Short curriculum vitae
Bahram Sayyaf Dezfuli has lived in Italy since April, 1980.
Education and permanent position:
Degree in Biological Sciences, Institute of Zoology, University of Ferrara, 1988
Ph.D. Department of Biology, University of Ferrara, 1994
From 1995-September 2014 Permanent position as Assistant Professor (Researcher) in Zoology.
Since October 2014, Associate Professor in Parasitology and parasitic diseases of animals.
At the beginning of 2015, appointed full Professor in Parasitology and parasitic diseases of animals.
Visiting positions:
2000. Department of Invertebrate Zoology, University of Gydnia, Poland
2001. Department of Zoology, University of Wien
2002.Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling
2003. Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling
2004. Department of Embryology, University of Wien
2004. School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
2005. Medical Univ. of Wien, Centre of Anatomy and Cell Biology
2006. Medical Univ. of Wien, Centre of Anatomy and Cell Biology
2016. Department of Biology, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
Teaching and Professional experience and activity:
Teaching Assistant in Zoology, 1988-1992 (Institute of Zoology, University of Ferrara, Biology)
Outstanding Graduate Research Proposal 1992-1993 (Department of Biology, University of Ferrara).
Teaching Assistant in Parasitology, 1993-1995 (Department of Biology, University of Ferrara) Courses taught: Symbiosis and Animal Associations since 2000, Parasitological techniques in Aquatic Organisms since 2001, Interactions between animal species: parasitism since 2003, Faunal Conservation since 2003, Animal Biology since 2006; General parasitology and zoonoses since 2015.
Since 1995, supervisor of 22 undergraduate theses in Biological Sciences and Natural Sciences, 3 undergraduate thesis in Pharmacy, and 2 PhD theses and 1 Masters thesis. Designated as foreign member of the commission for a PhD dissertation thesis for the Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, Department of Biology, University of Valencia, Spain, and Department of Physiology, University of Murcia, Spain.
Membership of Scientific Societies:
American Society of Parasitology
British Society for Parasitologists (former member)
Italian Society of Parasitology,
Italian Society of Zoologists
Italian Society of Freshwater Ichthyologists.
Seminars given in:
Department of Biology, Colorado State University, USA, Department of Invertebrates Zoology, University of Gdansk, Poland, Department of Zoology, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, Department of Biology, University of Valencia, Spain, School of Biological Sciences, UNL Lincoln, USA, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, University of Teramo, University of Viterbo, University of Venice.
Sessions organiser and chairman or key note speaker at many international conferences (e.g., European Multicolloquium of Parasitology, EMOP, respectively Italy, Poland, France, International Symposium on Fish Parasites, respectively Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, International Acanthocephala Workshop, respectively Italy, Finland, Mexico, Germany.
Member of the Editorial board of the Journal of Marine Sciences Research & Development, Annals of Aquaculture and Research, Fishes.
Publications:
Author of 243 papers of which 148 are in extenso (peer-reviewed) with an H-index (Scopus) of 25. He organised two workshops in Ferrara, respectively, in 1997, Fourth International Acanthocephala Workshop and in 2001 First International Rodlet Cell Workshop. Active research cooperation with 14 Departments and Institutes of Research.
Referee for the following journals:
Journal of Fish Biology, Parasitology, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, Natur Wissenschaften, Helminthologia, Folia Parasitologica, Journal of Fish Diseases, Parassitologia, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Histology & Histopathology, Fish & Shellfish Immunology, Acta Parasitologica, Veterinary Research Communication, Comparative Parasitology, Journal of Parasitology, New Zealand Journal of Freshwater Research, Biological Research, Acta Zoologica, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, Zoomorphology, Developmental & Comparative Immunology.
Main topics of research:
I started my research on helminth parasites of fish in 1982. My work is aimed at understanding aspects of Acanthocephala biology. I started my research on this group in 1986 and have been examining acanthocephalan parasites of brackish and freshwater fishes. To date our work has focused on the life cycle, morphology and histopathology of this group. We use laboratory and field experiments in our investigations and have conducted work in many streams and rivers of North Italy.
In reference to the morphology, often we use scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which allows one to observe minute details of an organism’s external features.
Regarding the histopathology, our study has mainly focused on the damage caused by helminths in fish and other vertebrates definitive hosts. For this purpose, we use immunohistochemistry methods and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
We are also actively working on fish immune responses against helminth parasites since 2004, indeed, our review on this topic was published recently by Fish & Shellfish Immunology.
In collaboration, we carried out investigations on species associations among larval helminths in crustacean intermediate host and the adult parasites in fish.
In cooperation with two other research groups, we also investigate the effect of pollution on different type of fish cells, with particular emphasis on rodlet cells. Since 2008, we began a collaboration with Prof. Eduard Noga (South Eastern Aquatechnologies, Florida, USA) who isolated for the first time a family of antimicrobial peptides from fish mast cells (named piscidins). Recently we started a cooperation with colleagues from Federal University, Mato Grosso, Brazil and we study histopathological effects of helminths on organs of different species of fish from Pantanal Region in South of Brazil.
