Seda Adamyan is a PhD candidate at the Medical University of Vienna specialising in the molecular epidemiology of zoonotic vector-borne diseases, particularly Dirofilaria and Leishmania species in Armenia. From 9 to 12 June 2026, she attended the International Conference on Biodiversity, Conservation and Climate Change (Toward COP 17) in Yerevan, Armenia. The conference brought together researchers from across Europe, the Middle East, and the Caucasus region to discuss the connections between biodiversity loss, climate change, and their effects on human and animal health. The programme covered a wide range of topics including wildlife ecology, conservation biology, parasitology, and the One Health framework.
The talks and poster sessions were very relevant to her own research. Several presentations split with zoonotic parasites in wildlife, the use of modern molecular tools for pathogen detection, and how ecological connectivity between animal populations can drive disease transmission. She found the discussions on how parasite distributions are shifting with environmental change particularly useful, as this directly connects to the questions, we are asking about Dirofilaria and Leishmania in Armenia whether these are truly emerging or were simply undetected before. Overall, the conference reinforced the value of interdisciplinary One Health approaches and gave her new ideas for framing her research as part of the APPEAR ArmBioClimate project within a broader ecological and conservation context.
Contribution
Seda gave an oral presentation titled “One Health in Armenia: Zoonotic Pathogens in Canids.” She presented our results on the prevalence and species identity of Dirofilaria and Leishmania in 543 animals from five host species across 11 Armenian provinces. The main findings included a 40% Dirofilaria prevalence in golden jackals (all D. immitis), the first molecular confirmation of D. repens in Armenian dogs, and the first detection of Leishmania major in wild canids in the Caucasus. She also showed results from a pilot whole-genome sequencing approach that detected parasite, endosymbiont, and vector DNA simultaneously from a single jackal sample.
The presentation generated a lot of interest and discussion, especially around the role of jackals as wildlife reservoirs and the potential of metagenomics for surveillance. In recognition of her outstanding pperformance, Seda received the Best Oral Presentation Prize at the conference.
Attending the ICBCCC conference was a very valuable experience for Sedas PhD project. The discussions helped her see that the Armenian data in a wider context how vector-borne diseases are shifting across the region and how other groups are tackling similar questions with new tools. She got useful feedback on how to frame our statistical analysis and on the ecological interpretation of our findings, which she will incorporate into her thesis. Networking with researchers from several European countries opened opportunities for future collaboration, particularly on comparative wildlife parasitology studies across the Mediterranean and the Caucasus. The experience also strengthened her presentation and scientific communication skills.
Abstract
Armenia, at a biogeographic crossroads in the South Caucasus, presents a unique setting for studying vector-borne zoonotic diseases. We investigated the prevalence of Dirofilaria and Leishmania in 543 animals across five host species from 11 Armenian provinces using PCR and Sanger sequencing. Dirofilaria was detected in 34% of animals, with D. immitis confirmed across all host types and D. repens molecularly documented for the first time. Leishmania was found in 25% of tested animals, with L. major newly identified in golden jackals. Co-infections were detected in shelter dogs. A pilot whole-genome sequencing approach on one jackal simultaneously detected parasite, endosymbiont, and vector DNA, demonstrating the potential of metagenomics for One Health surveillance. Our results highlight the role of jackals as sylvatic reservoirs and the need for integrated control strategies.
Seda Adamyan is a PhD candidate at the Medical University of Vienna under the scientific supervision of Prof. Julia Walochnik, specialising in the molecular epidemiology of zoonotic vector-borne diseases, particularly Dirofilaria and Leishmania species in Armenia. Her research investigates the role of domestic dogs, stray dogs, and golden jackals as reservoirs for these parasites using PCR, Sanger sequencing, and whole-genome sequencing within a One Health framework. Seda holds a master’s degree in biology from Yerevan State University and has collaborated on international projects studying parasitic diseases in domestic and wild animals across the Caucasus. She has presented her findings at EMOP, ÖGTPM, and ICBCCC, and was awarded the Best Oral Presentation Prize at ICBCCC 2026 in Yerevan.
