Biography

Upon completion of his M. Phil degree, Dr Sabeta worked at the Blair Research Institute in Harare (Zimbabwe) (in the Department of Infectious Diseases) and later joined the University of Zimbabwe as a lecturer teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate students (Cell Biology, Microbiology and Genetics). Dr Sabeta completed a PhD degree in Molecular Virology at the University of Pretoria (Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences) in 2002, and was then appointed as a Senior Research Scientist and Head of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Rabies Reference Laboratory at the Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute. He has supervised several honours, MSc and PhD students. Dr Sabeta has authored and co-authored 70 research papers in both local and international journals including four book chapters notably the WOAH Scientific and Technical Review, Laboratory Techniques for Rabies, Current Laboratory Techniques in Rabies Diagnosis, Research and Prevention, Advances in Virus Research and the Scientific Basis of the Disease and its Management.  At present, Dr Sabeta is an Associate Editor for BMC Infectious Diseases and participates as a reviewer for several journals including Vaccine, Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases, Plos One, Nature Scientific Reports, Acta Tropica, Veterinary Record, Virus Research, Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, Epidemiology and Infection

Professional and academic experience

• 31 years experience as researcher
• 28 years experience as virologist
• 8 years experience as lecturer

Professional memberships

• South African Veterinary Council (SAVC)
• South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP)
• African Virology Network (AVN)

Subjects taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels

• Veterinary microbiology and viral pathogenesis
• Veterinary Infectious Diseases
• Laboratory Diagnostics

Research interests

Investigating pathogens at the veterinary/human interface with specific focus on the epidemiology/evolution, infection dynamics and host immunity of zoonotic RNA viruses.

Collaboration

National Institute of Communicable Diseases (Johannesburg), North West University (Mahikeng), Agricultural Research Council (South Africa), Animal and Plant Health Agency (United Kingdom), Erasmus University (Netherlands), National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI, Nigeria), Federal University of Agriculture (Makurdi, Nigeria).

Postgraduate Students

• MSc: Ms Abigail Mileham (Molecular epidemiology of rabies in Mpumalanga, 2021-), Dr Kgabo Veronica Letsoalo (Analysis of rabies control measures in the Limpopo province from a one-health perspective, 2022-), Ms Antoinette Khoane (Molecular characterization of cattle lyssavirus variants and identification of factors linked to cattle to cattle exposures in North-West Province, South Africa; 2019-).

• PhD: Ms Kgaogelo Mogano (A spatial and temporal analysis of animal and human rabies in northern South Africa: 1998-2017 (2022- ), Dr E Ogolu, (Novel biomarkers of rabies virus infection of the central nervous system).

Research output/publications

• 70 publications in peer-reviewed or refereed journals
• 4 book chapters
• 2 full-length conference papers/keynote addresses
• 4 non-refereed publications
• 2 technical reports

NRF rating

C2 rating