Catteruccia initially trained in chemistry for her undergraduate degree, however upon graduating she decided to venture into malaria biology with a research fellowship at the University of Rome La Sapienza.

[1] In 2009 she published research showing that the seminal plug deposited by the male mosquitoes in females after mating is essential for successful reproduction.

[2][5] Two years later, Catteruccia and colleagues investigated the role of a male hormone in stimulating female production of eggs; an unusual direct link between copulation and ovulation as opposed to the other way round.

[17] In 2019 Catteruccia published research in Nature demonstrating that exposure of mosquitoes to antimalarial medication lead to a reduction in their parasite load.

[18][19] The study was notable because surprisingly low quantities of the drug atovaquone were needed to induce refractoriness of the mosquitoes towards parasite infection, and the compound could be absorbed through the legs of the insect (as if it was landing briefly on a bed net).