Mgr. Barbora Pafčo Ph.D.

Position full-time researcher
Direction host-parasite relationship

+420 721620996

Research interests

  • parasite ecology – host-parasite relationship,
  • molecular diversity of pathogens – host specificity and cross-transmission in sympatric primates,
  • study of great apes microbiome including traditional human societies.

Education

  • 2017 – 2018 – research internship (Fulbright) – University of Minnesota.
  • 2013 – 2017 – PhD study – University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathology and Parasitology – thesis: Molecular epidemiology and cross-transmission of strongylid nematodes between great apes and humans.
  • 2011 – 2013 – master study – Masaryk University, Department of Botany and Zoology, Ecology and Evolution Biology – thesis: Gastrointestinal parasites of wild western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in Dzanga Sector of Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic.
  • 2010 – 2011 – field assistant – Wildlife tourism and conservation: an interdisciplinary evaluation of gorilla ecotourism in Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas, Central African Republic.
  • 2007 – 2010 – bachelor study – Masaryk University, Department of Botany and Zoology, Biology – thesis: Ecology and parasite fauna of chimpanzees of dry habitats with emphasis to chimpanzees of Ugalla-Tongwe Forest Reserve, Tanzania.

Publications and Applied outputs

2025

Pavlíčková Z, Pafčo B, Ilík V, Andersen LO, Jirků M, Brožová K, Modrý D, Kadlecová O, Stensvold C, Jirků K (2025). Shaping the human gut microbiota: The role of canine companionship, lifestyle choices, and Blastocystis sp.. One Health, 20: 100979.
Mason B, Ilík V, Červená B, Cranfield M, Nziza J, Ssebide B, Gilardi K, Uwamahoro C, Eckardt W, Ndagijimana F, Muvunyi R, Uwingeli P, Mudakikwa A, Aruho R, Whittier CA, Kreisinger J, Samaš P, Nosková E, Modrý D, Pafčo B, Petrželková KJ (2025). Untangling parasite epidemiology of mountain gorillas through historical samples: Strongylid nematodes are friends or foe?. Biological Conservation, 111319.

2024

Červená B, Prokopová T, Cameira RM, Pafčo B, Samaš P, Romportl D, Uwamahoro C, Noheri JB, Ntwari AE, Bahizi M, Nzayisenga G, Nziza J, Gilardi K, Eckardt W, Ndagijimana F, Mudakikwa A, Muvunyi R, Uwingeli P, Cranfield M, Šlapeta J, Petrželková KJ, Modrý D (2024). Anoplocephalid tapeworms in mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) inhabiting the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Parasitology.
Ilík V, Schwarz EM, Nosková E, Pafčo B (2024). Hookworm genomics: dusk or dawn?. Trends in Parasitology.
Mason B, Červená B, Frias L, Goossens B, Hasegawa H, Keuk K, Langgeng A, Majewski K, Matsumoto T, Matsuura K, Mendonça R, Okamoto M, Peter S, Petrželková KJ, Sipangkui S, Xu Z, Pafčo B, MacIntosh AJJ (2024). Novel insight into the genetic diversity of strongylid nematodes infecting South-East and East Asian primates. Parasitology.
Nosková E, Svobodová V, Hypská V, Cerezo-Echevarria A, Kurucová T, Ilík V, Modrý D, Pafčo B (2024). High-throughput sequencing of Strongyloides stercoralis a fatal disseminated infection in a dog. Parasitology.
Nosková E, Sambucci KM, Petrželková KJ, Červená B, Modrý D, Pafčo B (2024). Strongyloides in non-human primates: significance for public health control. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 20230006.
Pafčo B, Nosková E, Ilík V, Anettová L, Červená B, Kreisinger J, Pšenková I, Václavek P, Vyhlídalová T, Ježková J, Malát K, Mihalca AD, Modrý D (2024). First insight into strongylid nematode diversity and anthelmintic treatment effectiveness in beef cattle in the Czech Republic explored by HTS metagenomics. Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports, 100961.

