Molecular Microbiology - Alois Čížek

Research areas

• Molecular epidemiology and genetic background of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria
• Epidemiology of selected tick/vector-borne diseases
• The investigation of antimicrobial properties of potential chemotherapeutics

Main objectives

• Antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic and commensal bacteria
• Epidemiologyof selected zoonotic bacterial pathogenss

Content of research

The application of molecular biology techniques in bacteriology is almost endless and clears the way for insight into the genetic background of the antimicrobial resistance and other properties of bacterial pathogens.

Most our research is based on understanding, at molecular, cellular and environmental levels, processes including selection, co-selection, the spread and maintenance of antimicrobial resistance and the flow of emerging resistance genes between commensals and pathogens (host and clone specificity, plasmid characterization, and association among plasmids and resistance genes).  Other specific research goals include: (i) to identify the genetic background and epidemiology of resistant clones in food animals, companion animals and wild animals - especially migratory birds; (ii) to analyse the transfer of antibiotic resistant strains from animals to humans; (iii) to identify ways to eliminate resistant bacteria from animal populations and environments; (iv) to investigate the antimicrobial efficacy of new potential chemotherapeutics and natural products.

The biology of vectors and vector-borne diseases is another field of the RG. Since the distribution and spreading of numerous species of vectors acquired a new dynamic during last two decades, the discovery and exact defining of ecological and climatic variables influencing these current changeovers will help us formulate the most imperilled areas in respect to specific vector borne diseases. We concentrate on the study of the distribution, spread, and risk levels of selected tick/vector-borne diseases. 

Clustering of six E. faecium STs from the faeces of American crows. Each ST is represented as a node, while lines connect single locus variants.

list / cards

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

2017

• JAMBOROVA, I; DOLEJSKA, M; ZUREK, L; TOWNSEND, AK; CLARK, AB; ELLIS, JC; PAPOUSEK, I; CIZEK, A; LITERAK, I, 2017:Plasmid-mediated resistance to cephalosporins and quinolones in Escherichia coli from American crows in the USA. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 19 (5), p. 2025 - 2036.
• ORAVCOVA, V; MIHALCIN, M; ZAKOVA, J; POSPISILOVA, L; MASARIKOVA, M; LITERAK, I, 2017:Vancomycin-resistant enterococci with vanA gene in treated municipal wastewater and their association with human hospital strains. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 609 , p. 633 - 643.

2016

• DOBIASOVA, H; DOLEJSKA, M, 2016:Prevalence and diversity of IncX plasmids carrying fluoroquinolone and beta-lactam resistance genes in Escherichia coli originating from diverse sources and geographical areas. JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY 71 (8), p. 2118 - 2124.
• DOBIASOVA, H; VIDENSKA, P; DOLEJSKA, M, 2016:yy Complete Sequences of IncU Plasmids Harboring Quinolone Resistance Genes qnrS2 and aac(6 ')-Ib-cr in Aeromonas spp. from Ornamental Fish. ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY 60 (1), p. 653 - 657.
• DOLEJSKA, M; MASARIKOVA, M; DOBIASOVA, H; JAMBOROVA, I; KARPISKOVA, R; HAVLICEK, M; CARLILE, N; PRIDDEL, D; CIZEK, A; LITERAK, I, 2016:High prevalence of Salmonella and IMP-4-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the silver gull on Five Islands, Australia. JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY 71 (1), p. 63 - 70.
• FOLDVARI, G; SIROKY, P; SZEKERES, S; MAJOROS, G; SPRONG, H, 2016:Dermacentor reticulatus: a vector on the rise. PARASITES & VECTORS 9
• KAUTMAN, M; TIAR, G; PAPA, A; SIROKY, P, 2016:AP92-like Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Hyalomma aegyptium Ticks, Algeria. EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES 22 (2), p. 354 - 356.
• MASARIKOVA, M; MANGA, I; CIZEK, A; DOLEJSKA, M; ORAVCOVA, V; MYSKOVA, P; KARPISKOVA, R; LITERAK, I, 2016:Salmonella enterica resistant to antimicrobials in wastewater effluents and black-headed gulls in the Czech Republic, 2012. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 542 , p. 102 - 107.
• MCNALLY, A; OREN, Y; KELLY, D; PASCOE, B; DUNN, S; SREECHARAN, T; VEHKALA, M; VALIMAKI, N; PRENTICE, MB; ASHOUR, A; AVRAM, O; PUPKO, T; DOBRINDT, U; LITERAK, I; GUENTHER, S; SCHAUFLER, K; WIELER, LH; ZONG, ZY; SHEPPARD, SK; MCINERNEY, JO; CORANDER, J, 2016:Combined Analysis of Variation in Core, Accessory and Regulatory Genome Regions Provides a Super-Resolution View into the Evolution of Bacterial Populations. PLOS GENETICS 12 (9)
• NOVAKOVA, M; COSTA, FB; KRAUSE, F; LITERAK, I; LABRUNA, MB, 2016:Rickettsia vini n. sp (Rickettsiaceae) infecting the tick Ixodes arboricola (Acari: Ixodidae). PARASITES & VECTORS 9
• ORAVCOVA, V; HADELOVA, D; LITERAK, I, 2016:Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium with vanA gene isolated for the first time from wildlife in Slovakia. VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY 194 , p. 43 - 47.
• PAPAGIANNITSIS, CC; DOLEJSKA, M; IZDEBSKI, R; GIAKKOUPI, P; SKALOVA, A; CHUDEJOVA, K; DOBIASOVA, H; VATOPOULOS, AC; DERDE, LPG; BONTEN, MJM; GNIADKOWSKI, M; HRABAK, J, 2016:Characterisation of IncA/C-2 plasmids carrying an In416-like integron with the bla(VIM-19) gene from Klebsiella pneumoniae ST383 of Greek origin. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS 47 (2), p. 158 - 162.
• TIAR, G; TIAR-SAADI, M; BENYACOUB, S; ROUAG, R; SIROKY, P, 2016:The dependence of Hyalomma aegyptium on its tortoise host Testudo graeca in Algeria. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 30 (3), p. 351 - 359.

