Graduate of the Veterinary School of the University of Thessaly (2004) specializing in Ichthyopathology after obtaining an MSc (2009) and a PhD from the same Department (2010). She holds another MSc title, Bioeconomy: Biotechnology and Law, International Hellenic University (2020). Lecturer (407/80) of the courses of the “Ichthyology and Ichthyopathology” laboratory of the Veterinary School of UTH 2007-2011 and 2013-2014 and teacher of postgraduate courses (total 98 hours). Postdoctoral Researcher, 2013-2015 and Researcher at the Veterinary Research Institute of ELGO-Dimitra, 2016-2022. Diploma of the EBVS® European College of Aquatic Animal Health (dipECAAH). She has been working at the Laboratory of Applied Hydrobiology since 2022.

Her research activities are related to aquatic animal diseases, health and welfare. Her research includes the use of the sciences of veterinary epidemiology, physiology and immunology for the diagnosis of various diseases and the prevention and treatment with alternative methods as well as developing vaccine formulations. She is also involved in public health issues (aquatic animal-human diseases, foodborne diseases).

Lattos A., Giantsis I.A., Tsavea E., Kolygas M., Athanasopoulou F., and Bitchava K. (2022) Virulence genes and in vitro antibiotic profile of Photobacterium damselae strains, isolated from fish reared in Greek aquaculture facilities. Animals, accepted, to be published.

Lattos, Α., Bitchava, Κ., Giantsis, Ι.Α., Theodorou, J.A., Batargias, C., Michaelidis, B. (2021) The Implication of Vibrio Bacteria in the Winter Mortalities of the Critically Endangered Pinna nobilis. Microorganisms, 9(5), 922 https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9050922

Kotzamanidis, C., Malousi, A., Bitchava, K., Vafeas, G., Chatzidimitriou, D., Skoura, L., … & Zdragas, A. (2020) First Report of Isolation and Genome Sequence of L. petauri Strain from a Rainbow Trout Lactococcosis Outbreak. Current Microbiology, 1-8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-020-01905-8

Lampou, E., Dovas, C., Margaroni, M., Chasalevris, T., Pappas, I. S., Dotsika, E., … & Bitchava, K. (2020) Investigation of routes of entry and dispersal pattern of RGNNV in tissues of European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax. Journal of Fish Diseases, 43(11), 1363-1371 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfd.13215

Bitchava, K, Chasalevris, T., Lampou, E., Athanassopoulou, F., Economou, V., Dovas, C.I. (2019), Occurrence and molecular characterization of betanodaviruses in fish and invertebrates of the Greek territorial waters. Journal of Fish Diseases, 42(12), 1773-1783 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfd.13098