P.B.Šivickis Laboratory of Parasitology

The main research trends – fauna of the parasites, systematic of parasites and their functions in ecosystems. The main research objects – cyst-forming coccidian and malaria parasites, Trematoda, and Cestoda. Traditional and molecular methods of investigation are usable.

P.B.Šivickis' Laboratory of Parasitology headed by G.Valkiūnas was formed in May, 2003 during the reorganisation of the Institute of Ecology into the Institute of Ecology of Vilnius University, and joining the P.B.Šivickis' Helminthology Laboratory and Laboratory of Protist Ecology. More…

Gediminas Valkiūnas, Dr Habil. – Head of Laboratory, Chief Researcher

Tel.: +370 5 272 92 69, e-mail: gedvalk@ekoi.lt

Morphological and taxonomic studies of avian blood parasites. Pathogenicity of malaria parasites and other haemosporidians on birds and dipteran vectors. Evolutionary consequences of avian vector-born diseases. Avian malarial parasites as models in studying emerging diseases.

Vytautas Kontrimavičius, Dr Habil. – Chief Researcher

Tel.: +370 5 272 95 95, e-mail: v.kontrimavicius@takas.lt

Systematic, ecology, zoogeography of helminths, general parasitology, ecology and biogeography.

Romualda Petkevičiūtė, Dr – Chief Researcher

Tel.: +370 5 272 95 95, e-mail: romualda@ekoi.lt

Cytogenetic, karyosystematic and molecular phylogeny of parasitic Platyhelmintes. Cytogenetic of molluscs – intermediate hosts of Trematoda.

Gražina Stanevičiūtė, Dr – Senior Researcher

Tel.: +370 5 272 95 95, e-mail: grasta@ekoi.lt

Karyological and molecular investigations of Trematoda; phylogenetic interrelationships of the Platyhelminthes, combined cytogenetic and molecular phylogenetics. Cytogenetic of molluscs - intermediate hosts of Trematoda.

Tatjana Ježova, Dr – Senior Researcher

Tel.: +370 5 272 92 69, e-mail: tatjana@ekoi.lt

Blood parasites, parasitic protists. The faunae and distribution of hemoproteids in birds of Northen Palearctic; morphological and taxonomic studies.

Jadvyga Grikienienė, Dr – Researcher

Tel.: +370 5 272 92 69, e-mail: jagrik@ekoi.lt

Cyst-forming coccidia (Sarcocystis , Frenkelia) of mammals and birds: distribution, morphology , life cycles and taxonomy.

Virmantas Stunžėnas, Dr – Senior Researcher

Tel.: +370 5 272 95 95, e-mail: stunzenas@ekoi.lt

Helminthology (Nematoda, Trematoda, Cestoda), techniques with PCR, DNA sequencing, immunology of mammal; immunological aspects of host-parasite interrelationships, microscopy video documentation.

Asta Križanauskienė, Dr  – Senior researcher

Tel.: +370 5 272 92 69, e-mail: asta@ekoi.lt

The inter- and intraspecific divergence of avian blood haemosporidian parasites. Molecular analyses (PCR and sequencing) of both mitochondrial and nuclear genes of these parasites.

Rasa Binkienė, Dr – Researcher

Tel.: +370 5 272 95 95, e-mail: zrasa@ekoi.lt

Helminthes of insectivorous. Molecular analysis of these helmithes and their hosts.

Vaidas Palinauskas, Dr - Senior Researcher

Tel.: +370 5 272 92 69, e-mail: vaidas@ekoi.lt

Arsenij Makarikov, Dr - PostDoc, e-mail: arseny@ekoi.lt

Rita Kazlauskienė - PhD student

Tel.: +370 5 272 92 69, e-mail: Rita.kazlauskien@gmail.com

Leonas Kontrimavičius - PhD student

Tel.: +370 5 272 95 95, e-mail: lk@ekoi.lt

Violeta Skukauskaitė-Kokinienė – Biologist

Tel.: +370 5 272 92 69

Research Services
Projects

Formation of post-glacial ecosystems in the Baltic region and their changes. Lithuanian State Science and Studies foundation. G. Valkiūnas.

Effects of deforestation on the prevalence of blood-borne pathogens in African rainforest birds. National Science Foundation, USA. G. Valkiūnas.

Trends in ecosystems’ development, and studies on the molecular phylogeography of populations in the Baltic region. Lithuanian State Science and Studies foundation. G. Valkiūnas.

Mechanisms of speciation in malaria parasites and related haemosporidians. Global Grant. Research Council of Lithuania. G. Valkiūnas.

