RNDr. Zuzana Pavlíčková, Ph.D.

Maiden:Lhotská

Job Position: Postdoc - Laboratory of parasitic therapy

Contact details

Phone: +420 38 777 5420
E-mail: zuzana.lhotska@paru.cas.cz
Room: 132

Description

Brief Profile

Zuzana is currently in a postdoctoral position at the Laboratory of Parasitic Therapy (BC CAS), where she continues her research on the effects of the intestinal protozoan Blastocystis on the host organism. She is also involved in other projects within the laboratory. Her scientific journey began during her first year at the University of South Bohemia (JU), where she decided to focus her bachelor’s and master’s theses on Blastocystis. During her studies, she received two grants from the JU Student Grant Agency, both of which she successfully defended. Her bachelor’s project focused on the in vitro axenization of Blastocystis, while her master’s thesis concentrated on an epidemiological study of the occurrence of this protozoan in the healthy human population in the Czech Republic. During her PhD studies, Zuzana investigated the role of Blastocystis in the gut microbiome and the factors that influence its bacterial composition.

Curriculum vitae
Education:
  • 8/2019 – 5/2024: Ph.D. study; University of South Bohemia (Faculty of Science) and Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences; programe - Infectious Biology
  • 2019: State rigorous exam in Parasitology
  • 9/2017 – 6/2019: master studies at University of South Bohemia (FSci); program - Parasitology
  • 9/2013 – 6/2017: bachelor studies at University of South Bohemia (FSci); program - Biology
  • 2009 – 2013: Secondary Vocational School of Veterinary, Mechanization and Horticulture - veterinary field
Career outline:
  • 3/2024 - now: postdoc - Laboratory of parasitic therapy; Biology Center, Institute of Parasitology, The Czech Academy of Sciences
  • 12/2014 - 2/2024: research assistant - Laboratory of parasitic therapy; Biology Center, Institute of Parasitology, The Czech Academy of Sciences
Further work experience: 
  • molecular biology, molecular diagnostics and cloning
  • sequence processing
  • experimental work with laboratory animals
  • axenic and xenic cultivation methods for intestinal protists
  • coproscopic techniques for the detection of intestinal parasites
  • analysis of the gut microbiome
  • non-invasive sampling and other common laboratory methods

Projects & internship

 

  • 9-10/2022 – internship at the Statens Serum Institut (Copenhagen, Denmark) focused on the analysis of the gut microbiome
  • 2020-2022 - Principal investigator of the individual GAJU project, entitled “Changes in the transcriptome of a commensal protist with possible functional impact on the host gut”
  • 2018 - Principal investigator of the project supported by the Student Grant Agency (SGA) of the Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia, entitled „Study of Blastocystis in Human Microbiome“
  • 6 –7/2017 – a short-term internship at the University of British Columbia (Canada): CD4 T-cell transfer model of colitis; Department of Microbiology and Immunology; under the direction of Lisa Osborne Ph.D.
  • 2015 - Principal investigator of the project supported by the Student Grant Agency (SGA) of the Faculty of Science of the University of South Bohemia, entitled “Introduction of a Suitable Experimental in vitro Model for the Study of Intestinal Protozoa of the Genus Blastocystis

Participation in the conferences:

  • 9/2024: Blastocystis conference, Crete, Greece. "Occurrence of Blastocystis sp. in a Gut-Healthy Human Population and Their Animals in the Czech Republic and its impact on the gut microbiota" (poster)
  • 8/2023: 29th International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology, Chennai, India. „Occurrence of commensal intestinal protist, Blastocystis sp., in a gut-healthy human population and their animals in the Czech republic“ (oral presentation)
  • 6/2022: 51. Jírovcovy protozoologické dny; Svratka: „Blastocystis colonization alters the gut microbiome and, in some cases, promotes faster recovery from induced colitis“ (poster)
  • 5/20213rd International Blastocystis conference, „Blastocystis colonization alters host immune response and gut microbiome“ (oral presentation)
  • 4/2017: 47. Jírovcovy protozoologické dny; Nové Hrady: „Axenizace buněk střevního prvoka rodu Blastocystis“ (poster)

