Dr Dorota Dwużnik-Szarek awarded NCN OPUS 30+LAP/Weave grant to study parasites from the phylum Apicomplexa

31 07 2026

Dr Dorota Dwużnik-Szarek from the Department of Eco-Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, has received funding from the National Science Centre under the OPUS 30+LAP/Weave call for the project entitled “Deciphering the diversity of parasites from the phylum Apicomplexa and transmission routes between wild and domestic mammals in Central Europe”. The amount of funding granted to the University of Warsaw is PLN 1,409,000, while the total funding for the Polish part of the project is PLN 1,772,142.

The Polish partner in the project is the Mammal Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. On the Czech side, the project will be carried out in collaboration with Mendel University in Brno and the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, with the Czech research team led by Dr Kristýna Hrazdilová.

Ticks transmit many microorganisms that are dangerous to livestock and companion animals. These include protozoans of the genera Babesia and Hepatozoon — parasites that cause diseases in cattle, dogs, cats, and sometimes also in humans. However, little is still known about their true diversity and about which animal species act as their natural reservoirs. This is partly due to the limitations of the laboratory methods used so far, which often fail to detect all infections or co-infections.

The aim of the project is to investigate these parasites in detail across Poland and Czechia. The research will use modern DNA sequencing techniques, including next-generation sequencing (NGS), which makes it possible to detect even very rare or co-occurring parasite species.

The research will focus on two important ecological systems. The first is the cervids – cattle – common tick Ixodes ricinus system. The researchers aim to determine which Babesia species actually occur in wild cervid populations and whether they may be responsible for cases of fatal babesiosis in cattle. For the first time, they will also attempt to sequence the complete genome of B. divergens derived from deer.

The second system to be analysed is the relationship between carnivores and the meadow tick Dermacentor reticulatus. Parasites such as Babesia canis, B. vulpes and Hepatozoon canis occur in foxes, wolves, dogs and cats. Some of them cause severe diseases in dogs, but it is still unclear which wild animal species play a key role in their spread. The researchers also aim to determine whether cats can actually become infected with B. canis, typically found in dogs, or rather with another, similar species that has so far remained unrecognised.

The results of the project will help to better understand the diversity of parasites from the phylum Apicomplexa and their transmission routes between wild and domestic mammals in Central Europe. The research will also provide new information important for understanding the role of wild animals as reservoirs of tick-borne parasites and for assessing threats to livestock and companion animals.

Warm congratulations on receiving the grant, and we wish every success in carrying out the project!

More information is available on the NCN website:
https://www.ncn.gov.pl/aktualnosci/2026-07-07-26-miedzynarodowych-projektow-opus-lap