Department of Parasitology
Who are we?
The Department of Parasitology ensures the master's and doctoral program of parasitology. The research activity involves structural, ecological, biochemical phylogenetic and molecular aspects of the biology of parasites.
What do we do and for whom?
The department is dedicated to the professional training of students in the field of parasitology. It is targeted into several thematic areas:
Protistan and metazoan parasites in fish
This research has a long tradition associated with fish with several laboratories of the Institute of Parasitology of the ASCR. Most of the topics deal with microsporidia, myxozoa, amphizoic amoebae, tapeworms and parasitic trematodes in fish hosts. The research mainly deals with morphological and ultrastructural characteristics, the description of new species and clarifying their development cycles using techniques of molecular biology.
Medical and Veterinary Parasitology
The research deals with organisms causing so-called opportunistic infections, e.g. cryptosporidia and microsporidia. Using experimental and natural infections, it studies host susceptibility, host specificity, histopathological changes and other important parameters of these diseases.
Molecular biology of carriers
The aim of this theme is to analyze the molecular and cellular factors responsible for the interaction of the carrier with the host. Examples are components of salivary glands of ticks or the molecule α2-macrotubulin as a component of tick immunity. From an ecological and epidemiological point of view the immunological and genetic characterization of different strains of tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease agents are especially important.
Molecular phylogenetics and the evolution of parasites
Using molecular information it studies phylogenetic relationships and population structures within parasitic and symbiotic relationships. These analyses serve to clarify various issues of evolutionary parasitology, e.g. the role of host specificity and geographic distribution in the emergence of the parasite population structure or coevolutionary processes between parasites and hosts.
Why do we exist?
The department guarantees the master and doctoral field study program of parasitology. It coordinates the study programs and the qualification thesis of students of bachelor programs focusing on parasitology. It is developing scientific activity in the framework of cooperation between USB FS and the Parasitological Institute BC of the ASCR in the fields of biology and ecology of parasitic protozoa, worms and arthropods and in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology of parasites.
What are our aims?
The Department of Parasitology will continue the development of existing research activities and will continue to be devoted to training students in the field of parasitology.
Where to find us?
Contact information
Address:
Branišovská 31
České Budějovice
Registration No.: 60076658
Tel.: 387775441
Fax:
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: http://kpa.prf.jcu.cz/