2015

• D'AMICO, G; DUMITRACHE, MO; SIROKY, P; ALBRECHTOVA, K; SLOBODA, M; DOMSA, C; SANDOR, AD; BALAZSI, R; KANYARI, PWN; MODRY, D; MIHALCA, AD, 2015:Altitudinal and seasonal differences of tick communities in dogs from pastoralist tribes of Northern Kenya. VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY 212 , p. 318 - 323.
• JANECKO, N; CIZEK, A; HALOVA, D; KARPISKOVA, R; MYSKOVA, P; LITERAK, I, 2015:Prevalence, Characterization and Antibiotic Resistance of Salmonella Isolates in Large Corvid Species of Europe and North America Between 2010 and 2013. ZOONOSES AND PUBLIC HEALTH 62 (4), p. 292 - 300.

2014

• ALBRECHTOVA, K; PAPOUSEK, I; DE NYS, H; PAULY, M; ANOH, E; MOSSOUN, A; DOLEJSKA, M; MASARIKOVA, M; METZGER, S; COUACY-HYMANN, E; AKOUA-KOFFI, C; WITTIG, RM; KLIMES, J; CIZEK, A; LEENDERTZ, FH; LITERAK, I, 2014:Low Rates of Antimicrobial-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Wildlife in Tai National Park, Cote d'Ivoire, Surrounded by Villages with High Prevalence of Multiresistant ESBL-Producing Escherichia coli in People and Domestic Animals. PLOS ONE 9 (12)
• CAPEK, M; LITERAK, I; KOCIANOVA, E; SYCHRA, O; NAJER, T; TRNKA, A; KVEREK, P, 2014:Ticks of the Hyalomma marginatum complex transported by migratory birds into Central Europe. TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES 5 (5), p. 489 - 493.
• DOBIASOVA, H; KUTILOVA, I; PIACKOVA, V; VESELY, T; CIZEK, A; DOLEJSKA, M, 2014:Ornamental fish as a source of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes and antibiotic resistance plasmids. VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY 171 (42097), p. 413 - 421.
• DOLEJSKA, M; VILLA, L; MINOIA, M; GUARDABASSI, L; CARATTOLI, A, 2014:Complete sequences of IncHI1 plasmids carrying bla(CTX-M-1) and qnrS1 in equine Escherichia coli provide new insights into plasmid evolution. JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY 69 (9), p. 2388 - 2393.
• HALOVA, D; PAPOUSEK, I; JAMBOROVA, I; MASARIKOVA, M; CIZEK, A; JANECKO, N; ORAVCOVA, V; ZUREK, L; CLARK, AB; TOWNSEND, A; ELLIS, JC; LITERAK, I, 2014:Plasmid-Mediated Quinolone Resistance Genes in Enterobacteriaceae from American Crows: High Prevalence of Bacteria with Variable qnrB Genes. ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY 58 (2), p. 1257 - 1258.
• JANATOVA, M; ALBRECHTOVA, K; PETRZELKOVA, KJ; DOLEJSKA, M; PAPOUSEK, I; MASARIKOVA, M; CIZEK, A; TODD, A; SHUTT, K; KALOUSOVA, B; PROFOUSOVA-PSENKOVA, I; MODRY, D; LITERAK, I, 2014:Antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from humans and wildlife in Dzanga-Sangha Protected Area, Central African Republic. VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY 171 (42097), p. 422 - 431.
• KVICEROVA, J; HYPSA, V; DVORAKOVA, N; MIKULICEK, P; JANDZIK, D; GARDNER, MG; JAVANBAKHT, H; TIAR, G; SIROKY, P, 2014:Hemolivia and Hepatozoon: Haemogregarines with Tangled Evolutionary Relationships. PROTIST 165 (5), p. 688 - 700.
• LITERAK, I; MANGA, I; WOJCZULANIS-JAKUBAS, K; CHROMA, M; JAMBOROVA, I; DOBIASOVA, H; SEDLAKOVA, MH; CIZEK, A, 2014:Enterobacter cloacae with a novel variant of ACT AmpC beta-lactamase originating from glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus) in Svalbard. VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY 171 (42097), p. 432 - 435.
