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Justė Aželytė

PhD Student

Research interests

 Studies concerning the specificity, virulence and identification of avian malaria parasites. Genetic variation and phylogeny of haemosporidians. Application and development of PCR based methods for identification of avian malaria parasites. Microbiota studies, genomic analysis.

Annotation of the dissertation

The aim of the study – to ascertain the population structure of avian malaria parasites and its effects on parasite virulence and to determine the composition of host and vector microbiota and its changes during malaria infection.
The objectives are:
⁻ To determine a genetic structure (multiclonality) of avian malaria parasites in naturally infected birds.
⁻ To investigate the change of multiclonality of avian malaria parasite during infection and how it affects parasite virulence.
⁻ To estimate the impact of avian malaria parasite on the gut microbiota of the host.
⁻ To estimate the impact of avian malaria parasite on vector gut microbiota;
⁻ To determine the effect of vector gut microbiota on sporogony of avian malaria parasite.

ORCID iD icon scopus icon

  1. 2020-01-13 – 07-17. Internship at Lund University (Lund, Sweden) under ERASMUS+ program. A participation of 10 weeks course of Molecular ecology and evolution. The purpose of the internship at Lund University Molecular Ecology and Evolution laboratory was to learn the application and development of qPCR methods for haemosporidian parasite studies.
  2. 2021-09-14 – 2021-10-13. Internship at National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (Paris, France). The purpose of the internship was to learn new methods used in research: application of serological methods, analysis of sequenced genomic data using bioinformatic programs.

International scientific conferences:

  1. Aželytė, J., Platonova, E., Bensch, S., Hellgren, O., Palinauskas, V. “A comparative analysis of the dynamics of Plasmodium relictum (GRW4) development in single and mixed infections“. Oral presentation at the International Online Conference on Blood Parasites of Wildlife, 2020.09.14 – 09.15, Bielefeld, Germany.
  2. Aželytė, J., Platonova, E., Bensch, S., Hellgren, O., Palinauskas, V. “A new protocol to distinguish morphologically identical avian malaria parasites in co-infection”.  Oral presentation at The 9th Conference of the Scandinavian-Baltic Society for Parasitology (CSBSP9), 2021.04.21 – 04.23, Vilnius, Lithuania. http://sbsp.eu
  3. Platonova, E., Aželytė,, Iezhova, T., Ilgūnas, M., Mukhin, A., Palinauskas, V. “Experimental study on development and virulence of tropical avian malaria parasite Plasmodium collidatum (genetic lineage pFANTAIL01) in a local European bird species” Oral presentation at The 9th Conference of the Scandinavian-Baltic Society for Parasitology (CSBSP9), 2021.04.21 – 04.23, Vilnius, Lithuania. http://sbsp.eu
  4. Aželytė, J., Bernotienė, R., Palinauskas, V., Platonova, E., Šengaut, J., Žiegytė, R. “Experimental studies on avian Plasmodium co-infections“. Oral presentation at the 5th International Conference on Malaria and Related Haemosporidian Parasites of Wildlife, 2022.09.05 – 09.08, Bielefeld, Germany. https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/biologie/forschung/veranstaltungen/malariaconference/
  5. Aželytė, J., Bernotienė, R., Palinauskas, V., Platonova, E., Šengaut, J., Žiegytė, R. “Avian Plasmodium co-infections: development and induced disease”. Poster presentation at the 15th International Congress of Parasitology (ICOPA2022), 208.21 – 08.26, Copenhagen, Denmark. https://icopa2022.org
  6. Aželytė, J., Cabezas-Cruz, A., de la Fuente, J., Mateos-Hernandez, L., Obregon, D., Palinauskas, V., Wu-Chuang, A. „Can gut microbiota enhance immunity against avian malaria?“. Poster presentation at the 5th International Conference on Malaria and Related Haemosporidian Parasites of Wildlife, 2022.09.05 – 09.08, Bielefeld, Germany. https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/biologie/forschung/veranstaltungen/malariaconference/
  7. Aželytė, J., Cabezas-Cruz, A., Mateos- Hernandez, L., Maye, J., Obregon, D., Palinauskas, V., Platonova, E., Žiegytė, R., Wu-Chuang, A. „Microbiota modulation reduces Plasmodium relictum infection in mosquitoes Culex quinquefasciatus” “. Oral presentation at the 15th International Congress of Parasitology (ICOPA2022), 208.21 – 08.26, Copenhagen, Denmark. https://icopa2022.org
  8. Aželytė, J., Iezhova, T., Ilgūnas, M., Mukhin, A., Palinauskas, V., Platonova, E. „Experimental study on development of tropical-origin Plasmodium collidatum (lineage pFANTAIL01)“. Poster presentation at the 5th International Conference on Malaria and Related Haemosporidian Parasites of Wildlife, 2022.09.05 – 09.08, Bielefeld, Germany. https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/biologie/forschung/veranstaltungen/malariaconference/

National scientific conferences:

  1. Aželytė, J., Cabezas-Cruz, A., Mateos- Hernandez, L., Maye, J., Obregon, D., Palinauskas, V., Platonova, E., Žiegytė, R., Wu-Chuang, A. „Uodų mikrobiotos įtaka paukščių maliarinių parazitų sporogonijai“. Oral presentation at the national 15th Lithuanian Young Scientists’ Conference „Biofuture: perspectives of nature and life sciences“. 11.24, Vilnius, Lithuania. https://www.lma.lt/uploads/LMA%20leidyba/BIOATEITIS%20prane%C5%A1im%C5%B3%20tez%C4%97s_2022.pdf
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