Supplementary education:

  • 2024 -Blastocystis and the Gut Microbiome - a bioinformatics training school, Barcelona, Spain
  • 2021 - Osvědčení o odborné způsobilosti k navrhování pokusů a projektů pokusů podle § 15d odst. 3 zákona č. 246/1992 Sb., na ochranu zvířat proti týrání, ve znění pozdějších předpisů
  • 2020 - The Workshop on Genomics in Český Krumlov

Doplňkové vzdělání:

  • 2024 – Blastocystis a střevní mikrobiom – bioinformatická škola, Barcelona, Španělsko
  • 2021 – Osvědčení o odborné způsobilosti k navrhování pokusů a projektů pokusů podle § 15d odst. 3 zákona č. 246/1992 Sb., na ochranu zvířat proti týrání, ve znění pozdějších předpisů
  • 2020 – Workshop o genomice v Českém Krumlově

 

Publications
Total found: 8 records
Šejnohová A., Koutenská Koutenská, Jirků M., Brožová K., Pavlíčková Z., Kadlecová O., Cinek O., Maloney J.G., Santin M., Petrželková K. J., Jirků-Pomajbíková K. (2024) A cross-sectional survey of Blastocystis sp. and Dientamoeba fragilis in non-human primates and their caregivers in Czech zoos One Health 19 : 100862.
DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2024.100862
Brožová K., Jirků M., Lhotská Z., Květoňová D., Kadlecová O., Rune Stensvold C., Samaš P., Petrželková K. J., Jirků-Pomajbíková K. (2023) The Opportunistic Protist, Giardia intestinalis, Occurs in Gut-healthy Humans in a High-income Country Giardia intestinalis in gut-healthy humans Emerging Microbes and Infections 12 : 2270077.
DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2270077
Jirků M., Kašparová A., Lhotská Z., Oborník M., Brožová K., Petrželková K. J., Samaš P., Kadlecová O., Stensvold C., Jirků-Pomajbíková K. (2022) A cross-sectional study on the occurrence of the intestinal protist, Dientamoeba fragilis, in the gut-gealthy volunteers and their animals International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22 : 15407.
DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315407
Šloufová M., Lhotská Z., Jirků M., Petrželková K. J., Stensvold C., Cinek O., Jirků-Pomajbíková K. (2022) Comparison of molecular diagnostic approaches for the detection and differentiation of the intestinal protist Blastocystis sp. in humans Parasite 29 : 30.
DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2022029
Billy V., Lhotská Z., Jirků M., Kadlecová O., Frgelecová L., Wegener Parfrey L., Jirků-Pomajbíková K. (2021) Blastocystis Colonization Alters the Gut Microbiome and, in Some Cases, Promotes Faster Recovery From Induced Colitis Frontiers in Microbiology 2 : 641483.
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.641483
Jirků M., Lhotská Z., Frgelecová L., Kadlecová O., Petrželková K. J., Morien E., Jirků-Pomajbíková K. (2021) Helminth Interactions with Bacteria in the Host Gut Are Essential for Its Immunomodulatory Effect Microorganisms 9 : 226.
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020226
Lhotská Z., Jirků M., Hložková O., Brožová K., Jirsová D., Stensvold C., Kolísko M., Jirků-Pomajbíková K. (2020) A Study on the Prevalence and Subtype Diversity of the Intestinal Protist Blastocystis sp. in a Gut-Healthy Human Population in the Czech Republic Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 10 : 544335.
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.544335
Růžková J. , Květoňová D., Jirků M., Lhotská Z., Stensvold C., Wegner Parfrey L., Jirků-Pomajbíková K. (2018) Evaluating rodent experimental models for studies of Blastocystis ST1 Experimental Parasitology 191 : 55–61.
DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2018.06.009

CONTACT

Biology Centre CAS
Institute of Parasitology
Branišovská 1160/31
370 05 České Budějovice

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