Detail

Keywords

Molecular Epidemiology; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Trichomonas vaginalis

Research group(s)

• Molecular parasitology
  Head: Julia Walochnik
  Research Area: Acanthamoeba infections, amoebae as hosts for bacteria, vector-borne parasites, molecular phylogeny
  Members:
  Martina Köhsler
  Rounik Mazumdar
  Alvie Loufouma Mbouaka
  Julia Walochnik
  Edwin Kniha
  Ursula Fürnkranz
  Iwona Lesiak-Markowicz

Research interests

My research focuses on the prevalence and molecular typing of Trichomonas vaginalis, a flagellated protozoan that colonizes the mucosal epithelium of the human urogenital tract and which is the causative agent of trichomoniasis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease. Furthermore, my research includes Mycoplasma hominis, a common commensal bacterium in the female genital tract. Despite its typically asymptomatic presence, M. hominis has the potential to cause genital and neonatal infections, as well as systemic infections in immunocompromised patients. Additionally, I am interested in the interactions of Trichomonas vaginalis with its endosymbionts, such as Trichomonas vaginalis virus (TVV) and also M. hominis, to better understand their roles in pathogenesis and host-microbe dynamics.

Techniques, methods & infrastructure

Culture: HeLa Cells, Trichomonas vaginalis,  Mycoplasma hominis, Chlamydia trachomatis 
Molecular biology techniques: DNA extraction, RNA extraction, PCR, qPCR, sequencing, viability assay, drug susceptibility assay, Chlamydia trachomatis serovar determination
Light Microscopy, Fluorescence Microscopy

Grants

• Endosymbionts in Trichomonas vaginalis pathogenicity (2025)
  Source of Funding: FWF (Austrian Science Fund), Klinische Forschung (KLIF)
  Principal Investigator

Selected publications

1. Lesiak-Markowicz, I. et al. (2023) ‘Detection of Putative Virulence Genes alr, goiB, and goiC in Mycoplasma hominis Isolates from Austrian Patients’, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(9), p. 7993. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24097993.
2. Loufouma Mbouaka, A. et al. (2023) ‘Assessing Acanthamoeba cytotoxicity: comparison of common cell viability assays’, Frontiers in Microbiology, 14. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1175469.
3. Lesiak-Markowicz, I. et al. (2022) ‘Prevalence of selected sexually transmitted infectious agents in a cohort of asymptomatic soldiers in Austria’, Parasites & Vectors, 15(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-022-05508-z.
4. Lesiak-Markowicz, I. et al. (2022) ‘Characterisation of Trichomonas vaginalis Isolates Collected from Patients in Vienna between 2019 and 2021’, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(20), p. 12422. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232012422.
5. Hoxha, I. et al. (2023) ‘The Prevalence of Genital Mycoplasmas and Coinfection with Trichomonas vaginalis in Female Patients in Vienna, Austria’, Microorganisms, 11(4), p. 933. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11040933.