Dr Maggy Lord
UQ Amplify Fellow
School of Biological Sciences
+61 7 336 52516
Researcher biography
Dr Lord currently leads the Infrared surveillance and Diagnostics team within the faculty of Science at the University of Queensland. Her research focuses on developing novel and rapid next generation surveillance and diagnostic tools for detection of pathogens in humans, animals and the environment and for characterising disease carrying vectors. Her current specialisation involves the development of non-invasive tools based on spectroscopy techniques. She pioneered the application of near-infrared spectroscopy technique for non-invasive detection of several pathogens in mosquito vectors such as Wolbachia, Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya and for differentiation of morphologically identical mosquito species. She has recently pioneered its application for non-invasive detection of malaria through tyhe skin in partnership with the Australian Defence Force and Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Brazil.
In the last 5 years, she has attracted multi-site, national and international research funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, NHMRC, AQIRF and Grand challenges Canada as the Chief Investigator to develop rapid tools for large scale surveillance of vector control programs
Current Research interests: Development of spectroscopy tools for ports of entry for rapid identification of exotic insect species, detection of pathogens in humans and the environment
Book Chapter
Sikulu-Lord, Maggy and Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael (2022). Application of infrared techniques for characterisation of vector-borne disease vectors. Infrared Spectroscopy - Perspectives and Applications [Working Title]. (pp. 1-19) edited by Marwa El-Azazy, Khalid Al-Saad and Ahmed S. El-Shafie. London, United Kingdom: IntechOpen. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.106941
Journal Articles
Garcia, Gabriela A., Lord, Anton R., Santos, Lilha M. B., Kariyawasam, Tharanga N., David, Mariana R., Couto-Lima, Dinair, Tátila-Ferreira, Aline, Pavan, Márcio G., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. and Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael (2022). Rapid and Non-Invasive Detection of Aedes aegypti Co-Infected with Zika and Dengue Viruses Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy. Viruses, 15 (1) 11, 11. doi: 10.3390/v15010011
Kho, Elise A., Fernandes, Jill N., Tilbrook, Alan J., Fox, Glen P., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Kotze, Andrew C., Beasley, Anne M., James, Peter J., Tolleson, Douglas R. and Cozzolino, Daniel (2022). State of the art and the future of fecal analysis using infrared spectroscopy. Applied Spectroscopy Reviews, 1-31. doi: 10.1080/05704928.2022.2143795
Garcia, Gabriela A, Kariyawasam, Tharanga N, Lord, Anton R, da Costa, Cristiano Fernandes, Chaves, Lana Bitencourt, Lima-Junior, Josué da Costa, Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael and Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T (2022). Malaria absorption peaks acquired through the skin of patients with infrared light can detect patients with varying parasitemia. PNAS Nexus, 1 (5). doi: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac272
Goh, Brendon, Visendi, Paul, Lord, Anton R., Ciocchetta, Silvia, Liu, Wenjun and Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. (2022). First report of the detection of DENV1 in human blood plasma with near-infrared spectroscopy. Viruses, 14 (10) 2248, 2248. doi: 10.3390/v14102248
Alharbi, Bushra, Cozzolino, Daniel, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Whiley, David and Trembizki, Ella (2022). Near-infrared spectroscopy as a feasible method for the differentiation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from Neisseria commensals and antimicrobial resistant from susceptible gonococcal strains. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 201 106576, 106576. doi: 10.1016/j.mimet.2022.106576
Tátila-Ferreira, Aline, Garcia, Gabriela A., dos Santos, Lilha M. B., Pavan, Márcio G., de C. Moreira, Carlos José, Victoriano, Juliana C., da Silva-Junior, Renato, dos Santos-Mallet, Jacenir R., Verly, Thaiane, Britto, Constança, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. and Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael (2021). Near infrared spectroscopy accurately detects Trypanosoma cruzi non-destructively in midguts, rectum and excreta samples of Triatoma infestans. Scientific Reports, 11 (1) 23884, 23884. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-03465-8
