Dr Ruth Kirk

About

I am a eukaryotic parasitologist, specialising in molecular identification and ecology of aquatic helminths.  Early research focused on introduced parasites of fish such as Sanguinicola inermis in carp (PhD, Royal Holloway University of London and Thames Water), Anguillicoloides crassus in eels (Leverhulme Trust Research Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Exeter and Royal Holloway) and Atractolytocestus huronensis in carp (Research Fellowship, Kingston University).  I worked as an aquatic consultant and then joined Kingston University as a research fellow, progressing to associate professor. I have supervised MSc and PhD research projects on schistosomiasis, fish parasites, histology, cercarial dermatitis and led the UK Digenean Diversity Project which has resulted in molecular identification of many digenean parasites of freshwater snail vectors in the UK for the first time. I am also generating a UK Freshwater Fish Parasites Database with my colleague, Dr Bernice Brewster.  I am currently a Visiting Senior Fellow at Kingston University. 

Academic responsibilities

Visiting Senior Fellow in Parasitology

Qualifications

  • PhD Fish Parasitology (University of London)
  • BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences (University of London)

Teaching and learning

Qualifications and expertise

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • PG Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Research

My research publications can be accessed from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ruth-Kirk/research.  My current research focuses on: 

  • UK Digenean Diversity Project - using phylogenetics to identify digenean parasites transmitted by freshwater snail vectors
  • UK Freshwater Fish Parasites Database with Dr Bernice Brewster
  •  Incidence, impacts and assessing risk of cercarial dermatitis
  • Cell signalling in schistosomes
  • Helminth parasites of freshwater fish, particularly introduced species

Areas of specialism

  • Aquatic parasitology

Scholarly affiliations

  • Member of the British Society for Parasitology
  • Fellow of the Linnean Society
  • Fellow of the Zoological Society of London

Research student supervision

Publications

Number of items: 51.

Article

Maharjan, Shradha, Kirk, Ruth, Lawton, Scott and Walker, Anthony (2024) Human growth factor-mediated signalling through lipid rafts regulates stem cell proliferation, development and survival of Schistosoma mansoni. Open Biology, 14(1), ISSN (online) 2046-2441

Shakir, Eman M.N., Rinaldi, Gabriel, Kirk, Ruth S. and Walker, Anthony J. (2023) 'Schistosoma mansoni' excretory-secretory products induce protein kinase signalling, hyperkinesia, and stem cell proliferation in the opposite sex. Communications Biology, 6, p. 985. ISSN (online) 2399-3642

Enabulele, Egie E., Lawton, Scott, Walker, Anthony J. and Kirk, Ruth S. (2023) Molecular epidemiological analyses reveal extensive connectivity between 'Echinostoma revolutum (sensu stricto)' populations across Eurasia and species richness of zoonotic echinostomatids in England. PLoS ONE, 18(2), e0270672. ISSN (online) 1932-6203

Maharjan, Shradha, Kirk, Ruth S, Lawton, Scott P and Walker, Anthony J (2021) Further evaluation and validation of HybridoMed Diff 1000 and its comparison to Basch medium for the cell-free culture of 'Schistosoma mansoni' juvenile worm stages. International Journal for Parasitology, 51(8), pp. 613-619. ISSN (print) 0020-7519

Rohtla, Mehis, Vilizzi, Lorenzo, Kováč, Vladimír, Almeida, David, Brewster, Bernice, Britton, J. Robert, Glowacki, Lukasz, Godard, Michael J., Kirk, Ruth, Nienhuis, Sarah, Olsson, Karin H., Simonsen, Jan, Skóra, Michal E., Stakenas, Saulius, Tarkan, Ali Serhan, Top, Nildeniz, Verreycken, Hugo, Zieba, Grzegorz and Copp, Gordon H. (2020) Review and meta-analysis of the environmental biology and potential invasiveness of a poorly-studied cyprinid, the Ide Leuciscus idus. Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture, ISSN (print) 2330-8249

Enabulele, Egie Elisha, Awharitoma, Agnes Ogheneruemu, Lawton, Scott P. and Kirk, Ruth S. (2018) First molecular identification of an agent of diplostomiasis, 'Diplostomum pseudospathaceum' (Niewiadomska 1984) in the United Kingdom and its genetic relationship with populations in Europe. Acta Parasitologica, 63(3), pp. 444-453. ISSN (print) 1230-2821

McKenzie, Maxine, Kirk, Ruth S and Walker, Anthony J (2018) Glucose uptake in the human pathogen 'Schistosoma mansoni' is regulated through Akt/Protein Kinase B signalling. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 218(1), pp. 152-164. ISSN (print) 0022-1899

