COVID-19: Why it matters that scientists continue their search for source of ‘patient zero’s’ infection

Posted on March 13, 2020

The current COVID-19 outbreak is driven by a novel coronavirus (SARS CoV-2) that is spreading between people. The first human infections were reported at the end of December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province in China when a cluster of 41 pneumonia cases was identified. Deeper analysis showed that it...

The pathogen discoverer – in search of novel and/or emerging tick-borne pathogens

Posted on November 01, 2017

Prof Marinda Oosthuizen is a pathogen discoverer, always on the lookout for novel and/or emerging tick-borne pathogens. Understanding what something is, why it is there and what it can do is her forte.

World Rabies Day: What you need to know

Posted on September 28, 2017

Today is World Rabies Day. Prof Andrew Leisewitz from the Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies at UP, shares some important facts about rabies, the only infectious disease that carries a 100% mortality rate.

UP researchers weigh in on bird flu outbreak

Posted on July 19, 2017

University of Pretoria (UP) researchers are working with the poultry industry and the National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to contain the current bird flu outbreak in South Africa.

Alien invasion - the threat is real

Posted on May 18, 2017

Dr Katelyn Faulkner and Prof Mark Robertson, from the Centre for Invasion Biology at the University of Pretoria, looked at the risks posed by alien species transported as stowaways on ships traveling to South Africa.