The practical course is designed for students of the follow-up Master’s program Parasitology and Infectious Biology. Completion of the course requires prior or concurrent attendance of the lecture in Medical Entomology (Medical Entomology; MB160P76E).
The course focuses on the practical demonstration and identification of parasitic arthropods – crustaceans, mites, and insects – using permanent microscopic slides and stereomicroscopes. Students will work with material in both dead form (ethanol-fixed or “dry” specimens) and live form (ticks and tick-like mites, blood-sucking bugs, and selected Diptera species).
The course covers basic morphological characters that allow identification and determination of blood-sucking and other parasitic arthropod groups, including their most significant representatives. It also includes the study of anatomy of selected groups through stained section slides and dissections of selected species (e.g., bugs and mosquitoes), with emphasis on structures important for pathogen transmission.
The course also includes a half-day field excursion to the Polabí region and the Libický luh floodplain to observe mosquito breeding sites, during which students monitor and document the developmental stages of several groups of blood-sucking insects. During the practical sessions, students will become familiar with insect dissection, identification of ticks and tick-like mites, and detection of transmitted parasitic protozoa.
The course develops not only knowledge and practical skills in the determination of parasitic arthropods, but also independent work with microscopes and stereomicroscopes, handling of differently preserved material, documentation of observations, and interpretation of morphological characters relevant to human and veterinary medicine.
Last update: Votýpka Jan, doc. RNDr., Ph.D. (07.01.2026)
Praktický kurz je určen pro studenty navazujícího magisterského studijního programu Parazitologie a infekční biologie. Předpokladem pro absolvování kurzu je předchozí nebo současné absolvování přednášky z lékařské entomologie (Medical Entomology; MB160P76E).
Kurz se zaměřuje na praktickou demonstraci a identifikaci jednotlivých zástupců parazitických členovců – korýšů, roztočů a hmyzu – na trvalých mikroskopických preparátech a ve stereomikroskopech. Studenti budou pracovat s materiálem v mrtvém stavu (lihové preparáty nebo „suché“ preparáty) i živém stavu (klíšťata a klíštáci, krev sající ploštice a vybrané druhy Diptera).
V rámci kurzu jsou probírány základní morfologické znaky, které umožňují identifikaci a determinaci jednotlivých skupin krevsajících a dalších parazitických členovců, včetně jejich nejvýznamnějších zástupců. Součástí praktika je rovněž studium anatomie jednotlivých skupin prostřednictvím barvených řezových preparátů a pitvy vybraných druhů (např. ploštice a komár), s důrazem na struktury významné pro přenos patogenů.
Kurz zahrnuje také půldenní terénní exkurzi do Polabí a Libického luhu na líhniště komárů, během níž studenti sledují a dokumentují vývojová stádia několika skupin krevsajícího hmyzu. Během praktika se studenti seznámí s pitvou hmyzu, identifikací klíšťat a klíšťáků, a detekcí přenášených parazitárních protozoí.
Kurz rozvíjí nejen znalosti a praktické dovednosti v determinaci parazitických členovců, ale také samostatnou práci s mikroskopem a stereomikroskopem, práci s různě fixovaným materiálem, dokumentaci pozorování a interpretaci morfologických znaků s ohledem na humánní a veterinární medicínu.
Last update: Votýpka Jan, doc. RNDr., Ph.D. (07.01.2026)
Literature
Materials from practical sessions in PDF format on MOODLE
Mullen, Durden a kol: Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Academic Press 2002, 2009, 2019 Service: Medical Entomology for Students. Cambridge University Press, 2008, 2012 Lehane: The Biology of Blood-Sucking in Insects. Cambridge University Press, 2005
Last update: Votýpka Jan, doc. RNDr., Ph.D. (07.01.2026)
Requirements to the exam
Conditions of participation and assessment: Active participation in practical sessions is mandatory; absence is allowed for a maximum of one session. Assessment includes an identification test, during which students may use their own class notes, and which focuses on the specimens and demonstration objects covered during the practicals. A mandatory requirement is the preparation of an individual specimen, including its correct labeling and identification; further details will be provided during the introductory practical session.
Last update: Votýpka Jan, doc. RNDr., Ph.D. (08.01.2026)
Syllabus
The syllabus emphasizes the integration of theoretical knowledge with practical skills, work with morphological characters in taxon identification, and understanding the ecological, medical, and veterinary significance of parasitic and blood-feeding arthropods.