Goh, Brendon, Ching, Koek, Soares Magalhães, Ricardo J., Ciocchetta, Silvia, Edstein, Michael D., Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael and Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. (2021). The application of spectroscopy techniques for diagnosis of malaria parasites and arboviruses and surveillance of mosquito vectors: A systematic review and critical appraisal of evidence. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 15 (4) e0009218, 1-24. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009218
Santos, Lilha M. B., Mutsaers, Mathijs, Garcia, Gabriela A., David, Mariana R., Pavan, Marcio G., Petersen, Martha T., Correa-Antonio, Jessica, Couto-Lima, Dinair, Maes, Louis, Dowell, Floyd, Lord, Anton, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy and Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael (2021). High throughput estimates of Wolbachia, Zika and chikungunya infection in Aedes aegypti by near-infrared spectroscopy to improve arbovirus surveillance. Communications Biology, 4 (1) 67, 67. doi: 10.1038/s42003-020-01601-0
Kho, Elise A., Fernandes, Jill N., Kotze, Andrew C., Fox, Glen P., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Beasley, Anne M., Moore, Stephen S. and James, Peter J. (2020). Influence of environmental factors on the detection of blood in sheep faeces using visible-near-infrared spectroscopy as a measure of Haemonchus contortus infection. Parasites and Vectors, 13 (1) 591, 591. doi: 10.1186/s13071-020-04468-6
Kho, Elise A., Fernandes, Jill N., Kotze, Andrew C., Fox, Glen P., Lord, Maggy, Beasley, Anne M., Moore, Stephen S. and James, Peter J. (2020). Visible-near infrared spectroscopy for detection of blood in sheep faeces. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, 28 (5-6), 255-266. doi: 10.1177/0967033520927519
Alharbi, Bushra, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Lord, Anton, Zowawi, Hosam M. and Trembizki, Ella (2020). Near-infrared spectroscopy evaluations for the differentiation of carbapenem-resistant from susceptible enterobacteriaceae strains. Diagnostics, 10 (10) 736, 1-9. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics10100736
Milali, Masabho P., Kiware, Samson S., Govella, Nicodem J., Okumu, Fredros, Bansal, Naveen, Bozdag, Serdar, Charlwood, Jacques D., Maia, Marta F., Ogoma, Sheila B., Dowell, Floyd E., Corliss, George F., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. and Povinelli, Richard J. (2020). An autoencoder and artificial neural network-based method to estimate parity status of wild mosquitoes from near-infrared spectra. PLoS ONE, 15 (6) e0234557, e0234557. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234557
Kho, Elise A., Fernandes, Jill N., Kotze, Andrew C., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Fox, Glen P., Beasley, Anne M., Moore, Stephen S. and James, Peter J. (2020). Detection of Haemonchus contortus nematode eggs in sheep faeces using near and mid-infrared spectroscopy. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, 28 (5-6), 096703352092449-254. doi: 10.1177/0967033520924491
Mwanga, Emmanuel P., Minja, Elihaika G., Mrimi, Emmanuel, Jiménez, Mario González, Swai, Johnson K., Abbasi, Said, Ngowo, Halfan S., Siria, Doreen J., Mapua, Salum, Stica, Caleb, Maia, Marta F., Olotu, Ally, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Baldini, Francesco, Ferguson, Heather M., Wynne, Klaas, Selvaraj, Prashanth, Babayan, Simon A. and Okumu, Fredros O. (2019). Detection of malaria parasites in dried human blood spots using mid-infrared spectroscopy and logistic regression analysis. Malaria Journal, 18 (1) 341, 341. doi: 10.1186/s12936-019-2982-9
Milali, Masabho P., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Kiware, Samson S., Dowell, Floyd E., Corliss, George F. and Povinelli, Richard J. (2019). Age grading An. gambiae and An. arabiensis using near infrared spectra and artificial neural networks. PLoS One, 14 (8) e0209451, e0209451. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209451