Enabulele, Elisha, Lawton, Scott P., Walker, Anthony J. and Kirk, Ruth S. (2018) Molecular and morphological characterization of the cercariae of 'Lecithodendrium linstowi' (Dollfus, 1931), a trematode of bats, and incrimination of the first intermediate snail host, 'Radix balthica'. Parasitology, 145(3), pp. 307-312. ISSN (print) 0031-1820

Churchward, Colin P., Alany, Raid G., Kirk, Ruth S., Walker, Anthony J. and Snyder, Lori A. S. (2017) Prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum caused by 'Neisseria gonorrhoea' using a fatty acid-based formulation. mBio, 8(4), e00534-17. ISSN (print) 2161-2129

Ressurreicao, Margarida, Elbeyioglu, Firat, Kirk, Ruth S., Rollinson, David, Emery, Aidan M, Page, Nigel M and Walker, Anthony J. (2016) Molecular characterization of host-parasite cell signalling in 'Schistosoma mansoni' during early development. Scientific Reports, 6, p. 35614. ISSN (online) 2045-2322

Ressurreicao, Margarida, Kirk, Ruth S, Rollinson, David, Emery, Aidan M, Page, Nigel M and Walker, Anthony J (2015) Sensory protein kinase signalling in ' Schistosoma mansoni ' Cercariae : host location and invasion. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 212(11), pp. 1787-1797. ISSN (print) 0022-1899

Lawton, Scott P., Lim, Rivka M., Dukes, Juliet P., Kett, Stephen M., Cook, Richard T., Walker, Anthony J. and Kirk, Ruth S. (2015) Unravelling the riddle of ' Radix ' : DNA barcoding for species identification of freshwater snail intermediate hosts of zoonotic digeneans and estimating their inter-population evolutionary relationships. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 35, pp. 63-74. ISSN (print) 1567-1348

Ressurreicao, Margarida, De Saram, Paulu, Kirk, Ruth S., Rollinson, David, Emery, Aiden M., Page, Nigel M., Davies, Angela J. and Walker, Anthony J. (2014) Protein Kinase C and extracellular signal-regulated Kinase regulate movement, attachment, pairing and egg release in 'Schistosoma mansoni'. Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases, 8(6), ISSN (print) 1935-2727

Lawton, Scott P., Lim, Rivka M., Dukes, Juliet P., Cook, Richard T., Walker, Anthony J. and Kirk, Ruth S. (2014) Identification of a major causative agent of human cercarial dermatitis, Trichobilharzia franki (Muller and Kimmig 1994), in southern England and its evolutionary relationships with other European populations. Parasites & Vectors, 7, p. 277. ISSN (online) 1756-3305

Zahoor, Zahida, Lockyer, Anne E, Davies, Angela J, Kirk, Ruth, Emery, Aidan M, Rollinson, David, Jones, Catherine S, Noble, Leslie R and Walker, Anthony J. (2014) Differences in the gene expression profiles of Haemocytes from Schistosome-susceptible and -resistant Biomphalaria glabrata exposed to Schistosoma mansoni excretory-secretory products. PloS One, 9(3), e93215. ISSN (print) 1932-6203

Sealey, Katie L., Kirk, Ruth S., Walker, Anthony J., Rollinson, David and Lawton, Scott (2013) Adaptive radiation within the vaccine target tetraspanin-23 across nine Schistosoma species from Africa. International Journal for Parasitology, 43(1), pp. 95-103. ISSN (print) 0020-7519

Modjtahedi, H., Khelwatty, S.A., Kirk, R.S., Seddon, A.M., Essapen, S., Del Vecchio, C.A., Wong, A.J. and Eccles, S. (2012) Immunohistochemical discrimination of wild-type EGFR from EGFRvIII in fixed tumour specimens using anti-EGFR mAbs ICR9 and ICR10. British Journal of Cancer, 106, pp. 883-888. ISSN (print) 0007-0920

Bazsalovicsova, Eva, Kralova-Hromadova, Ivica, Stefka, Jan, Scholz, Tomas, Hanzelova, Vladimira, Vavrova, Sylvia, Szemes, Tomas and Kirk, Ruth (2011) Population study of Atractolytocestus huronensis (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea), an invasive parasite of common carp introduced to Europe: mitochondrial cox1 haplotypes and intragenomic ribosomal ITS2 variants. Parasitology Research, 109(1), pp. 125-131. ISSN (print) 0932-0113

Khattab, Ahmed, Wertheim, David, Petford, Nick, Kirk, Ruth, Wijesinghe, Lasantha and Ibtisam, Ali (2011) Application of confocal microscopy for 3D assessment of carotid plaque structure: implications for carotid blood flow and stroke research. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neurology, 4(2), pp. 1-4. ISSN (print) 1941-5893

