Professor Claude Sabeta obtained a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry and an MPhil in Molecular Genetics from the University of Zimbabwe (Harare), and completed his PhD in Microbiology at the University of Pretoria (UP) in 2002.

After completing his MPhil degree, Prof Sabeta worked at the Blair Research Institute in Harare, Zimbabwe, in the Department of Infectious Diseases. He later joined the University of Zimbabwe, lecturing both undergraduate and postgraduate students in cell biology, microbiology and genetics. He was appointed as a senior research scientist and Head of the World Organisation for Animal Health Rabies Reference Laboratory at the Agricultural Research Council of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute. He joined UP as an extraordinary lecturer in 2005 and was permanently appointed in January 2022.

He works on rabies epidemiology, and develops methods for improved diagnosis and surveillance of the rabies virus. In UP’s Faculty of Veterinary Science, he collaborates with Dr Sarah Clift to assess ante-mortem methods for rabies diagnosis in dog populations. Prof Sabeta is doing research at UP because it “is aligned with institutional, national mandates for rabies epidemiology and the Sustainable Development Goals”. His research benefits the world because it contributes to the generation of targeted strategies for rabies control, and consequently improves the quality of life and health of human populations.

A recent research highlight has been his and Dr Clift’s demonstration of the routes of introduction and subsequent spread of rabies into dog populations in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, and the pivotal role of public-private partnerships in the successful control of this rabies outbreak.

Prof Sabeta’s research was inspired by US scholar Dr Charles Rupprecht and his deep understanding of rabies. His academic role model is Prof Louis Nel of UP’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, who introduced him to the field of virology and specifically rabies.

Prof Sabeta hopes his research will provide more practical solutions to rabies diagnoses and better surveillance of the disease. His research matters, he says, because, with other contributors, it contributes to the understanding of the transmission dynamics of rabies between wildlife, domestic animals and humans; this understanding is crucial to break the transmission cycles and ultimately eliminate the disease.

As for advice to school learners and undergraduate students who are interested in infectious diseases in animals, he has this to say: “You will need to gain a good understanding of the pathogen and its patterns of infection in different host species. Such an understanding is crucial and can contribute to disease control. One can also pursue studies in veterinary or medical sciences, then specialise in infectious diseases; this is against the backdrop that some aspects of human and animal pathogens, such as rabies, are interlinked.”

In his free time, Prof Sabeta enjoys travelling and photography.