Baldini, Francesco, Rougé, Justine, Kreppel, Katharina, Mkandawile, Gustave, Mapua, Salum Abdallah, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Ferguson, Heather M., Govella, Nicodem and Okumu, Fredros O. (2018). First report of natural Wolbachia infection in the malaria mosquito Anopheles arabiensis in Tanzania. Parasites and Vectors, 11 (1) 635, 635. doi: 10.1186/s13071-018-3249-y
Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Devine, Gregor J., Hugo, Leon E. and Dowell, Floyd E. (2018). First report on the application of near-infrared spectroscopy to predict the age of Aedes albopictus Skuse. Scientific Reports, 8 (1) 9590, 9590. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-27998-7
Milali, Masabho P., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Kiware, Samson S., Dowell, Floyd E., Povinelli, Richard J. and Corliss, George F. (2018). Do NIR spectra collected from laboratory-reared mosquitoes differ from those collected from wild mosquitoes?. PloS One, 13 (5) e0198245, e0198245. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198245
Fernandes, Jill N., Dos Santos, Lílha M. B., Chouin-Carneiro, Thaís, Pavan, Márcio G., Garcia, Gabriela A., David, Mariana R., Beier, John C., Dowell, Floyd E., Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael and Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. (2018). Rapid, noninvasive detection of Zika virus in mosquitoes by near-infrared spectroscopy. Science Advances, 4 (5) eaat0496, eaat0496. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aat0496
Masalu, John P., Okumu, Fredros O., Mmbando, Arnold S., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. and Ogoma, Sheila B. (2018). Potential benefits of combining transfluthrin-treated sisal products and long-lasting insecticidal nets for controlling indoor-biting malaria vectors. Parasites and Vectors, 11 (231) 231, 231. doi: 10.1186/s13071-018-2811-y
Lambert, Ben, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Mayagaya, Vale S, Devine, Greg, Dowell, Floyd and Churcher, Thomas S (2018). Monitoring the age of mosquito populations using near-infrared spectroscopy. Scientific Reports, 8 (1) 5274, 5274. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-22712-z
Masalu, John P., Finda, Marceline, Okumu, Fredros O., Minja, Elihaika G., Mmbando, Arnold S., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. and Ogoma, Sheila B. (2017). Efficacy and user acceptability of transfluthrin-treated sisal and hessian decorations for protecting against mosquito bites in outdoor bars. Parasites and Vectors, 10 (1) 197. doi: 10.1186/s13071-017-2132-6
Milali, Masabho P., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T. and Govella, Nicodem J. (2017). Bites before and after bedtime can carry a high risk of human malaria infection. Malaria Journal, 16 (1) 91. doi: 10.1186/s12936-017-1740-0
Griffin, Paul, Pasay, Cielo, Elliott, Suzanne, Sekuloski, Silvana, Sikulu, Maggy, Hugo, Leon, Khoury, David, Cromer, Deborah, Davenport, Miles, Sattabongkot, Jetsumon, Ivinson, Karen, Ockenhouse, Christian and McCarthy, James (2016). Safety and reproducibility of a clinical trial system using induced blood stage Plasmodium vivax infection and its potential as a model to evaluate malaria transmission. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 10 (12) e0005139, e0005139. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005139
Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Milali, Masabho P., Henry, Michael, Wirtz, Robert A., Hugo, Leon E., Dowell, Floyd E. and Devine, Gregor J. (2016). Near-infrared spectroscopy, a rapid method for predicting the age of male and female wild-type and Wolbachia infected Aedes aegypti. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 10 (10) e0005040, e0005040.1-e0005040.11. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005040
Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Maia, Marta F., Milali, Masabho P., Henry, Michael, Mkandawile, Gustav, Kho, Elise A., Wirtz, Robert A., Hugo, Leon E., Dowell, Floyd E. and Devine, Gregor J. (2016). Rapid and non-destructive detection and identification of two strains of Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti by near-infrared spectroscopy. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 10 (6) e0004759, e0004759. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004759
