Research interests

My PhD project focuses on the effects of global warming and multiple infection on parasitic infections in Daphnia magna. A key component of human-induced global change, global warming is causing shifts in both mean temperature and temperature variability. Changes to temperature patterns may affect epidemics, infection rates and parasitic burden. Existing studies on temperature variability have produced mixed results, making this an open question in the field. In addition, although most work on parasites has focused on interactions between a single disease and its hosts, multiple infections are far more common in natural systems, accounting for up to 80% of infections in certain populations. The question remains whether predictions from single infections can be applied to larger populations in natural, co-infected systems. The aquatic invertebrate Daphnia magna and its associated pathogens provides a unique opportunity to investigate these questions while eliminating host effects, given the ability of D. magna to replicate parthenogenetically.

Publications

O'Keeffe FE, Pendleton RC, Holland CV, Luijckx P. Increased virulence due to multiple infection in Daphnia leads to limited growth in one of two co-infecting microsporidian parasites. Parasitology. 2023:1-36. doi:10.1017/S0031182023001130