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Xenodiagnosis of Leishmania major infections in symptomatic and asymptomatic rodents.
Vojtková, Barbora ; Sádlová, Jovana (advisor) ; Kodym, Petr (referee)
Leishmaniasis is a disease circulating in endemic areas between sand flies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) and reservoir hosts, which - in the case of Leishmania major - are principally rodents (Rodentia). Unlike in human patients, leishmaniasis is often asymptomatic in animal hosts. For transmission and maintenance of the parasite in nature, infectiousness of hosts for sand flies is essential; and the only method to directly test the infectiousness is xenodiagnosis. The main objective of this thesis is to establish a laboratory model for studying xenodiagnosis with L. major on inbred BALB/c mice and then to apply this model to potential reservoir ro- dents from the genus Mastomys. BALB/c mice were infected by intradermal inoculation of infective stages of L. major (iso- lated from sand fly guts) together with salivary gland homogenates from Phlebotomus duboscqi; infected mice were then exposed to P. duboscqi females for a period of ten weeks. Two inbred lines of BALB/c mice differed significantly in both the manifestation of the disease and infectiousness for sandflies. In BALB/c OlaHsdmice, great lesions were formed (up to 10 mm), mice were able to infect sand flies from the 2nd week after infection and their infec- tiousness reached up to 20.1% during the experiment. In BALB/c AnNCrl mice, only small...
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Toxoplasma and Host's Reproductive Function
Hlaváčová, Jana ; Kaňková, Šárka (advisor) ; Kodym, Petr (referee)
Toxoplasma gondii (Apicomplexa) is probably one of the most common human parasite in developed countries. It has a wide range of hosts including a variety of warm-blooded animals as well as humans. In this bachelor thesis you can find review of literature focusing on an influence of T. gondii on host's reproductive functions. Toxoplasmosis is accompanied by hormonal changes which may be one reason for the negative effect on host's fertility. Throughout the thesis are mentioned immunosuppression and reduced quality control of embryos associated with T. gondii. Both of these phenomena probably affect pregnancy, prenatal and postnatal development of the offsprings of mothers with latent toxoplasmosis. And these also play a role in shifting of sex ratio in infected hosts.
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Risk factors for development of schizophrenia
Dunglová, Eva ; Flegr, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Kodym, Petr (referee)
Schizophrenia is a severe disease. There is a complicity of genetic and environmental factors in schizophrenia onset. Factors with probable influence on development of schizophrenia are rate of urbanization, geographic location, migration, month of birth, maternal nutrition during pregnancy and birth complications, stress during pregnancy, length of lactation period, prenatal and postnatal infection exposure, exposure to a cat during childhood or cannabis abuse. Until now the information on the environmental risk factors of schizophrenia mentioned above concludes in possibility of existence of one factor which would be determinative in schizophrenia onset. Vitamin D deficiency could be this key factor. Lack of vitamin D in prenatal and postnatal period is linked with most of the environmental risk factor for schizophrenia mentioned above, so they could be just the indicators of vitamin D deficiency. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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The role of Sergentomyia schwetzi in visceral leishmaniasis foci in Ethiopia and canine leishmaniasis in Romania
Polanská, Nikola ; Kolářová, Iva (advisor) ; Kodym, Petr (referee)
Visceral Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan pathogen of Leishmania donovani complex (Kinetoplastida). There are some of the worst recorded outbreaks of the disease in the countries of East Africa. In the Old world the Phlebotominae sand flies of the genus Phlebotomus are vectors of Leishmania parasites, the causative agent of leishmaniasis that can affect vertebrates, including humans and veterinary important animals, while the so-called reptilian Leishmania are transmitted by the genus Sergentomyia. In the first part of this master thesis we present a summary of the results of studies and experiments focused on antibody response to saliva of the species Sergentomyia schwetzi of domestic animals in northern Ethiopia, that we could clarify the question whether sand flies of this genus take blood on warm-blooded animals. Using serological tests have confirmed the hypothesis that the species S. schwetzi, preferentially blood-taking on the reptiles, also takes blood on the warm-blooded vertebrates and might play a role in the transmission and mammalian Leishmania. In the second part of this thesis, we focus on the detection of protozoan Leishmania infantum (complex of Le. donovani) in dogs from Romania. We use specific primers against the kinetoplast DNA of Leishmania sp. but in no sample...
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Trade-off in antipredatory strategies of reptiles
Staňková, Jana ; Frynta, Daniel (advisor) ; Kodym, Petr (referee)
Antipredatory strategies determine to some extent a succes of a prey to survive a predator's attack. Many species developed dozens of antipredatory strategies during an evolution. A certain animal must select one of the strategies to use under certain conditions. This selection depends on many factors and also on the prey's willingness to risk in trade-off with the predatory risk. There is a plenty of strategy types and theories that deal with those. These theories also investigate a trade-off concept which the prey must take into account during the attack. Foods abundance, temperature, daytime, prey's age and condition, fitness and many others interfere the decision of which antipredatory strategy is the most convenient at the time. My thesis deals with the use of a trade-off concept in reptilia's antipredatory strategies. Because this order is very varied and many information is available, I focused on the Sauria class.
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Methods for Leishmania parasite detection and quantificatio as a tool for study of the pathogen-vector-host interactions
Kobets, Tetyana ; Lipoldová, Marie (advisor) ; Kodym, Petr (referee) ; Kopecký, Jan (referee)
Methods for Leishmania parasite detection and quantification as a tool for study of the pathogen-vector-host interactions Leishmaniasis in human is caused by total 21 species of the intracellular protozoan parasite Leishmania, which are transmitted by about 30 species of phlebotomine sand flies. Besides human, Leishmania can infect a number of vertebrate hosts. The major host cell is the macrophage, in which parasites multiply, eventually rupturing the cell and spreading to uninfected cells. Infected monocytes and macrophages circulating in the peripheral blood are thought to be carriers of the parasite to distal sites. Depending on the infected sites of the body, there are three forms of leishmaniasis: cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral. Leishmaniasis is a disease for which we still lack effective, affordable and easy to use drugs. In addition, surveillance and control are also neglected. This thesis summarizes the results of several projects using different approaches for parasite load measurement in the mouse model of leishmaniasis, including two methods that were developed and optimized in our laboratory. Detection and quantification of pathogens belongs to the major topics of the research of various infectious diseases. This parameter is necessary for confirmation of the diagnosis, characterization...
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Toxoplasmosis-selected epidemiological characteristics and laboratory experience in Pilsen
Fajfrlík, Karel ; Pazdiora, Petr (advisor) ; Kodym, Petr (referee) ; Staňková, Marie (referee)
Toxoplasmosis is one the most prevalent protozoan diseases in the world. Some regions declare up to 80% presence of antibodies in human population. The prevalence in Czech Republic varies depending on the region between 25%-50%. The cause of this disease is protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. The final host is cat and other felines in which GIT the sexual cycle of this parasite takes place. Human together with other 350 animal species is the intermediate host. In those individuals parasite forms so called tissue cysts in which it could persist for its entire life. The infection is acquired through undercooked meat or organs of the intermediate host, manipulation with meat or organs of infected individuals, eating of food contaminated with cat feces and/or through contact with contaminated outside environment. Infection proceeds without any symptoms in 90% of immunocompetent patients. 10% patients display sometimes very various clinical symptoms. The disease is divided into different forms according to prevailing symptoms. This disease presents a great danger to immunosuppressed patients and pregnant females. In the first group it can cause a serious damage of CNS (Central Nervous System) and in some parts of the world it is one of the most frequent death causes in HIV positive patients. In pregnant females...
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