David Piedrafita – SRF and Group Leader - Parasite Immunobiology
Email: david.piedrafita@med.monash.edu.au
Phone: 9905 2593
Dr David Piedrafita embarked on a PhD in immunoparasitology within the Department of Primary Industries in Victoria, after winning a competitive National Industry Scholarship. In 1996, he was awarded a Wellcome Trust Fellowship and worked on DNA vaccines at Glasgow University in Scotland for 3 years. David returned to Australia in 1999 to study Helminth vaccines and biology and in 2001 set up his own group working on Fasciola (liver fluke). In 2006, he relocated his group to the Biotechnology Research Laboratories at Monash University, where he continues to work on national and international research programs (including Thailand, Indonesia, Africa & Spain) and heads the Parasitology unit. He routinely hosts scientists & graduate students from overseas countries and supervises several PhD students. He is actively involved in promoting parasitology to the general public through educational activities and has been vice president and president of the Australian Society for Parasitology (2005-2007). He was deputy chair for the 2010 International Congress for Parasitology, held in Melbourne (ICOPAXII), which hosted over 1,750 delegates from around the world.
Research interests
- Parasite Immunology
- Research in vaccine development and performance
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Genetic control of disease resistance
For a selection of student research projects with Dr Piedrafita please click here
Selected Publications
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M.S. Lees, N.A. Robinson, A.B. Ingham, A.C. Kotze , D.M. Piedrafita. (2011). Dual oxidase 2 and glutathione peroxidase gene expression are elevated in
hyperimmunised sheep challenged with Haemonchus contortus. Veterinary Parasitology (in press).Jorge F. González, Álvaro Hernández, José M. Molina, Antonio Fernández, Herman Raadsma, Els N.T. Meeusen and Piedrafita, D. (2011). -
Fecundity in adult Haemonchus contortus parasites is correlated with abomasal tissue eosinophils and gamma-delta T cells in resistant Canaria Hair Breed sheep. Veterinary Parasitology (in press).
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J. Pleasance, H.W. Raadsma, S.E. Estuningsih, E. Meeusen, Piedrafita, D. (2011) Innate and adaptive resistance of Indonesian Thin Tail sheep to liver fluke: A comparative analysis of Fasciola gigantica and F. hepatica infection. Veterinary Parasitology (in press).Robinson N, Pleasance J, Piedrafita D, Meeusen ENT. (2011).
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The kinetics of local cytokine and galectin expression after challenge infection with the gastrointestinal nematode, Haemonchus contortus. International Journal for Parasitology 41(5): 487-93.Piedrafita D, Spithill TW and Raadsma HW (2010). Improving animal and human health through understanding liver fluke immunology. Parasite Immunology 32(8):572-81.
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Hein WR, Pernthaner A, Piedrafita D and Meeusen ENT. (2010). Immune mechanisms of resistance to gastrointestinal nematode infections in sheep. Parasite Immunology 32(8):541-48.
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Piedrafita D, Gonzalez J, Raadsma HW & Meeusen ENT (2010). Increased production through parasite control: can ancient breeds of sheep teach us new lessons? Trends in Parasitology 26(12):568-73.
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Robinson N, Piedrafita D, Snibson K, Harrison P, Meeusen ENT. (2010) Immune cell kinetics in the ovine abomasal mucosa following hyperimmunisation and challenge with Haemonchus contortus. Veterinary Research 41(4):37.
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Kemp JM, Robinson NA, Meeusen EN, Piedrafita DM. (2009). The relationship between the rapid rejection of Haemonchus contortus larvae with cells and mediators in abomasal tissues in immune sheep. International Journal for Parasitology. 39(14):1589-94.
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Estuningsih, E., Spithill T.W., Raadsma, H.W., Law, R., Adiwinata, G., Meeusen, E. and Piedrafita, D. (2009). Development and application of a faecal antigen diagnostic sandwich ELISA for estimating prevalence of Fasciola gigantica in cattle in central Java, Indonesia. Journal of Parasitology. 95(2), 450-455
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Beckham SA, Piedrafita D, Phillips CI, Samarawickrema N, Law RH, Smooker PM, Quinsey NS, Irving JA, Greenwood D, Verhelst SH, Bogyo M, Turk B, Coetzer TH, Wijeyewickrema LC, Spithill TW, Pike RN. (2009). A major cathepsin B protease from the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica has atypical active site features and a potential role in the digestive tract of newly excysted juvenile parasites. International Journal for Biochemical Cell Biology, 41(7):1601-12.
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Smith RE, Spithill TW, Pike RN, Meeusen EN, Piedrafita D. (2008). Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica: cloning and characterisation of 70 kDa heat-shock proteins reveals variation in HSP70 gene expression between parasite species recovered from sheep. Exp. Parasitol. 118, 536-542.
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Jorge F. González, Álvaro Hernández, José M. Molina, Antonio Fernández, Herman Raadsma, Els N.T. Meeusen and Piedrafita, D. (2008). Comparative experimental Haemonchus contortus infection of two sheep breeds native to the Canary Islands. Veterinary Parasitology 153, 374-378.
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Jayaraj, R., Piedrafita, D., Dynon, K., Grams, R., Spithill, T.W. and Smooker, P.M. (2008). Vaccination against fasciolosis by a multivalent vaccine of stage-specific antigens. Veterinary Parasitology 160, 230-236.
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Raadsma H. W, Kingsford N., Suharyanta, Spithill T.W and Piedrafita, D. (2008). Host responses during experimental infection with Fasciola gigantica and Fasciola hepatica in Merino sheep: II Development of a predictive index for Fasciola gigantica worm burdens Veterinary Parasitology 154, 250-261.
- For full publication list: search for 'Piedrafita D' in PubMed