Zahoor, Zahida, Davies, Angela J., Kirk, Ruth S., Rollinson, David and Walker, Anthony John (2010) Larval excretory-secretory products from the parasite Schistosoma mansoni modulate HSP70 protein expression in defence cells of its snail host, Biomphalaria glabrata. Cell Stress & Chaperones, 15(5), pp. 639-650. ISSN (print) 1355-8145

Mortazavi, Parisa N, Goldsworthy, Graham, Kirk, Ruth and Khan, Naveed A (2010) 'Acanthamoeba' produces disseminated infection in locusts and traverses the locust blood-brain barrier to invade the central nervous system. BMC Microbiology, 10(1), pp. 186-194. ISSN (online) 1471-2180

Mortazavi, P. N., Goldsworthy, G., Kirk, R. and Khan, N. A. (2009) Novel model for the in vivo study of central nervous system infection due to Acanthamoeba spp. (T4 genotype). Journal of Medical Microbiology, 58(4), pp. 503-508. ISSN (print) 0022-2615

Copp, Gordon H, Britton, J Robert, Cucherousset, Julien, Garcia-Berthou, Emili, Kirk, Ruth, Peeler, Edmund and Stakenas, Saulius (2009) Voracious invader or benign feline? A review of the environmental biology of European catfish 'Silurus glanis' in its native and introduced range. Fish and Fisheries, 10(3), pp. 252-282. ISSN (print) 1467-2960

Zahoor, Zahida, Davies, Angela J, Kirk, Ruth S, Rollinson, David and Walker, Anthony J (2009) Nitric oxide production by Biomphalaria glabrata haemocytes: effects of Schistosoma mansoni ESPs and regulation through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway. Parasites & Vectors, 2(18), ISSN (online) 1756-3305

Zahoor, Zahida, Davies, Angela J., Kirk, Ruth S., Rollinson, David and Walker, Anthony J. (2008) Disruption of ERK signalling in Biomphalaria glabrata defence cells by Schistosoma mansoni: implications for parasite survival in the snail host. Developmental & Comparative Immunology, 32(12), pp. 1561-1571. ISSN (print) 0145-305X

Kirk, R. S. (2003) The impact of Anguillicola crassus on European eels. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 10(6), pp. 385-394. ISSN (print) 0969-997x

Kirk, R.S., Morritt, D., Lewis, J.W. and Kennedy, C.R. (2002) The osmotic relationship of the swimbladder nematode Anguillicola crassus with seawater eels. Parasitology, 124(3), pp. 339-347. ISSN (print) 0031-1820

Kett, S. M., Kirk, R. S. and Tronchoni, E. (2002) Changes in aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in Bookham Common Hollows Valley Ponds from 1993 to 1998. The London Naturalist, 81, pp. 197-214. ISSN (print) 0076-0579

Kirk, Ruth S., Colclough, Steve and Sheridan, Steve (2002) Fish diversity in the River Thames. The London Naturalist, 81, pp. 75-81. ISSN (print) 0076-0579

Kirk, R S, Kennedy, C R and Lewis, J W (2000) Effect of salinity on hatching, survival and infectivity of Anguillicola crassus (Nematoda : Dracunculoidea) larvae. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 40(3), pp. 211-218. ISSN (print) 0177-5103

Kirk, R.S., Lewis, J.W. and Kennedy, C.R. (2000) Survival and transmission of Anguillicola crassus Kuwahara, Niimi & Itagaki, 1974 (Nematoda) in seawater eels. Parasitology, 120(3), pp. 289-295. ISSN (print) 0031-1820

Kett, S.M. and Kirk, R.S. (1999) A survey of the fish population in Buckingham Palace Garden Lake. The Natural History of Buckingham Palace Garden, London, Part 1 Supplement to The London Naturalist, 78, pp. 49-59. ISSN (print) 0076-0579

Kirk, R S and Lewis, J W (1998) Histopathology of Sanguinicola inermis infection in carp, Cyprinus carpio. Journal of Helminthology, 72(1), pp. 33-38. ISSN (print) 0022-149X

Kirk, R.S. and Lewis, J.W. (1996) Migration and development of the blood fluke Sanguinicola inermis Plehn, 1905 (Trematoda: Sanguinicolidae) in carp, Cyprinus carpio L. Parasitology, 113(Part 3), pp. 279-285. ISSN (print) 0031-1820

Kirk, R.S. and Lewis, J.W. (1994) The distribution and host range of species of the blood fluke Sanguinicola in British freshwater fish. Journal of Helminthology, 68(4), pp. 315-318. ISSN (print) 0022-149X

Kett, S. M. and Kirk, R. S. (1994) A survey of the aquatic macro-invertebrate communities of the Isle of Wight Pond and Western Hollow Pond, Bookham Common. The London Naturalist, 73, pp. 175-180. ISSN (print) 0076-0579