Sikulu, Maggy T., Monkman, James, Dave, Keyur A., Hastie, Marcus L., Dale, Patricia E., Kitching, Roger L., Killeen, Gerry F., Kay, Brian H., Gorman, Jeffry J. and Hugo, Leon E. (2015). Mass spectrometry identification of age-associated proteins from the malaria mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae s.s. and Anopheles stephensi. Data in Brief, 4, 461-467. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2015.07.007
Sikulu, Maggy T., Monkman, James, Dave, Keyur A., Hastie, Marcus L., Dale, Patricia E., Kitching, Roger L., Killeen, Gerry F., Kay, Brian H., Gorman, Jeffery J. and Hugo, Leon E. (2015). Proteomic changes occurring in the malaria mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles stephensi during aging. Journal of Proteomics, 126, 234-244. doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2015.06.008
Sikulu, Maggy T. (2014). Non-Destructive near Infrared Spectroscopy for Simultaneous Prediction of Age and Species of Two Major African Malaria Vectors: An. Gambiae and An. Arabiensis. NIR News, 25 (5), 4-6. doi: 10.1255/nirn.1455
Sikulu, Maggy T., Majambere, Silas, Khatib, Bakar O., Ali, Abdullah S., Hugo, Leon E. and Dowell, Floyd E. (2014). Using a near-infrared spectrometer to estimate the age of Anopheles mosquitoes exposed to pyrethroids. PLoS One, 9 (3), e90657.1-e90657.6. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090657
Hugo, Leon E., Monkman, James, Dave, Keyur A., Wockner, Leesa F., Birrell, Geoff W., Norris, Emma L., Kienzle, Vivian J., Sikulu, Maggy T., Ryan, Peter A., Gorman, Jeffery J. and Kay, Brian H. (2013). Proteomic biomarkers for ageing the mosquito Aedes aegypti to determine risk of pathogen transmission. PLoS One, 8 (3) e58656, e58656.1-e58656.10. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058656
Sikulu, Maggy, Dowell, Kayla M., Hugo, Leon E., Wirtz, Robert A., Michel, Kristin, Peiris, Kamaranga H. S., Moore, Sarah, Killeen, Gerry F. and Dowell, Floyd E. (2011). Evaluating RNAlater ® as a preservative for using near-infrared spectroscopy to predict Anopheles gambiae age and species. Malaria Journal, 10 (1) 186. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-10-186
Sikulu, Maggy, Killeen, Gerry F., Hugo, Leon E., Ryan, Peter A., Dowell, Kayla M., Wirtz, Robert A., Moore, Sarah J. and Dowell, Floyd E. (2010). Near-infrared spectroscopy as a complementary age grading and species identification tool for African malaria vectors. Parasites & Vectors, 3 (1). doi: 10.1186/1756-3305-3-49
Sikulu, Maggy, Govella, Nicodem J., Ogoma, Sheila B., Mpangile, John, Kambi, Said H., Kannady, Khadija, Chaki, Prosper C., Mukabana, Wolfgang R. and Killeen, Gerry F. (2009). Comparative evaluation of the Ifakara tent trap-B, the standardized resting boxes and the human landing catch for sampling malaria vectors and other mosquitoes in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Malaria Journal, 8 (1) 197. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-8-197
Ogoma, Sheila B., Kannady, Khadija, Sikulu, Maggy, Chaki, Prosper P., Govella, Nicodem J., Mukabana, Wolfgang R. and Killeen, Gerry F. (2009). Window screening, ceilings and closed eaves as sustainable ways to control malaria in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Malaria Journal, 8 (1) 221. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-8-221
Conference Papers
Goh, Brendon, Visendi, Paul, Ciocchetta, Silvia, Soares, Ricardo, Liu, Wenjun and Lord, Maggy (2022). In vitro detection of dengue 1 virus in human whole blood, plasma, and serum with nearinfrared spectroscopy. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2022 Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, United States, October 30 - November 3, 2022. Arlington, VA United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Kariyawasam, Tharanga, Ciocchetta, Silvia, Soares Magalhaes, Ricardo J. and Giacomin, Paul (2022). Novel diagnostic tools for soil transmitted helminths with non-invasive capability. The nearinfrared spectroscopy and artificial intelligence. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2022 Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, United States, October 30 - November 3, 2022. Arlington, VA United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Lord, Anton Richard, Goh, Brendon, Travis, Jye, Birrell, Geoffrey W., Chavchich, Marina, Harris, Ivor E., Mcleod-Robertson, Stephen, Kent, Anthony, Vanbreda, Karin and Edstein, Michael D. (2021). The near-infrared spectroscopy technique can non-invasively detect malaria parasites through the skin of mice. ASTMH Annual Meeting, Virtual, 17-21 November 2021. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2021
