Research interests
Sarcocystis species definitive host
Annotation of the doctoral dissertation
Sarcocystis species are widely spread. They have two host lifecycle, with asexual stage forming cysts in the tissues and muscles of intermediate host (IH) and sexual (gametogony) in the intestine of the definitive host (DH). Out of the intestines sarcocysts are shed into the environment with feaces where IH consumes it with infected food or/and water. DH are carnivores that got infected by consumption of the infected meat.
Canids such as red fox (Vulpes vulpes), grey wolf (Canis lupus) and raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) are widely spread. Red foxes are one of the most spread wild carnivores, and they are present even in the city centres, and tundra. Raccoon dog is an invasive species that lives in northern, eastern, and central Europe. Grey wolf is an apex predator. All of them impact the wild and domestic animals.
Sarcocystis species haven’t had sufficient investigations and only about 200 species are known nowadays. They can be either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms which may be, but not limiting diarrhea, nausea, cramps, vomiting, muscle pain, fever, anemia, neurological problems, abortions, and death. It can cause harm to farm animals such as cattle, pigs, horses, sheep and may lower the quality of meat, milk or other products related to agriculture and might be transmitted to humans with undercooked meat.
This dissertation investigates the role of wild felids and canids as definitive hosts in spreading Sarcocystis parasites. The main tasks are:
- To determine Sarcocystis species richness in small intestine samples of wild predators of family Canidae and Felidae using molecular methods
- To screen faeces of wild canids and felids collected in nature for Sarcocystis species
- To evaluate spread of Sarcocystis parasites by wild felids and canids in nature.
Material was and being collected from the territory of Lithuania under the approval guidelines of the Ethics Committee of the State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre and Ministry of Environment hunting rules. Animals were hunted or found dead by natural causes or roadkill. After sample preparation they were screened with the light microscope, measured and then examined using molecular methods for presence of Sarcocystis parasites. Research is planned to focus on pathogenic Sarcocystis species, and those parasitising economically important farm animals. Collected samples will be tested for more than 30 Sarcocsytis spp. using species-specific and genus specific primers. Molecular identification of the species will be done by amplification of nuclear 18S rRNA, mitochondrial cox1 fragments and ITS1 region. After two-phase nested PCR, amplified samples are sequenced and compared to distinguish Sarcocystis species in BLAST database.
The purpose of the dissertation is to obtain new data and investigate the role of wild canids and felids in spreading of pathogenic Sarcocystis parasites.
- Introductory Data Analysis in R course – BS-2025-GTC
- 12th Baltic Theriological Conferencein “Silava.” (2025)
- The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Diversity (2024)