Bjoern C. Schaeffner, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology
Biography
Dr. Schaeffner is an Associate Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine and part of the Aquatic Animal Medicine team at SGU. His main area of research revolves around the captivating world of fish parasites, with a primary focus on their evolutionary history, systematics, and biodiversity. Current, collaborative research assesses the ecosystem health and impacts of global change and anthropogenic effects on host-parasite systems using fishes and their parasites as sentinel species to preserve ancient interrelationships and aquatic life for the future. At SGU, Dr. Schaeffner will strengthen the marine and freshwater research stream within the School. Apart from directing SGU graduate students in parasitological research, Dr. Schaeffner engages in the new area of parasite conservation as a member of the IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group.
Dr. Schaeffner received his PhD in Veterinary Science from the University of Melbourne. He then undertook several postdoctoral research fellowships at academic institutions in the Czech Republic, Brazil, and South Africa. Prior to joining SGU, Dr. Schaeffner served as an Associate Professor in Research at the Institute for Experimental Pathology of the University of Iceland. Dr. Schaeffner has formed research collaborations with renowned experts and institutions worldwide, advancing knowledge in his field of interest and contributing to multidisciplinary studies. Parasitological and ecological research outputs led to numerous international conference proceedings and publications in renowned academic journals.
Contact Information
Areas of Interest
- Marine and Freshwater Parasitology
- Invertebrate Systematics
- Biodiversity Science
- Parasite Conservation
Affiliations
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission
- IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group
- North-West University (Potchefstroom, South Africa)
- Czech Academy of Sciences (Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic)
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain)
- Natural History Museum (London, UK)
- University of Rostock (Rostock, Germany)
- University of Duisburg-Essen (Essen, Germany)
- University of Iceland (Reykjavik, Iceland)
- KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (Durban, South Africa)
- South African Shark Conservancy (Hermanus, South Africa)
Selected Publications
- Dallarés, S., Barría, C.F., & Schaeffner, B.C. (2025). Integrative taxonomy in action: a new genus of phyllobothriid tapeworms (Cestoda: Phyllobothriidea), with insights on potential transmission pathways and influences of environmental gradients on diversity patterns of the group. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 204, zlaf039. doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf039
- Van der Spuy, L., Erasmus, J.H., Nachev, M., Schaeffner, B.C., Sures, B., Wepener, V., Smit, N.J. (2023). The use of fish parasitic isopods as element accumulation indicators in marine pollution monitoring. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 194, 115385. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115385
- Van der Spuy, L., Erasmus, J.H., Nachev, M., Schaeffner, B.C., Sures, B., Wepener, V., Smit, N.J. (2023). The use of fish parasitic isopods as element accumulation indicators in marine pollution monitoring. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 194, 115385. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115385
- Lisnerová, M., Martinek, I.N., Alama-Bermejo, G., Bouberlová, K., Schaeffner, B.C., Nkabi, N., Holzer, A.S., Bartošová-Sojková, P. (2022). An ancient alliance: Matching evolutionary patterns of cartilaginous fishes (Elasmobranchii) and chloromyxid parasites (Myxozoa). Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 103, 105346. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2022.105346
- Van Der Spuy, L., Smit, N.J., & Schaeffner, B.C. (2022). Threatened, host-specific affiliates of a red-listed host: Three new species of Acanthobothrium van Beneden, 1849 (Cestoda: Onchoproteocephalidea) from the endangered white skate, Rostroraja alba (Lacépède). International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 17: 114–126. doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.12.010
- Pretorius, C., Smit, N.J., Schaeffner, B.C., & Cook, A.C. (2021). The neglected diversity: Description and molecular characterisation of Trypanosoma haploblephari Yeld and Smit, 2006 from endemic catsharks (Scyliorhinidae) in South Africa, the first trypanosome sequence data from sharks globally. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 15: 143–152. doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.04.008
- Schaeffner, B.C., & Smit, N. (2019). Parasites of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) in South Africa – a neglected field of marine science. Folia Parasitologica, 66: 002. doi: 10.14411/fp.2019.002
- Schaeffner, B.C., Ditrich, O., & Kuchta, R. (2018). A century of taxonomic uncertainty: re-description of two species of tapeworms (Diphyllobothriidea) from Arctic seals. Polar Biology, 41: 2543–2559. doi: 10.1007/s00300-018-2396-0
- Schaeffner, B.C., & Marques, F.P.L. (2018). Integrative taxonomy unravels the species diversity of Parachristianella Dollfus, 1946 (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha) from both sides of the Panamanian isthmus. Invertebrate Systematics, 32: 278–318. doi: 10.1071/IS17008
- Schaeffner, B. C., & Beveridge, I. (2014). The trypanorhynch cestode fauna of Borneo. Zootaxa, 3900: 021–049. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3900.1.2
Selected Projects
- Research stream: “Conservation of ancient relationships: Integrative approach using marine fish assemblages and their parasites to assess ecosystem health” PI: BC Schaeffner & D Marancik Windward Islands Research & Education Foundation (WINDREF): One Health Research Initiative (OHRI) grant number: OHRI 02-03-25 Abstract: The marine waters of Grenada are home to diverse marine fish assemblages. While some of these fish species face conservation concerns, the true extent of threatened biodiversity remains vastly underestimated. Parasitic organisms are an overlooked and neglected faunal component of marine ecosystems, with a higher risk of extinction than their definitive hosts. Marine fishes and their parasites form an ancient host-parasite system which co-existed, adapted, and persisted for millions of years. However, fish parasites in the Windward Islands, and particularly from Grenada, remain largely unexplored, with a vast proportion of the diversity awaiting scientific discovery. This project aims to enhance our understanding of fish parasites, assess the ‘hidden’ parasite diversity, explore the biogeographic distribution, and assess the extinction risks of these host-parasite systems within the East Caribbean ecoregion. The ultimate goal is to establish host-parasite conservation strategies to ensure the protection of threatened fish species and their associated parasites, preserve their ancient interrelationships, and actively promote marine conservation efforts.
- Fish Parasites of Canada (Czech Academy of Sciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, St. Norbert College)
- Influence of environmental stressors and bioaccumulation of heavy metals and pesticides in cartilaginous fishes in Iceland (North-West University, University of Duisburg-Essen)
- Zoonotic parasites of domestic animals and impacts of international pet transportation (University of Iceland)
- Global assessment of acanthocephalan parasites using mitogenomics (Natural History Museum)
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