Biography

Jan Ernst Crafford was born in the small town of Mutare in Zimbabwe in 1968 and grew up on a farm north of Polokwane in Limpopo Province. He graduated as a veterinarian from the University of Pretoria in 1992, and worked as a state veterinarian in the former Bophuthatswana and as a clinical assistant in a mixed veterinary practice in Polokwane. In 1996 he accepted a position as lecturer in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health at the Veterinary Faculty of the then Medical University of Southern Africa (Medunsa), currently known as University of Limpopo. In 1999 he was appointed as senior lecturer in the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases at the University of Pretoria. He obtained an MSc in Veterinary Science cum laude in 2002 and completed his PhD in 2014. In his thesis, ‘Immune responses to modified-live and recombinant African horse sickness virus vaccines’, he evaluated several aspects of immunity induced by different African horse sickness virus vaccines.

Professional and academic experience

• BVSc, MSc (Veterinary Science)

Teaching:

• DVN I Microbiology- Immunology
• BSc III Imminobiology
• BVSc III Immunology
• BVSc V Viral diseases of small stock pigs and horses
• MSc Veterinary Tropical Diseases: Applied Serology

Professional memberships

Registered as Veterinarian with South African Veterinary Council

Subjects taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels

Veterinary Immunology
Veterinary Infectious Diseases
Viral diseases in Small Stock Health and Production
Viral diseases in Equine Clinical Studies
Viral diseases in Porcine Health and Production
Surveillance and Diagnostics

Research interests

Dr Crawford’s main interests are in immunology particularly in studying the host response to various vaccines as well as the development of diagnostic assays. There is currently a strong research group in the Department of Genetics under leadership of Dr Christine Maritz-Olivier focusing on adapting recombinant anti-tick vaccines to livestock in Africa. Dr Crafford is intimately involved with this group focusing on various aspects of anti- ick immunity in cattle. Other projects include the study of the humoral and cell-mediated immunity to Zona pellucida (ZP)-based immune-contraception in mares (in collaboration with Prof Henk Bertschinger and Prof Martin Schulman from the Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies); Comparative studies on immunogenicity and protectivity of a live spore Bacillus anthracis vaccine vs. recombinant peptide and DNA vaccine in goats and mice (in collaboration with Dr Henriette van Heerden from The Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases) and the validation of an existing lion IFN-gamma-specific capture ELISA that was developed by Maas et al (Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 149 (2012) 292– 297).

Current research projects:

• An integrative approach to the development of a vaccine against the cattle tick, R microplus: Cattle host immune responses during tick infestation.

Anti-tick vaccines have been proven as successful tick-control method with two commercially available vaccines being used across the world since the 1990s. However, these current tick vaccines have a relatively small impact on tick infestation overall. A major herd-to-herd variation in the efficacy of these vaccines was observed depending on the ticks species targeted as well as the geographical region. There is currently a strong research group in the Department of Genetics under leadership of Dr Christine Maritz-Olivier focusing on adapting recombinant anti-tick vaccines to livestock in Africa. Dr Crafford is intimately involved with this group focusing on various aspects of anti- ick immunity in cattle and is co-supervising PhD and MSc students.
Students from the Department of Genetics: Annette-Christi Barnsard (Post Doc), Sabine Richarchs (PhD), Marriette Ferreirera (MSc)

• Comparative studies on immunogenicity and protectivity of a live spore Bacillus anthracis vaccine vs. recombinant peptide and DNA vaccine in goats and mice.

Dr Crafford is a co-supervisor of a PhD student in this study lead by Dr Henriette van Heerden
Student: Okechukwu C Ndumnego

• Immunology of native and recombinant porcine zona pellucida vaccines in the mare

As with all vaccines, ZP-based immunocontraception relies on the development of an immune response to antigens delivered as a vaccine, involving both humoral and cell-mediated activity. Anti-ZP antibody titres have been correlated to contraceptive efficacy in the mare No cell-mediated immunological studies have been reported in the mare undergoing immunocontraception using ZP-vaccines. The aim of this study is to include immunological tests to be run on cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC’s). These tests will include ELISpot and cell proliferation using carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) with T-cell phenotyping using flow cytometry.
Dr Crafford is a co-supervisor of a PhD student in this study lead by Prof Henk Bertschinger and Prof Martin Schulman
Student from the Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies: Carrolyn Tarr (PhD)

• Validation of lion-specific interferon gamma assay

The ongoing spread of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) in African free-ranging lion populations, for example in the Kruger National Park, raises the need for diagnostic assays for BTB in lions. In this project a sensitive, lion IFN-gamma-specific capture ELISA that was developed by Maas et al (Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 149 (2012) 292– 297) will be further validated.
Student: Nozipho Khumalo (MSc –Registered at UNISA)

• The potential of chemically synthetic mycolic acids as vaccine adjuvants

The current TB vaccine has been shown to exhibit many problems including: differences in the strains of vaccine produced, varying functionality in different geographical locations, and not always accurate in adult patients. At present a number of new vaccine candidates are being explored that are believed to function better than the existing available vaccine. Mycolic acids have been shown to possess potential immune steering properties that are being explored in diagnostics, therapeutics and prevention. In this study chemically synthetic MA will be investigated as possible vaccine adjuvants to investigate their immune steering properties in the case of prevention. This is currently a project in the Department of Biochemistry under supervision of Prof Jan Verschoor. Dr Crafford is involved as co-supervisor on a study entitled “Effect of administration frequency of an oil-in-water adjuvanted (MF59) vaccine on antibody regulation in cattle”
Student from the Department of Biochemistry: Heena Ranchod (MSc)

• Development and evaluation of multicomponent clostridial and non-clostridial vaccine for the active immunization of sheep

This project is under the supervision of Dr Henriette van Heerden and Dr Crafford is acting as co-supervisor.
Student: Angela Buys (PhD).

Postgraduate Students

• An integrative approach to the development of a vaccine against the cattle tick, R microplus: Cattle host immune responses during tick infestation.
  Co-supervisor: Department of Genetics: Annette-Christi Barnsard (Post Doc), Sabine Richarchs (PhD), Marriette Ferreirera (MSc)
• Comparative studies on immunogenicity and protectivity of a live spore Bacillus anthracis vaccine vs. recombinant peptide and DNA vaccine in goats and mice.
  Co-supervisor: Okechukwu C Ndumnego (PhD)
• Immunology of native and recombinant porcine zona pellucida vaccines in the mare
  Co-supervisor: Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies: Carrolyn Tarr (PhD)
• Validation of lion-specific interferon gamma assay
  Nozipho Khumalo (MSc –Registered at UNISA)
• The potential of chemically synthetic mycolic acids as vaccine adjuvants
  Co-supervisor: Department of Biochemistry: Heena Ranchod (MSc)
• Development and evaluation of multicomponent clostridial and non-clostridial vaccine for the active immunization of sheep
  Co-supervisor: Angela Buys (PhD).

Research output/publications

• 1 publication in peer-reviewed or refereed journals
• 1 congress proceeding
• 6 non-refereed publications