been discussed here, yet it is another aspect of an already complex web. The spread of antimicrobial resistance, disinfection efficacy, accurate detection and diagnosis and disease outcome are all influenced by cross-kingdom interactions; thus, it is imperative that as our understanding of these microbial relationships grows, so too does our approach to combatting the effects.
Jackie has been studying phagocytic processes in free-living protists (flagellates, ciliates and amoebae) since 1990. She specialises in receptor-mediated uptake of prey and its subsequent digestibility (or lack of it) and how this might influence the evolution of pathogenicity within bacteria in the environment.
Fiona L. Henriquez Professor of Parasitology, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Lanarkshire Campus G72 0LH, UK
About the authors
Ronnie Mooney Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Lanarkshire Campus G72 0LH, UK
fiona.henriquez@uws.ac.uk @FionaHenriquez
Fiona has been researching free-living amoebae for approximately 20 years, with over 80 research outputs in the field focused on the development of new treatments and prevention measures for human and animal health, understanding how amoebae can be vectors for bacteria, and their distribution and impact in the environment. What inspired you to work in protistology? Ronnie: My inspiration for choosing a career in protistology began during my undergraduate degree. Despite originally studying zoology, I found myself more interested in the parasitic protists that infected animals than in the animals themselves. After hearing stories of brain-eating amoebae, mind controlling apicomplexans and immune evading kinetoplastids it was impossible to choose any other career path. Jackie: They were more interesting to look at down the microscope and they have obvious personalities! Fiona: Their capability to cause infection and the challenge to find effective treatments has inspired me to continue to work in this field. Elise: I discovered the passion for protistology as I found out that it was a field still quite unexplored and, having a curious nature, it brought up the challenge of the discovery. What is the most challenging part of your job? Ronnie: Finding the motivation to leave the lab and open my emails! Jackie: Balancing research with teaching and engagement commitments. Fiona: There are many aspects of protistology that are still unknown. We cannot culture them easily and this is challenging. Elise: To remember that there’s a world outside the lab and beyond the microscope. It’s not always easy to find a balance when you work on a such interesting field.
ronnie.mooney@uws.ac.uk @RonnieMooney
Ronnie is a postdoctoral research fellow. His research bridges biomedical and environmental sciences, investigating the interactions between amphizoic amoebae and their bacterial endosymbionts. He is interested in the role of these interactions in facilitating the spread of antimicrobial resistance and how this relationship can influence pathogenicity and detectability.
Elisa Giammarini PhD Candidate, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Lanarkshire Campus G72 0LH, UK
elisa.giammarini@uws.ac.uk
Before becoming a PhD student, Elisa was awarded a Bachelor’s in Biotechnology and three Masters’ degrees in Biological Sciences, Management of Marine Resources and Advanced Biomedical Sciences. Elisa worked as a high school science teacher for four years then moved to Scotland from Italy four years ago, with the ambition to realise her dream of becoming a scientist.
Jackie Parry Professor of Protistology, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Lanarkshire Campus G72 0LH, UK
j.parry@lancaster.ac.uk
79 Microbiology Today October 2022 | microbiologysociety.org
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