Dr Henriette van Heerden
Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases,
Veterinary Science Faculty
Henriette.vanheerden@up.ac.za
Zoonoses and vaccine
development
Key Publications
Phillips, S.M., Dubery, I.A., Van
Heerden, H. 2013. Identification and
molecular characterisation of a lectin
receptor-like kinase (GhlecRF-2)
from cotton. Plant Molecular Biology
Reporter 31: 9-20.
Henriette van Heerden (née Britz) obtained a PhD with her thesis
entitled ‘Fusarium subglutinans f. sp. pini, a taxonomic, molecular
Esterhuizen, L.L., Mabasa, K.G., Van
Heerden, S.W., Czosnek, H., Brown,
and population study’ at the University of Pretoria (UP). In January
J.K., Van Heerden, H. & Rey, M.E.C.
2013. Genetic identification of members
2000 she joined the ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute
of the Bemisia tabaci cryptic species
complex from South Africa. Journal of
and worked on the heartwater programme that completed the
Applied Entomology 137: 122-135.
sequencing of the entire 1.51 Mb genome of Ehrlichia ruminantium,
Gomo, C., Musari, S., De GarineWichatitsky, M., Caron, A., Pfukenyi,
and was published in a highly ISI-accredited journal (PNAS (2005)
D.M. & Van Heerden, H. 2012.
Detection of Brucella abortus in Chiredzi
102: 838-843). This was the first genome sequencing project of
district in Zimbabwe. Onderstepoort
any cellular organism from Africa and a significant achievement. In
Journal of Veterinary Research 79. DOI:
10.4102/ojvr.v79i1.417.
October 2003 she started her academic career in the Department
Esterhuizen, L.L., Van Heerden, S.W.,
Rey, M.E.C. & Van Heerden, H. 2012.
of Biochemistry at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in plant
Genetic identification of two sweet
pathogens. She was offered a position at the Department of
potato infecting begomoviruses in South
Africa. Archives of Virology 157: 2 241-2
Veterinary Tropical Diseases (DVTD) at UP in January 2008 and
245.
established
research projects
in zoonotic diseases, primarily focusing on anthrax
and brucellosis. She extensively collaborates with
the University of Hohenheim, Germany.
Research
Dr Van Heerden’s research involves molecular
characterisation of anthrax and brucellosis as well
as a vaccine development project investigating
the immunogenicity and protectivity of a live
spore Bacillus anthracis vaccine vs recombinant
peptide and DNA vaccine in goats. Specifically,
her research focuses on the investigation of the
molecular and environmental epidemiology of
anthrax in South Africa, as well as on the fate of
Bacillus anthracis in environmental habitats and
within insect vectors.
23