/ 3 May 2002

Expertise lost

Dr Frank Vreede, a molecular genetics expert, is now in Europe. He is specialising in controlling gene expression by manipulating animal responses to vaccination to optimise immunity.

Dr Mandy Bastos, a molecular epidemiologist, specialising in foot and mouth disease. She had played a large part for tracing the origin of the disease.

Dr Kelly Brayton, molecular parasitology expert, working on vaccine development is in Washington. She had trained in the techniques needed for parasite whole genome sequencing.

Dr Etienne de Villiers, a bio-informatics expert, now works in Nairobi. Bio-informaticians are essential computer experts who analyse the masses of genome sequencing data.

Nico Gunter and Henriette Macmillan, both cellular immunologists, working on vaccine development. They worked on understanding how animals control infections with parasites that live inside the animal’s cells.

Dr Mary-Louise Penrith (see article).

Dr Leon Prozesky, veterinary pathologist and former head of pathology, has experience of performing post-mortem diagnoses of tropical diseases.

Dr Theo de Waal, veterinary parasitologist. Previous head of parasitology department, now works in the United Kingdom. Expertise in tropical parasites of domestic animals.

Dr Albie van Dijk, a virologist and previous head of biochemistry department, now works in Australia. He has developed vaccines against tropical viral diseases such as African horse sickness and bluetongue.

Dr Gavin Thomson, Internationally recognised expert in foot and mouth disease and rabies. Previous director of Onderstepoort, he now works in Nairobi and is an international consultant on foot and mouth disease.

Dr Durr Bezuidenhout, an expert in heartwater disease. Previous director of research who took early retirement. Heartwater disease is a tick-borne disease and killer of cattle, sheep and goats.

Dr Janusz Paweska, previous head of the virology department, with experience in tropical virological diseases of animals and man. He is a consultant on Ebola fever in Central Africa.

Dr Jan du Preez, the previous head of the technology transfer department, which was closed.