Name of supervisor： Toshihiro Tokiwa,DVM,Ph.D.
Position: Associate Professor
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KAKEN researcher number：50757755
ORCID ID：0000-003-1943-5146
Main research theme: Research on parasites
Research keywords: zoonosis, wildlife, exotic animals, diagnosis, phylogeny, histopathology
Lab location: Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, 4th floor, Building D
E-mail：tokiwa (@mark) nvlu.ac.jp
Research
My research focuses on parasites that infect a wide range of host taxa, from ants to elephants. Among them, I am particularly interested in the following three themes:
1) Exploring the Diversity of Parasitic Protists:
I have been involved in the description of 16 new species (3 Eimeria, 1 Isospora, 1 Hyaloklossia, 1 Hepatozoon in Apicomplexa; 5 Prototapirella, 1 Troglocorys, 1 Grorilloflasca, 3 Troglodytella in Chiliophora), including 2 new subfamily (Eumonosporinae, Hyaloklossiinae) and 2 new genera (Troglocorys, Gorilloflasca). I am interested not only in α taxonomy but also in co-speciation/co-evolution and higher-level classifications.
2) Investigating Zoonotic Nematodes:
Conducting research on zoonotic nematodes such as rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis, oriental eyeworm Thelazia callipaeda, Baylisascaris, and Trichinella spp. Research includes studying infection prevalence, molecular epidemiology, and diagnostic method development.
3) Parasites of Native and Introduced Animals in Japan:
Examining parasites affecting endangered or rare wildlife to understand the parasitic fauna, and parasites associated with imported exotic animals and introduced animals to assess potential risks for humans and native animals.
Guidance policy for graduate students
I am currently recruiting PhD students to join my research teams. My guidance policy is as follows:
1) Methods of analysis:
Through methods of morphological observations and genetic analysis, students can acquire profound knowledge about the characteristics of species.
2) Etiquette for species description:
Species description is a scientific process with strict etiquette and regulations. It is essential to instruct students on the fundamental principles and ethical considerations for accurately and appropriately describing new species.
3) Guidance on manuscript submission:
Even with excellent research, the skill of publishing findings as a paper is highly important. I provide students with an understanding of paper structure, scientific expression methods, and the peer-review process, supporting them is successfully writing and submitting papers.
[Note] If international students wish to enroll in a doctoral program, I strongly recommend applying to the MEXT Program sponsored by the Japanese government. For details, please contact the Japanese Embassy in your country. Please note that, outside of our affiliated schools, we do not provide university recommendations for MEXT scholarship.
Publications
Please refer to Researchmap for the latest publications.
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