Dr Ruth Kirk
Contact
- Email: ruth.kirk@kingston.ac.uk
- Location: Penrhyn Road
- Faculty: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing
- School: School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry
- Department: Department of Applied and Human Sciences
About
My fascination with aquatic parasites began during my BSc in Biological Sciences at Westfield College, University of London. I then undertook a PhD studentship on Sanguinicola inermis, a blood fluke parasite of carp, at Royal Holloway, University of London in collaboration with Thames Water. I managed a Fish Parasitology and Pathology Consultancy at Royal Holloway and worked as a lecturer in life sciences at Middlesex University, London. During a Leverhulme Trust Research Postdoctoral Fellowship at Exeter University and Royal Holloway, I carried out research on the biology and saline tolerance of Anguillicoloides crassus, a pathogenic swim bladder nematode parasite of European eels. I ran my own aquatic consultancy company, Crucian UK, for several years but then returned to university life. I joined Kingston University as a research fellow and was appointed to a lectureship. I have worked as an associate professor in parasitology at Kingston University focusing on schistosomes and aquatic parasites and vectors and am now a Visiting Senior Fellow.
Academic responsibilities
Associate professor in parasitology
Qualifications
- PhD Fish Parasitology and Pathology (University of London)
- BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences (University of London)
Gallery of work
Life cycle of avian Schistosomatidae parasites
Avian schistosomatid parasites cause pathology in a variety of birds and are agents of human cercarial dermatitis.
Cercaria of Trichobilharzia franki
Cercariae of avian schistosomatids like T. franki emerge from snails and swim in the water to find a bird host, but may accidentally penetrate human skin causing cercarial dermatitis.
Life cycle of Schistosoma mansoni - an agent of human schistosomiasis
Human schistosomiasis is an acute and chronic disease that affects over 200 million people, prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas of the world.
Scanning electron micrograph of Schistosoma bovis - an agent of ruminant schistosomiasis
Hybrid forms of S. bovis-S. haematobium can infect humans and are reported in West Africa and Corsica.
Life cycle of echinostomes
Many types of echinostome parasites cause a gastrointestinal disease known as echinostomiasis. People can be infected when they eat infected raw or undercooked aquatic products like fish or molluscs.
Cercaria of Echinostoma revolutum, an echinostome parasite
Echinostoma revolutum is distributed worldwide, but only causes disease when raw or undercooked second intermediate hosts (e.g. fish, molluscs, frogs) are traditionally eaten as in E and SE Asia.