The role of introduced snail Lithoglyphus naticoides in the transmitting flukes in the ecosystems. Lithuanian Science and Studies foundation. G. Stanevičiūtė

The correlation of karyotypic and molecular evolution in the molluscan genus Sphaerium (Bivalvia). Lithuanian Science and Studies foundation. R. Petkevičiūtė

Molecular identification and life cycles of flukes associated with bivalve mollusks and fishes. Research Council of Lithuania. V. Stunžėnas

Studies of invasive freshwater mollusks and associated flukes communities using genetic markers. Research Council of Lithuania. G. Stanevičiūtė

Publications

Monogrpahs and their chapters

Бондаренко, С. К., Контримавичус, В. Л. 2006. Аплопараксиды диких и домашних птиц. Основы цестодологии т. XIV. Москва : Наука, 434 с.

Valkiūnas G. 2005. Avian malaria parasites and other haemosporidia. Boca Raton, USA, 946 pp.

Valkiūnas G. Bird Haermosporida. Vilnius, 1997. 607 pp. (Acta Zoologica Lithuanica: a monograph, vol. 3-5, in Russian).

 

Books and their chapters

Valkiūnas G. Haemosporidians. In Handbook on zoology. Protista, part 2. St. Petersburg: Nauka, 2007. p. 256-330.

Valkiūnas, G., Grikienienė, J., Petkevičiūtė, R., Stanevičiūtė, G., Križanauskienė, A., Stunžėnas,V., Binkienė, R., Komisarovas, J. and Kutkienė, L. 2007. Parazitų sukeliamos ligos globalios klimato kaitos sąlygomis: nauja grėsmė. Biota ir globali kaita. I knyga, pp. 212-238.

 

Scientific articles

Palinauskas V., Valkiūnas G., Bensch S., Bolshakov V. C. 2011. Plasmodium relictum (lineage SGS1) and Plasmodium ashfordi (lineage GRW2): The effects of the co-infection on experimentally infected passerine birds. Experimental Parasitology 127 (2), pp. 527-533.

Stunžėnas V., Petkevičiūtė R., Stanevičiūtė, G. 2011. Phylogeny of Sphaerium solidum (Bivalvia) based on karyotype and sequences of 16S and ITS1 rDNA. Central European Journal of Biology 6 (1), pp. 105-117.

Iezhova, T. A., Valkiūnas, G., Loiseau, C., Smith, T. B., Sehgal, R. N. M. 2010. Haemoproteus cyanomitrae sp. nov. (Haemosporida, Haemoproteidae) from a widespread African songbird, the olive sunbirds Cyanomitrae olivacea. Journal of Parasitology 96 (1), pp.137-143.

Križanauskienė, A., Pérez-Tris, J., Palinauskas, V., Hellgren, O., Bensch, S., Valkiūnas, G. 2010. Molecular phylogenetic and morphological analysis of haemosporidian parasites (Haemosporida) in a naturally infected European songbird, the blackcap Sylvia atricapilla, with description of Haemoproteus pallidulus sp. nov.  Parasitology 137, pp. 217-227.

Palinauskas, V., Dolnik, O., Valkiūnas, G., Bensch, S. 2010. Laser microdissection microscopy and single cell PCR of avian haemosporidians. Journal of Parasitology 96 (2), pp. 420-424.

Petkevičiūtė, R., Stunžėnas, V., Stanevičiūtė, G. and Sokolov S.G. 2010. Comparison of the developmental stages of some European allocreadiid trematode species and a clarification of their life-cycles based on ITS2 and 28S sequences. Systematic Parasitology 76 (3), pp. 169-178.

Valkiūnas, G., Iezhova, T. A., Loiseau, C., Sehgal, R. N. M. 2009. Nested cytochrome b polymerase chain reaction diagnostics detect sporozoites of hemosporidian parasites in peripheral blood of naturally infected birds. Journal of Parasitology 95 (6), pp. 1512-1515.

Valkiūnas, G., Atkinson, C. T., Bensch, S., Sehgal, R. N. M., Ricklefs, R. E. 2008. Parasite misidentifications in GenBank: How to minimize their number? Trends in Parasitology 24 (6), pp. 247-248.

Valkiūnas, G., Iezhova, T. A., Križanauskienė, A., Palinauskas, V., Sehgal, R. N. M., Bensch, S. 2008. A comparative analysis of microscopy and PCR-based detection methods for blood parasites. Journal of Parasitology 94 (6), pp. 1395-1401.

Petkevičiūtė, R., Stunžėnas, V., Stanevičiūtė, G., Lee, T. and Ó Foighil, D. 2007. Pronounced karyological divergence of the North American congeners Sphaerium rhomboideum and S. occidentale (Bivalvia: Veneroida: Sphaeriidae). Journal of Molluscan Studies 73 (4), pp. 315-321.

 

All publications