Orcid: orcid.org/0000-0002-9778-5937
Bahram Sayyaf Dezfuli has lived in Italy since April, 1980.
Education and permanent position:
Degree in Biological Sciences, Institute of Zoology, University of Ferrara, 1988
Ph.D. Department of Biology, University of Ferrara, 1994
From 1995-September 2014 Permanent position as Assistant Professor (Researcher) in Zoology.
Since October 2014, Associate Professor in Parasitology and parasitic diseases of animals.
At the beginning of 2015, appointed full Professor in Parasitology and parasitic diseases of animals.
Visiting positions:
2000. Department of Invertebrate Zoology, University of Gydnia, Poland
2001. Department of Zoology, University of Wien
2002.Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling
2003. Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling
2004. Department of Embryology, University of Wien
2004. School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
2005. Medical Univ. of Wien, Centre of Anatomy and Cell Biology
2006. Medical Univ. of Wien, Centre of Anatomy and Cell Biology
2016. Department of Biology, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
Teaching and Professional experience and activity:
Teaching Assistant in Zoology, 1988-1992 (Institute of Zoology, University of Ferrara, Biology)
Outstanding Graduate Research Proposal 1992-1993 (Department of Biology, University of Ferrara).
Teaching Assistant in Parasitology, 1993-1995 (Department of Biology, University of Ferrara) Courses taught: Symbiosis and Animal Associations since 2000, Parasitological techniques in Aquatic Organisms since 2001, Interactions between animal species: parasitism since 2003, Faunal Conservation since 2003, Animal Biology since 2006; General parasitology and zoonoses since 2015.
Since 1995, supervisor of 22 undergraduate theses in Biological Sciences and Natural Sciences, 3 undergraduate thesis in Pharmacy, and 2 PhD theses and 1 Masters thesis. Designated as foreign member of the commission for a PhD dissertation thesis for the Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, Department of Biology, University of Valencia, Spain, and Department of Physiology, University of Murcia, Spain.
Membership of Scientific Societies:
American Society of Parasitology
British Society for Parasitologists (former member)
Italian Society of Parasitology,
Italian Society of Zoologists
Italian Society of Freshwater Ichthyologists.
Seminars given in:
Department of Biology, Colorado State University, USA, Department of Invertebrates Zoology, University of Gdansk, Poland, Department of Zoology, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, Department of Biology, University of Valencia, Spain, School of Biological Sciences, UNL Lincoln, USA, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, University of Teramo, University of Viterbo, University of Venice.
Sessions organiser and chairman or key note speaker at many international conferences (e.g., European Multicolloquium of Parasitology, EMOP, respectively Italy, Poland, France, International Symposium on Fish Parasites, respectively Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, International Acanthocephala Workshop, respectively Italy, Finland, Mexico, Germany.
Member of the Editorial board of the Journal of Marine Sciences Research & Development, Annals of Aquaculture and Research, Fishes.
Publications:
Author of 243 papers of which 148 are in extenso (peer-reviewed) with an H-index (Scopus) of 25. He organised two workshops in Ferrara, respectively, in 1997, Fourth International Acanthocephala Workshop and in 2001 First International Rodlet Cell Workshop. Active research cooperation with 14 Departments and Institutes of Research.
Referee for the following journals:
Journal of Fish Biology, Parasitology, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, Natur Wissenschaften, Helminthologia, Folia Parasitologica, Journal of Fish Diseases, Parassitologia, Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Histology & Histopathology, Fish & Shellfish Immunology, Acta Parasitologica, Veterinary Research Communication, Comparative Parasitology, Journal of Parasitology, New Zealand Journal of Freshwater Research, Biological Research, Acta Zoologica, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, Zoomorphology, Developmental & Comparative Immunology.
Main topics of research:
I started my research on helminth parasites of fish in 1982. My work is aimed at understanding aspects of Acanthocephala biology. I started my research on this group in 1986 and have been examining acanthocephalan parasites of brackish and freshwater fishes. To date our work has focused on the life cycle, morphology and histopathology of this group. We use laboratory and field experiments in our investigations and have conducted work in many streams and rivers of North Italy.
In reference to the morphology, often we use scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which allows one to observe minute details of an organism’s external features.
Regarding the histopathology, our study has mainly focused on the damage caused by helminths in fish and other vertebrates definitive hosts. For this purpose, we use immunohistochemistry methods and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
We are also actively working on fish immune responses against helminth parasites since 2004, indeed, our review on this topic was published recently by Fish & Shellfish Immunology.
In collaboration, we carried out investigations on species associations among larval helminths in crustacean intermediate host and the adult parasites in fish.
In cooperation with two other research groups, we also investigate the effect of pollution on different type of fish cells, with particular emphasis on rodlet cells. Since 2008, we began a collaboration with Prof. Eduard Noga (South Eastern Aquatechnologies, Florida, USA) who isolated for the first time a family of antimicrobial peptides from fish mast cells (named piscidins). Recently we started a cooperation with colleagues from Federal University, Mato Grosso, Brazil and we study histopathological effects of helminths on organs of different species of fish from Pantanal Region in South of Brazil.
Orcid: orcid.org/0000-0002-9778-5937