2023

Ilík V, Kreisinger J, Modrý D, Schwarz EM, Tagg N, Mbohli D, Nkombou IC, Petrželková KJ, Pafčo B (2023). High diversity and sharing of strongylid nematodes in humans and great apes cohabiting an unprotected area in Cameroon. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, e0011499.
Nosková E, Modrý D, Baláž V, Červená B, Jirků-Pomajbíková K, Zechmeisterová K, Leowski C, Petrželková KJ, Pšenková I, Vodička R, Kessler SE, Ngoubangoye B, Setchell JM, Pafčo B (2023). Identification of potentially zoonotic parasites in captive orangutans and semi-captive mandrills: Phylogeny and morphological comparison. American Journal of Primatology, e23475.

2022

Modrý D, Červená B, Pafčo B, Pšenková I, Malát K, Ježková J, Václavek P (2022). Results of parasitological monitoring of beef cattle herds in the Czech Republic, with first description of the occurrence of invasive rumen fluke Calicophoron daubneyi in beef herds. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis.
Štarhová Serbina L, Gajski D, Pafčo B, Žůrek L, Malenovský I, Nováková E, Schuler H, Dittmer J (2022). Microbiome of pear psyllids: A tale about closely related species sharing their endosymbionts. Environmental Microbiology.
Sharma AK, Davison S, Pafčo B, Clayton JB, Rothman JM, McLennan MR, Cibot M, Fuh T, Vodička R, Robinson CJ, Petrželková KJ, Gomez A (2022). The primate gut mycobiome-bacteriome interface is impacted by environmental and subsistence factors. npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 12.
Petrželková KJ, Samaš P, Romportl D, Uwamahoro C, Červená B, Pafčo B, Prokopová T, Cameira R, Granjon AC, Shapiro A, Bahizi M, Nziza J, Noheri JB, Syaluha EK, Eckardt W, Ndagijimana F, Šlapeta J, Modrý D, Gilardi K, Muvunyi R, Uwingeli P, Mudakikwa A, Mapilanga J, Kalonji A, Hickey JR, Cranfield M (2022). Ecological drivers of helminth infection patterns in the Virunga Massif mountain gorilla population. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife.
Mason B, Piel AK, Modrý D, Petrželková KJ, Stewart FA, Pafčo B (2022). Association of human disturbance and gastrointestinal parasite infection of yellow baboons in western Tanzania. PLoS ONE, e0262481.
Guizzo MG, Dolezelikova K, Neupane S, Frantová H, Hrbatová A, Pafčo B, Fiorotti J, Kopáček P, Žůrek L (2022). Characterization and manipulation of the bacterial community in the midgut of Ixodes ricinus. Parasites & Vectors, 248.
Červená B, Anettová L, Nosková E, Pafčo B, Pšenková I, Javorská K, Příhodová P, Ježková J, Václavek P, Malát K, Modrý D (2022). The winner takes it all: Dominance of Calicophoron daubneyi (Digenea: Paramphistomidae) among flukes in Central European beef cattle. Parasitology.
Červená B, Modrý D, Nosková E, Anettová L, Pafčo B, Pšenková I, Václavek P, Vyhlídalová T, Ježková J, Malát K (2022). Parasitoses of beef cattle in the Czech Republic - current state and future. Veterinářství, 72: 149-156.
Mason B, Petrželková KJ, Kreisinger J, Bohm T, Červená B, Fairet E, Fuh T, Gomez A, Knauf S, Maloueki U, Modrý D, Shirley M, Tagg N, Wangue N, Pafčo B (2022). Gastrointestinal symbiont diversity in wild gorilla: A comparison of bacterial and strongylid communities across multiple localities. Molecular Ecology.

