Research interests
Trypanosomatids: phylogeny and identification based on molecular methods (dixenous and monoxenous trypanosomatids);
Biting midges (Culicoides, Ceratopogonidae): morphology, identification.
Annotation of the dissertation
Main purpose: to get new knowledge on the ecology, phylogeny of bloodsucking biting midges (Culicoides: Ceratopogonidae) and their role in the parasite transmission
Goals:
1) to elucidate the peculiarities of seasonal activity of Culicoides biting midges;
2) to determine the regularities of the Culicoides larvae development and the distribution of these insects in different habitats;
3) to determine the distribution and seasonality of morphologically identical Culicoides species (Culicoides obsoletus and Culicoides scoticus) in Lithuania;
4) to determine the prevalence of avian blood parasites in wild-caught biting midges;
5) to clarify the possible effects of trypanosomatids (monoxenous and dixenous) on Culicoides biting midges.
International scientific conferences:
- Bernotienė R., Kazak M., Palinauskas V., Žiegytė R.2022. Culicoides biting midges: vectors of avian blood parasites in Curonian spit – 5th International Conference on Malaria and related Haemosporidian Parasites of Wildlife„Wildlife Malaria Conference 2022“, September 5th–8th, Bielefeld, Germany.
- Kazak M., Bukauskaitė D., Treinys R., Bernotienė R. 2022. Parasites, vector and the host. Some data from raptor bird nests –15th International Congress of Parasitology “ICOPA 2022), August 21st-26th, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Kazak M., Bukauskaitė D., Treinys R., Bernotienė R. 2022. Trypanosomatids in wild-caught biting midges (Culicoides) from the nests of raptor birds –65th International Conference for Students of Physics and Natural Sciences “OpenReadings”, March 15th -18th, Vilnius, Lithuania. Book of Abstracts: 87. https://www.openreadings.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Abstract_book_2022S.pdf
- Iezhova T. A., Bernotienė R., Bukauskaitė D., Chagas C. R. F., Kazak M., Žiegytė R., Valkiūnas G., 2021. Development of two avian Trypanosoma species in experimentally infected bloodsucking insects – 9th Conference of the Scandinavian-Baltic Society for Parasitology “CSBSP9”, April 21st -23rd, Vilnius, Lithuania.
- Kazak M., Bernotienė R., Palinauskas V., Žiegytė R. 2021. Trypanosomatids in wild-caught biting midges – 9th Conference of the Scandinavian-Baltic Society for Parasitology ”CSBSP9”, April 21st -23rd, Vilnius, Lithuania.
- Kazak M., Bernotienė R., Iežova T. 2020. Avian trypanosomes (Trypanosoma) in bloodsucking biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) – 63rd International Conference for Students of Physics and Natural Sciences “OpenReadings”, March 17th -20th, Vilnius, Lithuania. Book of Abstracts: 94. https://www.openreadings.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/knyga20N.pdf