• Methods of collection and preservation of arthropods and parasitic crustaceans (Crustacea: Branchiura, Copepoda) – students become familiar (partly in practice) with techniques of capture, handling, fixation, and long-term preservation of parasitic crustaceans, including principles of documentation and preparation of material for further study. • Venomous chelicerates (Chelicerata: Scorpionida, Aranea) – morphology, identification, and medical importance; a basic overview of venom mechanisms of action. • Ticks and soft ticks (Metastigmata: Ixodidae, Argasidae) – taxonomy, morphology, life cycles, ecological relationships, and their role in pathogen transmission (bacteria, viruses, protozoa). • Other parasitic mites (Mesostigmata, Prostigmata, Astigmata), storage pests (Acaridae, Glyciphagidae), and allergenic mites relevant to allergies – identification, biology, relationships with humans and domestic animals; may also include a test focused on recognizing allergenic species. • Phthiraptera (Anoplura, Amblycera, Ischnocera) – morphology, host specificity, pathogen transmission, and importance in human and veterinary medicine. • Hemiptera (Cimicidae, Reduviidae) – identification, morphology, and importance as blood-feeding parasites and vectors of infectious diseases, including differentiation between human- and animal-associated species. • Siphonaptera – fleas – identification, morphology, life cycles, and their role in pathogen transmission (e.g., bacteria, protozoa) and in veterinary practice. • Diptera: Nematocera (Phlebotominae, Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae) – developmental stages, morphology, and vector capacity; ecological requirements of individual groups and their importance in disease transmission. • Diptera: Nematocera (Culicidae) – mosquitoes – identification, larval and adult stages, ecology, reproduction, and importance in human and veterinary medicine. • Diptera: Brachycera (Tabanidae, Stomoxidae, Glossinidae, Hippoboscidae, Nycteribiidae) and myiasis-causing larvae (Hypodermatidae, Oestridae, Cuterebridae, Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae) – morphology, life cycles, pathogenesis of myiasis, and medical and veterinary significance. • Dissection of selected blood-feeding arthropods – study of the morphology of piercing-sucking mouthparts, anatomy of the digestive system, and reproductive organs in the context of pathogen transmission; linking morphology with functional and epidemiological aspects. • Gall-forming parasites and their parasitoids; parasitoids of economically or medically important insect species. • Field excursion to sites with mosquitoes and other blood-feeding arthropods – observation and documentation of developmental stages in natural habitats, practical training in collection methods (larval sampling, traps, aspirators), ecological notes, evaluation of habitat importance for the epidemiology of infectious diseases, and approaches to mosquito control.
Last update: Votýpka Jan, doc. RNDr., Ph.D. (08.01.2026)
Learning outcomes
After completing the practical course, the student will acquire: Knowledge • Recognizes the main groups of parasitic arthropods (parasitic crustaceans, mites, insects) and their most important representatives from the perspective of human and veterinary medicine • Understands the basic morphology and anatomy of the different groups, including piercing-sucking mouthparts, and their significance for pathogen transmission • Becomes familiar with methods of collection, preservation, and fixation of arthropods in various types of material (live, ethanol-fixed, dry, sectioned specimens) • Knows the principles of working with a microscope and a magnifying glass, including adjustment of illumination and use of phase contrast • Understands the ecology and developmental stages of blood-sucking insects and the significance of field sampling Skills • Identifies and determines representatives of blood-sucking arthropods using morphological characters, morphological keys, specialized literature, and online databases • Works independently with a microscope and a magnifying glass, uses different types of illumination and contrast (phase, dark field), and examines specimens in various forms and states • Searches for and interprets diagnostic morphological characters for taxon determination • Prepares simple laboratory specimens, performs basic fixation and staining for microscopic observations • Systematically records and documents observed specimens, producing clear protocols, drawings, and microphotographs Competences • Works independently and safely with biological material • Integrates theoretical knowledge with practical experience in solving problems in determination and morphological analysis • Critically evaluates and compares morphological characters among similar species • Presents work results clearly and accurately, including visual and digital documentation • Develops critical thinking and analytical skills in the identification and interpretation of morphological characters
Last update: Votýpka Jan, doc. RNDr., Ph.D. (07.01.2026)
