Job Position: Postdoc
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Laboratory of Genomics and Diversity of Protists
E-mail:
brabcak@paru.cas.cz
Room:
nová budova 5. patro
Research focus
Phylogenomics and genomic adaptations to parasitism of parabasalid protists.
Phylogenomics and evolution of parasitism of parasitic flatworms (Neodermata) and thorny-headed worms (Acanthocephala).
Molecular taxonomy of fish cestodes.
Molecular ecology and population genomics of metazoan parasites of fish.
Historical DNA sequencing of museum's wet collection specimens (museomics).
Molecular identification and differential diagnostics of helminth parasites.
Ongoing research projects
Origin of parasitism in Neodermata
One of the research lines of a multi-lab project granted to Tomáš Scholz to which I contribute transcriptomic data and analyses of parasitic flatworms, in collaboration with Roman Kuchta. The early phylogeny of parasitic flatworms (including the widely known cestodes and trematodes) remains to be resolved satisfactorily and we address this issue through de novo characterisation of genomes and transcriptomes of selected representatives of the basal neodermatan lineages, bioinformatic analyses of the genomic data and interpreting individual morphological/ultrastructural traits in the light of this data.
Parasite radiations: Domino effect of host radiations?
A project from my previous postdoctoral position at the Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève (supervised by Dr Isabel Blasco-Costa) where I was responsible for carrying out the entire workflow of data generation and participate on data analyses. We are currently busy analyzing the rich dataset, testing various evolutionary ecology hypotheses concerning metazoan fish parasites with complex life cycles. While scientists still known very little about how adaptive radiations of host species affect the associated parasite communities, we try to understand if parasite taxa tend to diversify as a consequence of rapid host speciation, which traits predispose parasites to diversification and what processes generating variability underpin novel adaptations among distinct parasite population leading to speciation. These questions are key to our understanding of the speciation process in parasites and the evolution towards host specificity.
Phylogenomics of formalin-fixed museum flatworms
A joint project of Dr Isabel Blasco-Costa (Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève) and myself that strives to test the utility of exome-capture methodologies for capturing highly damaged DNA of formalin-fixed museum specimens. Museum specimens are often the only available representatives for a given group of organisms ever collected, challenging to be recollected from nature again, and whose molecular records are often missing from current phylogenetic or systematic treatments. The aim of this project is to establish an efficient protocol and assess the power of the phylogenomic markers obtained in resolving the interrelationships of these organisms.
Employment history
2020–now Research assistant, Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences
2019–2020 Postdoctoral fellow, Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Project: AQUAPARA-OMICS: Aquatic parasitism meets biomics – addressing key biological questions using novel datasets and modern analytical tools (Grant Agency of the Czech Republic)
2017–2019 Postdoctoral fellow, Natural History Museum of Geneva, Switzerland.
Project: Parasite radiations: Domino effect of host radiations? (Swiss National Science Foundation)
2012–2017 Postdoctoral fellow, Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Project: Molecular diagnostics, historical biogeography and genetic structuring of the populations of model platyhelminth parasites
Education
2006–2012 PhD, Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. Thesis: Molecular systematics and evolution of basal cestode lineages
2004–2006 MSc, Parasitology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. Thesis: Paraphyly of pseudophyllidean tapeworms: testing a phylogenetic hypothesis using sequence data (18S & 28S rDNA)
2001–2004 BSc, Biomedical Laboratory Techniques, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czech Republic. Thesis: Molecular phylogeny of tapeworms of the order Pseudophyllidea
Research visits
Dr Tim Littlewood, Life Sciences Department, The Natural History Museum, London, UK, 2013, 2014
Dr Peter Olson, Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, London, UK, 2005, 2010
Prof Klaus Brehm, Institute of Hygiene and Microbiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, 2006, 2008
Brabec J., Rochat E.C., Knudsen R.,
Scholz T., Blasco-Costa I. (2023) Mining various genomic resources to resolve old alpha-taxonomy questions: a test of the species hypothesis of the Proteocephalus longicollis species complex (Cestoda: Platyhelminthes) from salmonid fishes (Cestoda: Platyhelminthes). International Journal for Parasitology
53
: 197–205.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2022.12.005
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Marick J., Brabec J., Choudhury A.,
Scholz T., Ash A. (2023) The evolution of an ancient tapeworm lineage in its catfish hosts: vicariance, dispersal and diversification in Gangesiinae (Cestoda: Proteocephalidae) Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
198
: 509–533.
DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac098
|
Uribe M., Brabec J., Chaparro-Gutiérrez J.J., Hermosilla C. (2023) Neglected zoonotic helminthiases in wild canids: new insights from South America Frontiers in Veterinary Science
10
: 1235182.
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1235182
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Kuchta R., Kołodziej-Sobocińska M., Brabec J., Młocicki D., Salamatin R.,
Scholz T. (2021) Sparganosis (Spirometra) in Europe in the molecular era Clinical Infectious Diseases
72
: 882–890.