2021

Barelli C, Donati C, Albanese D, Pafčo B, Modrý D, Rovero F, Hauffe HC (2021). Interactions between parasitic helminths and gut microbiota in wild tropical primates from intact and fragmented habitats. Scientific Reports, 21569.
Bradbury RS, Pafčo B, Nosková E, Hasegawa H (2021). Strongyloides genotyping: a review of methods and application in public health and population genetics. International Journal for Parasitology.
Petrželková KJ, Uwamahoro C, Pafčo B, Červená B, Samaš P, Mudakikwa A, Muvunyi R, Uwingeli P, Gilardi K, Nziza J, Noheri JB, Eckardt W, Ndagijimana F, Ssebide B, Okwirokello R, Nizeyimana F, Syaluha EK, Nzayisenga G, Flores Girón L, Bahizi M, Ntwari AE, Lukusa JP, Tumushime JC, Mangura D, Mapilanga J, Kalonji A, Aruho R, Stryková A, Tehlárová Z, Cameira R, Lowenstine L, Šlapeta J, Romportl D, Ferrari N, Cranfield M, Modrý D (2021). Heterogeneity in patterns of helminth infections across populations of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). Scientific Reports, 10869.
Shutt-Phillips K, Pafčo B, Heistermann M, Kasim A, Petrželková KJ, Profousová-Pšenková I, Modrý D, Todd A, Fuh T, Dicky J, Bopalanzognako J, Setchell JM (2021). Fecal glucocorticoids and gastrointestinal parasite infections in wild western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) involved in ecotourism. General and Comparative Endocrinology, 113859.

2020

Sharma AK, Petrželková KJ, Pafčo B, Robinson CAJ, Fuh T, Wilson BA, Stumpf RM, Torralba MG, Blekhman R, White B, Nelson KE, Leigh SR, Gomez A (2020). Traditional human populations and nonhuman primates show parallel gut microbiome adaptations to analogous ecological conditions. mSystems, e00815-20.
Barelli C, Pafčo B, Manica M, Rovero F, Rosà R, Modrý D, Hauffe HC (2020). Loss of protozoan and metazoan intestinal symbiont biodiversity in wild primates living in unprotected forests. Scientific Reports, 10917.
Petrželková KJ, Smejkalová P, Céza V, Pafčo B, Shutt-Phillips KA, Todd A, Jirků-Pomajbíková K, Benavides J, Modrý D, Čepička I (2020). Sympatric western lowland gorillas, central chimpanzees, and humans are infected with different trichomonads. Parasitology.

2019

Gomez A, Sharma AK, Mallott EK, Petrželková KJ, Robinson CAJ, Yeoman CJ, Carbonero F, Pafčo B, Rothman JM, Ulanov A, Vlčková K, Amato KR, Schnorr SL, Dominy NJ, Modrý D, Todd A, Torralba M, Nelson KE, Burns MB, Blekhman R, Remis M, Stumpf RM, Wilson BA, Gaskins HR, Garber PA, White BA, Leigh SR (2019). Plasticity in the human gut microbiome defies evolutionary constraints. mSphere, e00271-19.
Pafčo B, Sharma AK, Petrželková KJ, Vlčková K, Todd A, Yeoman CJ, Wilson BA, Stumpf R, White BA, Nelson KE, Leigh S, Gomez A (2019). Gut microbiome composition of wild western lowland gorillas is associated with individual age and sex factors. American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
Pafčo B, Kreisinger J, Čížková D, Pšenková-Profousová I, Shutt-Phillips K, Todd A, Fuh T, Petrželková KJ, Modrý D (2019). Genetic diversity of primate strongylid nematodes: Do sympatric nonhuman primates and humans share their strongylid worms?. Molecular Ecology.
Sharma AK, Pafčo B, Vlčková K, Červená B, Kreisinger J, Davison S, Beeri K, Fuh T, Leigh SR, Burns MB, Blekhman R, Petrželková KJ, Gomez A (2019). Mapping gastrointestinal gene expression patterns in wild primates and humans via fecal RNA-seq. BMC Genomics, 493.

2014

Janatová M, Albrechtová K, Petrželková KJ, Dolejská M, Papoušek I, Masaříková M, Čížek A, Todd A, Shutt K, Kalousová B, Profousová-Pšenková I, Modrý D, Literák I (2014). Antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from humans and wildlife in Dzanga-Sangha Protected Area, Central African Republic. Veterinary Microbiology.

2012

Pomajbíková K, Petrželková KJ, Petrášová J, Profousová I, Kalousová B, Jirků M, Sá RM, Modrý D (2012). Distribution of the Entodiniomorphid ciliate Troglocorys cava Tokiwa, Modrý, Ito, Pomajbíková, Petrželková, & Imai, 2010, (Entodiniomorphida: Blepharocorythidae) in wild and captive chimpanzees. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology.
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