• OGRZEWALSKA, M; LITERAK, I; MARTINS, TF; LABRUNA, MB, 2014:Rickettsial infections in ticks from wild birds in Paraguay. TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES 5 (2), p. 83 - 89.
• ORAVCOVA, V; JANECKO, N; ANSORGE, A; MASARIKOVA, M; LITERAK, I, 2014:First record of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in Canadian wildlife. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 6 (3), p. 210 - 211.
• ORAVCOVA, V; ZUREK, L; TOWNSEND, A; CLARK, AB; ELLIS, JC; CIZEK, A; LITERAK, I, 2014:American crows as carriers of vancomycin-resistant enterococci with vanA gene. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY 16 (4), p. 939 - 949.
• SIROKY, P; BELOHLAVEK, T; PAPOUSEK, I; JANDZIK, D; MIKULICEK, P; KUBELOVA, M; ZDRAZILOVA-DUBSKA, L, 2014:Hidden threat of tortoise ticks: high prevalence of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in ticks Hyalomma aegyptium in the Middle East. PARASITES & VECTORS 7

2011

• DOLEJSKA, M; FROLKOVA, P; FLOREK, M; JAMBOROVA, I; PURGERTOVA, M; KUTILOVA, I; CIZEK, A; GUENTHER, S; LITERAK, I, 2011:CTX-M-15-producing Escherichia coli clone B2-O25b-ST131 and Klebsiella spp. isolates in municipal wastewater treatment plant effluents. JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY 66 (12), p. 2784 - 2790.

GRANTY

• Molekulárně-epidemiologická typizace multirezistentních kmenů Enterobacteriacea a Pseudomonas spp. Se zaměřením na jejich skryté zdroje (15-28663A), Ministry of Health - National Programme of Research, 2015 - 2019
• Haemogregarina: insight into evolution and diversity of neglected Apicomplexa, Czech Science Foundation - Standard Grants, 2015 - 2018
• Epidemic antibiotic resistance plasmids - evolution, plasticity and fitness (15-14683Y), Czech Science Foundation - Standard Grants, 2015 - 2017
• Prevalence and subtyping study for Escherichia coli O157 in raw products and beef cattle (GA525/97/0373), Czech Science Foundation - Standard Grants, 1997 - 1999
• Escherichia coli O157 and other Shiga toxin-producing serotypes: identification and analysis of risk factors of the safety food production on farm level (GA525/00/0666), Czech Science Foundation - Standard Grants, 2000 - 2002
• Recombinant lipoprotein (BmpB) of the outer membrane of B. hyodysenteriae and scFv antibodies as a means of determination of asymptomatic carriers (GA524/06/1501), Czech Science Foundation - Standard Grants, 2006 - 2008
• Characterisation of coliform bacteria resistant to cephalosporins and the risk assessment of antimicrobials usage for their selection (GPP502/10/P083), Czech Science Foundation - Postdoc Grants, 2010 - 2012
• Veterinary aspects of food safety and quality (MSM6215712402), MEYS - Institutional Research Plan, 2005 - 2011

The laboratory is presently equipped with the facilities required for the cultivation, identification and characterisation of non-fastidious bacteria.

1. Haemoprotozoa of turtles: threatening parasites, harmless symbionts, or something between?

Supervisor: Pavel Siroky, D.V.M., Ph.D.

2. Hidden threat of natural foci of understudied tick-borne infections.

Supervisor: Pavel Siroky, D.V.M., Ph.D.