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1036
|
Scholz T., Brabec J., Hrubá K.,
Jirků M. (2021) High species diversity of fish tapeworms in congeneric hosts in Africa: revision of Monobothrioides (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea), including description of two new species and molecular phylogeny Organisms Diversity and Evolution
21
: 447–466.
DOI: 10.1007/s13127-021-00492-1
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Scholz T., Waeschenbach A., Oros M., Brabec J., Littlewood D. (2021) Phylogenetic reconstruction of early diverging tapeworms (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea) reveals ancient radiations in vertebrate hosts and biogeographic regions International Journal for Parasitology
51
: 263-277.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2020.09.009
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Uribe M., Payán E., Brabec J., Vélez J., Taubert A., Chaparro-Gutiérrez J.J., Hermosilla C. (2021) Intestinal Parasites of Neotropical Wild Jaguars, Pumas, Ocelots, and Jaguarundis in Colombia: Old Friends Brought Back from Oblivion and New Insights Pathogens
10
: 822.
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10070822
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de Chambrier A., Brabec J.,
Scholz T. (2020) Molecular data reveal unexpected species diversity of tapeworms of Australasian reptiles: revision of Kapsulotaenia (Cestoda: Proteocephalidae) Zootaxa
4869
: 529–561.
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4869.4.4
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Ebmer D., Navarrete M.J., Muñoz P., Flores L.M., Gärtner U., Brabec J., Poppert S., Taubert A., Hermosilla C. (2020) Anthropozoonotic parasites circulating in synanthropic and pacific colonies of South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens): non-invasive techniques data and a review of the literature Frontiers in Marine Science
7
: 543829.
DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.543829
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de Chambrier A., Brabec J., Tran B.T.,
Scholz T. (2019) Revision of Acanthotaenia von Linstow, 1903 (Cestoda: Proteocephalidae), parasites of monitors (Varanus spp.), based on morphological and molecular data. Parasitology Research
118
: 1761–1783.
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06326-6
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Řežábková L., Brabec J.,
Jirků M., Dellerba M.,
Kuchta R.,
Modrý D., Parker W.,
Jirků-Pomajbíková K. (2019) Genetic diversity of the potentially therapeutic tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea). Parasitology International
71
: 121–125.
DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2019.04.009
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Scholz T., Choudhury A., Uhrová L., Brabec J. (2019) The Proteocephalus species-aggregate in freshwater centrarchid and percid fishes of the Nearctic region (North America) Journal of Parasitology
105
: 798–812.
DOI: 10.1645/19-89
|
Scholz T.,
Kuchta R., Brabec J. (2019) Broad tapeworms (Diphyllobothriidae), parasites of wildlife and humans: Recent progress and future challenges International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
9
: 359–369.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.02.001
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Brabec J.,
Scholz T.,
Štefka J. (2018) Development of polymorphic microsatellites for the invasive Asian fish tapeworm Schyzocotyle acheilognathi Parasitology International
67
: 341-343.
DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2018.01.007
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Hernandez Orts J.,
Scholz T., Brabec J., Kuzmina T.,
Kuchta R. (2018) Does the number of genital organs matter? Case of the seal tapeworm Diphyllobothrium (syn. Diplogonoporus) tetrapterus (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea) Canadian Journal of Zoology
96
: 193-204.
DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0013
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Scholz T., Tavakol S., Uhrová L., Brabec J., Přikrylová I., Mašová Š., Šimková A., Halajian A., Luus-Powell W. (2018) An annotated list and molecular data on larvae of gryporhynchid tapeworms (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea) from freshwater fishes in Africa Systematic parasitology
95
: 567–590.
DOI: 10.1007/s11230-018-9796-y
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Waeschenbach A., Brabec J.,
Scholz T., Littlewood D.,
Kuchta R. (2017) The catholic taste of broad tapeworms – multiple routes to human infection International Journal for Parasitology
47
: 831-843.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.06.004
|
Young C., Miller M.A.,
Kuchta R., Brabec J., Newsome S.D., Dailey M. (2017) First Report of an Adult Tapeworm (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea) in a Southern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) Journal of Wildlife Diseases
53
: 934-937.
DOI: 10.7589/2017-01-020
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Brabec J.,
Kuchta R.,
Scholz T., Littlewood D. (2016) Paralogues of nuclear ribosomal genes conceal phylogenetic signal within the invasive Asian fish tapeworm lineage: evidence from next generation sequencing data International Journal for Parasitology
46
: 555-562.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2016.03.009
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Briscoe A., Bray R., Brabec J., Littlewood D. (2016) The mitochondrial genome and ribosomal operon of Brachycladium goliath (Digenea: Brachycladiidae) recovered from a stranded minke whale Parasitology International
65
: 271-275.
DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2016.02.004
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