Keynote Lecture and Scientific Contributions at ParaDays 2026

From 21 to 25 September 2026, our team participated in the XVIth Slovak and Czech Parasitological Days – Parasites in the Heart of Europe 3, held in Tatranská Lomnica, High Tatras, Slovakia. The international meeting was organised by the Slovak Society for Parasitology, the Institute of Parasitology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the Czech Society for Parasitology, bringing together researchers working across the major fields of modern parasitology. Conpro

Our Director, Prof. Andrei D. Mihalca, participated as one of the conference keynote speakers, delivering the lecture "The wildlife-livestock strongyle nemabiome: a hidden dimension of European bison conservation." The presentation explored parasite diversity and transmission at the wildlife–livestock interface and highlighted the relevance of gastrointestinal nematode communities for the health and conservation of reintroduced European bison populations. Conpro

Prof. Mihalca also contributed to the scientific programme through session chairing, supporting discussion and exchange between speakers working on parasite ecology, biodiversity, epidemiology and host–parasite interactions.

The meeting also included a contribution by Ioana-Bianca Mitrea, who presented in the Student Competition the study "Ancylostomatidae in carnivores from Romania: new host associations, haplotype diversity and presence of Ancylostoma caninum." The work addressed the diversity and molecular epidemiology of hookworms in domestic and wild carnivores from Romania. Conpro

ParaDays 2026 provided an excellent platform for exchanging new results in parasitology, strengthening international collaborations and connecting fundamental parasite biology with wildlife health, veterinary medicine, zoonoses and One Health.