic diseases
Wildlife-human spillover
One Health approach
Climate and health
Global health
Spatial epidemiology
Pathogen-vector and host-vector interactions

Research Publications

Selected publications:
Silgado A, Gual-Gonzalez L, Sánchez-Montalvá A, Oliveira-Souto I, Goterris L, Serre-Delcor N, Esperalba J, Gomez-I-Prat J, Fernández-Naval C, Molina I, Pumarola T, Surreiro E. Analytical evaluation of dried blood spot and rapid diagnostic test as a new strategy for serological community screening for chronic chagas disease. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol, 2021. 11:736630. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2021.736630

Gual-Gonzalez L, Arango-Ferreira C, Lopera-Restrepo LC, Cantillo-Barraza O, Marín DV, Bustamante NR, Triana-Chavez O, Nolan MS. Acute pediatric chagas disease in Antioquia, Colombia: a geographic location of suspected oral transmission. Microorganisms. 2022; 10(1):8. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10010008

Gual-Gonzalez L, Mccarter M, Dye-Braumuller K, Self S, Ross CH, Rodriguez-Ramos C, Daguise V, Nolan MS. Determinants of COVID-19 vaccinations among state-wide year-long surveillance initiative in a conservative southern state. Vaccines. 2022; 10(3):412. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10030412

Gual-Gonzalez, L., McCarter, M. S. J., Peebles, M., & Nolan, M. S. (2022). A statewide, cross-sectional evaluation of the knowledge and level of concern of rabies among South Carolina residents. Zoonoses and Public Health, 00, 1– 8. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.13001.

Dye-Braumuller, K.C.; Aquino, M.S.R.; Zellars, K.; Waltz, H.; Meyer, M.; Gual-Gonzalez, L.; Self, S.C.W.; Kanyangarara, M.; Nolan, M.S. Antibody Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Rickettsia spp. in a Pediatric Cohort: SFGR Remains Underdiagnosed and Underreported in El Salvador. Pathogens 2022, 11, 1241. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11111241.

Gual-Gonzalez L, Medina M, Valverde-Castro C, Beltrán V, Caro R, Triana-Chávez O, Nolan MS, Cantillo-Barraza O. Laboratory Evaluation and Field Feasibility of Micro-Encapsulated Insecticide Effect on Rhodnius prolixus and Triatoma dimidiata Mortality in Rural Households in Boyacá, Colombia. Insects. 2022; 13(11):1061. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13111061.

Dye-Braumuller, K. C., Gual-Gonzalez, L., Abiodun, T., Rustin, L. P., Evans, C. L., Meyer, M. M., Zellars K., Neault MJ., & Nolan, M. S. (2023). Invasive Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) investigation in South Carolina: new records of establishment, pathogen prevalence, and blood meal analyses. Journal of Medical Entomology https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjad119

Gual-Gonzalez L, Dye-Braumuller KC, Warner A, Bunting T, Bryant D, Connelly R, Burkhalter K, Nolan MS. Do Aedes triseriatus respect state boundaries? A paucity of La Crosse virus in the South Carolina Appalachian mountains. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. 2023; http://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2023.0018

Gual-Gonzalez L, Zellars K, Meyer M, Self SCW, Torres ME, Cantillo-Barraza O, Nolan MS. Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia Human Antibody Seroprevalence and Associated Epidemiologic Risk Factors Among Vulnerable Populations in South Carolina. Ticks and Tick-Borne diseases 2023; 15(2):102288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102288.

Beatty, N. L., Arango-Ferreira, C., Gual-Gonzalez, L., Zuluaga, S., Nolan, M. S., & Cantillo-Barraza, O. (2024). Oral Chagas Disease in Colombia—Confirmed and Suspected Routes of Transmission. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 9(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9010014

Gual-Gonzalez, L., Self, S.C.W., Zellars, K. et al. Eco-epidemiology of Rickettsia amblyommatis and Rickettsia parkeri in naturally infected ticks (Acari: Ixodida) from South Carolina. Parasites Vectors 17, 33 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-023-06099-z

Gual-Gonzalez L, Cantillo-Barraza O, Self SCW, Torres ME, Quintero-Velez JC, Medina M, Nolan MS. Antibody Seroprevalence to Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Miraflores, Colombia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Humans and Dogs. he American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Published online April 09, 2024. https://doi:10.4269/ajtmh.23-0593.

Gual-Gonzalez L, Torres ME, Self SCW, Cantillo-Barraza O, Nolan MS. Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia spp Molecular and Serological Evidence Among Colombian Vectors and Animal Hosts. Insects. 2024; 15(3):170. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15030170

Cantillo-Barraza O, Gual-González L, Velásquez-Ortiz N, Medina Camargo MA, González P, Cruz-Saavedra L, et al. (2025) Triatoma venosa and Panstrongylus geniculatus challenge the certification of interruption of vectorial Trypanosoma cruzi transmission by Rhodnius prolixus in eastern Colombia. PLoS Neglected Tropical Disease 19(1): e0012822. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012822

Gual-Gonzalez L, Gordon, J, Gunter SM, Crawley S, Nolan MS. Collaborate or Die: Break Down Silos to Achieve Success. American Entomologist, Volume 71, Issue 1, Spring 2025, Pages 40–46, https://doi.org/10.1093/ae/tmaf015

Gual-Gonzalez L, Abiodun T, Nolan MS. Defining the tick-borne disease occupational risk among 4 high-risk vocations in South Carolina. Journal of Medical Entomology, 2025. tjaf020. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaf020

Pickle, E. O., Dye-Braumuller, K., Gual-Gonzalez, L., Fryxell, R. T. T., Chandler, J., Qurollo, B., & Nolan, M. S. (2025). First identification of Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae in host-attached Dermacentor variabilis and across a large geographic sampling region, South Carolina, USA. Journal of Vector Ecology, 50(1), S4-S7. https://doi.org/10.52707/1081-1710-50.1-S4

McCarter, M., Self, S. C. W., Li, H., Ewing, J. A., Gual-Gonzalez, L., Kanyangarara, M., & Nolan, M. S. (2025). Validating a Bayesian Spatio-Temporal Model to Predict La Crosse Virus Human Incidence in the Appalachian Mountain Region, USA. Microorganisms, 13(4), 812. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13040812

Honors and Awards

2025 Alumni Award for Excellence in Contributions to Access and Collective Engagement in Research or Practice. University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health.

2024 American Society of Rickettsiology Conference Travel Award

2023 Medical Urban and Veterinary Entomology Section Travel Award, Entomological Society of America

2022 John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Award, Entomological Society of America

2022 Arnold School of Public Health Dean's Student Travel Award, and USC Graduate School Travel Grant

Links