Register now for the 3rd ITM alumni webinar featuring the winners of the Prize for Global Research 2026!

This new series of ITM alumni webinars features the winners of the Province of Antwerp’s Prize for Global Research 2026. The annual prize recognises high-quality, original and development-relevant research by ‘master-after-master’ students at ITM and other higher education institutes, and aims to stimulate global research.

In webinar #3, MGOH alumna and laureate Anna-Leigh La Reservee (South Africa) will present insights from her master’s thesis: “Molecular characterisation of Bacillus anthracis and other spore-forming bacteria at the wildlife-livestock interface of the Ngorongoro conservation area in Tanzania. ”

The thesis explores the molecular epidemiology of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), placing Tanzanian isolates within a broader southern and eastern African context. Anthrax remains endemic in the NCA, where wildlife, livestock and people share the same environment and pastoralist communities depend heavily on livestock for their livelihoods. Understanding how B. anthracis strains circulate in this interconnected ecosystem is therefore relevant to microbiology and epidemiology, as well as public health, animal health, wildlife conservation and local livelihoods.

By interpreting molecular findings within their ecological and societal context, the thesis exemplifies a One Health approach, recognising that human, animal and environmental health are interconnected. Its findings support practical recommendations, including targeted pre-season vaccination, improved community education on zoonotic disease, strengthened carcass reporting and disposal, and closer collaboration between pastoralist communities and veterinary and public-health authorities.

During the webinar, Anna-Leigh will present her main findings, recommendations and conclusions. The Q&A, moderated by her thesis supervisor Prof. Henriette van Heerden, will give participants an opportunity to ask questions.

SPEAKER

     - Anna-Leigh La Reservee, MGOH-alumna 2026, South Africa

MODERATOR

    - Prof. Henriette van Heerden, Professor Molecular Biology, University of Pretoria, South Africa