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Agnė Baranauskaitė

Name Surname Agnė Baranauskaitė

Institute, laboratory: Institute of Botany, Laboratory of Genetics

Scientific Supervisor: Dr Živilė Strazdaitė-Žielienė

Consultant Supervisor: -

Study period: 2021-10-01 – 2025-09-30

Research theme: Investigation of parasitic protozoa in the environmental samples and their identification by molecular methods

Short annotation:

The aim of the doctoral studies is to develop and optimize the methodology of unicellular protozoan extraction from environmental samples and to evaluate by molecular methods which protozoan species are common in the Lithuanian environment.

The basic objectives:

1. To select and optimize the methodology of isolation of oocysts and gDNA from natural environment samples;

2. Selection and optimization of an appropriate PCR method to amplify specific DNA fragments at low gDNA concentrations;

3. To identify unicellular protozoan species in the natural environment of Lithuania using the optimized molecular diagnostic methodology.

4. To compare the pollution of different habitats (water, soil, forage) with protozoa and to determine which habitat contains the most pathogenic species.

Publications

  1. Prakas, P., Strazdaitė‑Žielienė, Ž., Januškevičius, V., Chiesa, F., Baranauskaitė, A., Rudaitytė‑Lukošienė, E., Servienė, E., Petkevičius, S., Butkauskas, D.. Molecular identification of four Sarcocystis species in cattle from Lithuania, including S. hominis, and development of a rapid molecular detection method. 2020. Parasites Vectors 13:610. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-04473-9

Projects

  1. "Study of molecular identification of Sarcocystis species in predator and water samples", funded by Research Council of Lithuania No. S-MIP-20-24. Project leader – Dalius Butkaukas. Duration of the project - 2020.03.10-2022.12.31.
  2. "Search for Sarcocystis parasites in natural ecosystems and their identification by molecular methods". Funded by Priority 9 of Operational Programme for the European Union Funds “Public Education and Increasing the Potential of Human Resources” 09.3.3-LMT-K-712 Measure “Development of Scientific Competence of Scientists, Other Researchers, Students through Practical Scientific Activities”. Agreement with Research Council of Lithuania No. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-22-0110. Project leader – Živilė Strazdaitė-Žielienė. Duration of the project - 03/11/2020 - 30/04/2021.

Training courses

Thesis:

  1. World microbe forum online conference, June 20-24, 2021. Strazdaitė-Žielienė, Ž., Baranauskaitė, A., Rudaitytė-Lukošienė, E., Servienė, E., Butkauskas, D., Dobrovolskis, L, Šikšniūtė, E., Prakas P. Microorganisms diversity and prevalence in Baltic states aquatic ecosystems.
  2. Student scientific conference, May 11, 2021. Baranauskaitė, A., Strazdaitė-Žielienė, Ž. Search for Sarcocystis parasites in natural ecosystems and their identification by molecular methods.
  3. 9th Conference of the Scandinavian - Baltic Society for Parasitology, April 21-23, 2021. Baranauskaitė, A., Strazdaitė-Žielienė, Ž., Prakas, P., Servienė, E. Optimization of identification of domestic animals infecting Sarcocystis parasites found in water. Book of Abstracts, 69.
  4. The Coins conference, Vilnius, Lithuania, March 30, 2021. Baranauskaitė, A., Strazdaitė-Žielienė, Ž., Prakas, P., Servienė, E. Prevalence of Sarcocystis parasites infecting farmed animals in water samples from Lithuania. Book of Abstracts, 67.
  5. The Coins conference, Vilnius, Lithuania, March 30, 2021. Šikšniūtė, E., Baranauskaitė, A., Prakas, P., Servienė, E., Strazdaitė-Žielienė, Ž. Molecular identification of Sarcocystis species and their prevalence in environmental samples. Book of Abstracts, 69.
  6. 5th International Meeting on Apicomplexan Parasites in Farm Animals, Berlin, Germany, September 2-4, 2019. Prakas, P., Strazdaitė-Žielienė, Ž., Januškevičius, V., Chiesa, F., Baranauskaitė, A., Rudaitytė-Lukošienė, E., Servienė, E., Petkevičius, S., Butkauskas, D. Molecular identification of Sarcocystis hominis and other three Sarcocystis species in cattle meat from Lithuania.
  7. FEBS3+ conference, Riga, Latvia, June 17-19, 2019. Strazdaitė-Žielienė, Ž., Baranauskaitė, A., Rudaitytė-Lukošienė, E., Januškevičius, V., Servienė, E., Butkauskas, D., Dobrovolskis, L., Prakas P. Optimization of molecular identification of Sarcocystis species from cattle meat

Contacts: e-mail, phone: agne.baranauskaite@gamtc.lt 868076281