Wildlife disease epidemiology
Surveillance of tick-borne and bacterial pathogens across South African game reserves, mapping infection, coinfection and exposure in 22+ wildlife species.
Wildlife veterinarian & research scientist
Carlo Andrea Cossu
Tropical diseases of wildlife · One Health
Studying the tropical diseases of African wildlife within a One Health framework, bridging field epidemiology, molecular diagnostics and data-driven surveillance.
About
One Health, from the field to the genome
I am a veterinarian and research scientist specialised in wildlife and tropical diseases within a One Health framework, currently a Research Fellow at the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria.
My work combines field epidemiology, molecular and serological diagnostics, bacteriology and phylogenetics with computational skills (SQL, R, PHP/Laravel, bioinformatics) to advance digital innovation and data-driven surveillance. Much of my fieldwork takes place across South African game reserves, including Kruger National Park.
11Publications
71Citations
2.3k+Reads
Education & training
- 2026 →Research Fellow — University of Pretoria
- 2023–26PhD, Veterinary Tropical Diseases — University of Pretoria
- 2022–23MSc, Veterinary Tropical Diseases — University of Pretoria
- 2014–20DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine — University of Padua
- 2019–22Wildlife veterinary training at Kruger National Park & Lapalala Wilderness
Research
Wildlife health at the interface of disease and ecology
My research investigates the pathogens circulating in African wildlife: how they move across the wildlife–livestock interface, and what they mean for animal and public health.
Brucellosis & the One Health interface
Epidemiology and phylogenomics of Brucella in South African wildlife, including B. abortus in African buffalo of Kruger National Park, and its dynamics with cattle.
Systematic reviews & meta-analysis
Continental syntheses of molecular prevalence across ticks, zebra, and the distribution of Theileria, Babesia, Anaplasmataceae and Rickettsiaceae in African wild mammals.
Molecular diagnostics & genomics
Improved detection and sequencing methods, whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetics that turn laboratory data into data-driven surveillance.
Recent highlight · in the media
Microplastics in the organs of wild animals
Presented at the Sardinia Symposium 2025, our study found nylon fragments and other microplastics in the lungs and blood of wildlife sampled in South African reserves, areas long considered pristine. A signal that synthetic fibres are infiltrating even the most remote ecosystems, with potential effects along the food chain.
“We found a surprising concentration of nylon, a polymer typically derived from textiles and everyday packaging. No ecosystem, not even the untouched ones, is shielded any more.”
Cossu, Poli, Litti & Lavagnolo — University of Padua & University of Pretoria · covered by Corriere della Sera ↗
Publications
Selected publications
Peer-reviewed research in wildlife and veterinary tropical diseases. Full list available on ORCID and ResearchGate.
- 2026DOI ↗
Improved Detection and Sequencing of Rickettsia spp. DNA in South African Wildlife
Veterinary Medicine and Science
- 2026DOI ↗
The continental distribution of Theileria and Babesia species in African wild mammals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of molecular prevalence
Preventive Veterinary Medicine
- 2025DOI ↗
Epidemiological baseline of Brucella spp. in South African wildlife
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
- 2025DOI ↗
Widespread infections with bacterial and protozoan tick-borne pathogens in 22 wildlife species across South African game reserves
Acta Tropica
- 2025DOI ↗
Phylogenomics of Brucella abortus isolated from African buffalo in Kruger National Park: new perspectives on wildlife–cattle disease dynamics
Veterinary Microbiology
- 2024DOI ↗
Occurrence and molecular prevalence of Anaplasmataceae, Rickettsiaceae and Coxiellaceae in African wildlife: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Preventive Veterinary Medicine
- 2024DOI ↗
Detection of tick-borne pathogen coinfections and coexposures to foot-and-mouth disease, brucellosis and Q fever in selected wildlife from Kruger (SA) and Etosha (Namibia)
Transboundary and Emerging Diseases
- 2023DOI ↗
Distribution and prevalence of Anaplasmataceae, Rickettsiaceae and Coxiellaceae in African ticks: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Microorganisms
- 2022DOI ↗
The significance of viral, bacterial and protozoan infections in zebra: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence
Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy
- 2017DOI ↗
Animal waste and waste animal by-products generated along the livestock breeding and meat food chain
Waste Management
Research software · One Health
Aleph∞One
A One Health platform I built to manage the full life of epidemiological data: sample registration, lab tracking, biobanking and literature in one relational system. It has powered five years of wildlife-disease research and the data behind several of my publications.
5years in use
28k+experimental results
4.4k+biological samples
7publications powered
- Samples, experiments, biobank and literature in one relational core
- A human–animal–environment data model with full traceability
- Built with Laravel, SQL and Livewire, with live dashboards and geospatial maps
Science communication
CarlVet Wildlife
A science-communication project sharing the biology, anatomy, behaviour and diseases of wild animals, making wildlife science accessible to a community of over 7,000 followers.
Contact
Let’s collaborate
Open to research collaborations, fieldwork and One Health projects in wildlife and tropical diseases.