Kho, Elise, Fernandes, Jill, Kotze, Andrew, Lord, Maggy, Fox, Glen, Beasley, Anne, Moore, Stephen and James, Peter (2020). Shining a light on Haemonchus contortus in sheep. 3rd International Tropical Agriculture Conference (TROPAG 2019) , Brisbane, Australia, 11–13 November 2019. Basel, Switzerland: MDPI . doi: 10.3390/proceedings2019036138
AlHarbi, B., Lord, M. and Zowawi, H. (2019). Rapid Identification of Bacterial Species with a Beam of Light. GCCMID 2018, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 7-10 November 2018. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2018.10.079
Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Garcia, Gabriela A., Santos, Lilha M., Fernandes, Jill N., Dowell, Floyd E. and Maciel-De-Freitas, Rafael (2019). Detection of arboviruses and parasites in mosquito vectors with a beam of light. 68th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), National Harbor, MD, United States, 20-24 November, 2019. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2019
Pavan, Marcio G., Garcia, Gabriela A., Santos, Lilha M., David, Mariana R., Sikulu-Lord, Maggy T., Martins, Ademir J., Powell, Jeffrey R., Mason, Cristopher E. and Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael (2019). Developing alternative surveillance methods, from the near infrared spectroscopy to predict zika infection on aedes aegypti, to metagenomics to detect the invasion of new arboviruses and haplotypes. 68th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), National Harbor, MD, United States, 20-24 November, 2019. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2019
Esperanca, Pedro, Da, Dari, Some, Bernard, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Yerbanga, R., Lefevre, Thierry, Mouline, Karine, Werme, Karidia, Dowell, Floyd, Dabire, Roch and Churcher, Thomas (2018). Determining species of field-collected mosquitoes using near-infrared spectroscopy. 67th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTHM), New Orleans, LA, United States, 28 Oct - 1 Nov, 2018. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2018
Da, Dari, Esperanc, Pedro, Some, Bernard, Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Yerbanga, R., Lefevre, Thierry, Mouline, Karine, Werme, Karidia, Dowell, Floyd, Dabire, Roch and Churcher, Thomas (2018). IDENTIFICATION OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM -INFECTIOUS ANOPHELES COLUZZII MOSQUITOES USING NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY. 67th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Tropical-Medicine-and-Hygiene (ASTHM), New Orleans La, Oct 28-Nov 01, 2018. MCLEAN: AMER SOC TROP MED & HYGIENE.
Sikulu-Lord, Maggy, Wirtz, Robert, Hugo, Leon, Ulrich, Jill, Devine, Gregor, Masabho, Milali P., de Freitas, Rafael and Dowell, Floyd (2017). Next generation mosquito surveillance technique: the near infra-red spectroscopy. 66th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Tropical-Medicine-and-Hygiene (ASTMH), Baltimore, Maryland USA, 05-09 November 2017. Deerfield, IL United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Milali, Masabho P., Kiware, Samson S., Povinelli, Richard J., Corliss, George F. and Sikulu-Lord, Maggy (2017). Comparison between age estimates of wild Anopheles arabiensis using NIRS classification model and ovary dissection (Detinova's method). Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Tropical-Medicine-and-Hygiene (ASTMH), Baltimore, MD, United States, 5-9 November 2017. Deerfield, IL, United States: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.abstract2017
Paliga, J. M., Maia, M. F., Sikulu, M., Okumu, F. O. and Ogoma, S. B. (2015). The complementary advantage of combining spatial repellent treated sisal decorative baskets with long lasting insecticide treated nets. 9th European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health, Basel, Switzerland, 6‐10 September 2015. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
Data Collection
Kariyawasam Haputhanthri Kankanamge, Tharanga and Lord, Maggy (2022). Infrared signtures collected non-invasively from malaria positive and negative indviduals in Brazil. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/e19e6fc