Kirk, R.S. and Lewis, J.W. (1993) An evaluation of pollutant induced changes in the gills of rainbow-trout using scanning electron microscopy. Environmental Technology, 14(6), pp. 577-585. ISSN (print) 0959-3330

Kirk, R. S. and Lewis, J. W. (1993) The life-cycle and morphology of 'Sanguinicola inermis' Plehn, 1905 (Digenea, Sanguinicolidae). Systematic Parasitology, 25(2), pp. 125-133. ISSN (print) 0165-5752

Kirk, R.S. and Lewis, J.W. (1992) The laboratory maintenance of 'Sanguinicola inermis' Plehn, 1905 (Digenea : Sanguinicolidae). Parasitology, 104(1), pp. 121-127. ISSN (print) 0031-1820

Book Section

Kirk, Ruth (2012) Sanguinicola inermis and Related Species. In: Woo, Patrick T.K. and Buchmann, Kurt, (eds.) Fish Parasites: Pathobiology and Protection. Wallingford, U.K. : CAB International. pp. 270-281. ISBN 9781845938062

Russell, Ian C., Bearhop, Stuart, Newson, Stuart E., Winney, Bruce, Allchin, Colin R. and Kirk, Ruth S. (2003) Multi-disciplinary analysis of Great Cormorant 'Phalacrocorax carbo' carcasses. In: Keller, Thomas M. , Carss, David N. , Helbig, Andreas J. and Flade, Martin, (eds.) Cormorants : Ecology and Management at the Start of the 21st Century : Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Cormorants in Freising, Germany, 17-21 December 2000. Wiebelsheim, Germany : AULA-Verlag. pp. 157-166. (Die Vogelwelt) ISSN (print) 0042-7993 ISBN 3891046677

Kirk, Ruth and Lewis, John (1994) Sanguinicoliasis in cyprinid fish in the UK. In: Pike, A.W. and Lewis, J.W., (eds.) Parasitic Diseases of Fish. Dyfed, U.K. : Samara Publishing Limited. pp. 101-117. ISBN 187369203x

Conference or Workshop Item

Kirk, Ruth and Lawton, Scott (2019) UK Schistosomatidae : wildlife parasites or zoonotic threat? In: Annual Meeting of the Australian Society for Parasitology; 08 - 11 Jul 2019, Adelaide, Australia. (Unpublished)

Snyder, Lori [Speaker], Churchward, Colin, Al-Kinani, Ali, Kirk, Ruth, Walker, Anthony J., Abdelkader, Hamdy, Swindon, J, Calder, Alan, Varnakulasingam, Thinuba and Alany, Raid (2018) A prophylaxis and treatment for gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum. In: International Pathogenic Neisseria Conference 2018; 23-28 September, 2018, Asilomar, California, USA. (Unpublished)

Micallef, R J and Kirk, R S (2018) Itchy and scratchy? An investigation of human cercarial dermatitis in the UK. In: British Society for Parasitology Spring Meeting 2018; 08 - 11 Apr 2018, Aberystwyth, Wales. (Unpublished)

Churchward, Colin, Alany, Raid, Kirk, Ruth, Walker, Tony and Snyder, Lori (2017) A promising treatment for eye infections caused by antibiotic resistant 'Neisseria gonorrhoeae'. In: 5th Mol Micro and 4th M4 Meeting; 13-14 Sep 2017, Birmingham, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Kirk, R, Corbishley, D, Edwards, S, Ghafoor, A and Jimoh, O (2017) Kingston University Mosquito Watch. In: British Society for Parasitology : 55th Annual Spring Meeting; 02 - 05 Apr 2017, Dundee, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Kirk, Ruth, Enabulele, Elisha, Lawton, Scott and Walker, Tony (2016) Trichobilharzia species in the UK : a cause for concern? In: EMOP XII : 12th European Multicolloquium of Parasitology; 20 - 24 Jul 2016, Turku, Finland. (Unpublished)

Monograph

Kirk, R.S. (2000) Checklist of parasites from British freshwater fish. (Technical Report) Huntingdon, U.K. : National Fisheries Laboratory, Environment Agency.

Kirk, R.S. (2000) Checklist of protozoans from British freshwater fish. (Technical Report) Huntingdon, U.K. : National Fisheries Laboratory, Environment Agency.

Kirk, R.S. (2000) Review of the literature on the eel parasite 'Anguillicola crassus'. (Technical Report) Huntingdon, U.K. : National Fisheries Laboratory, Environment Agency. 78 p.

This list was generated on Sun Dec 22 04:30:28 2024 GMT.

Leadership and management

I am an external and internal assessor of grant applications for international research councils and provide peer reviews for many life science journals and books.