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Issue 52 | May 2009
Linfa Wang, an internationally
recognised expert in identifying
new and emerging diseases of
bat origin, is based at CSIRO
Livestock Industries' Australian
Animal Health Laboratory
in Geelong, Victoria
Linfa Wang is an internationally recognised expert in identifying new and emerging diseases of bat origin – in fact in 2003 the World Health Organisation (WHO) approached Linfa to assist in the global investigation of the SARS virus outbreak of that year.
Linfa is based at CSIRO Livestock Industries' Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), in Geelong.
Working as a Science Leader for the Office of the Chief Executive and Senior Principal Research Scientist, Linfa leads a large project group consisting of more than 20 staff members that focus on research into new and emerging viruses affecting both humans and animals.
Linfa also plays an active role in the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Linfa said one of his career highlights was his experience with WHO in 2003.
'Taking part in investigating the SARS virus outbreak provided me with the opportunity to lead an international team – which included five institutes from three nations – to finally successfully identify bats as the natural reservoir of SARS-like viruses', he said.
This finding, published in Science in 2005, saw Linfa and his team received the 2006 CSIRO Award for Excellence in Partnership.
Linfa also led an Australia-Malaysia collaboration that discovered a novel bat orthoreovirus, the Melaka virus, which can cause an acute respiratory disease in humans.
According to Linfa, emerging new viruses and the threat of bioterrorism has put infectious diseases into sharp focus internationally.
More than 860 zoonotic diseases, those affecting both humans and animals, have been identified and a staggering 75 per cent (approximately) of new or re-emerging human diseases have been found to have originated in animals.
While bats have been implicated as the natural host of a growing list of viruses including Hendra, Nipah, Ebola and SARS, they can tolerate viral infection rarely showing clinical signs. When some of these viruses switch hosts, from bats to humans or other animals, the effect can be fatal.
'Bats appear to have a highly effective 'viral radar' system, which provides them with broad spectrum protection against viral attack', Linfa said. 'By focussing our research effort on bat immunology and the bat virus-host interaction, we aim to better control bat borne viruses and hopefully develop novel antiviral therapeutic strategies in general.'
During his life and working career Linfa has been inspired by those around him.
'My parents taught me that being a nice person is the most important thing in one's life and my PhD supervisor showed me, through his career, that you can be a world famous scientist and still maintain the humble nature of an ordinary human being', he said.
Linfa enjoys the discovery and investigative nature of researching new and unknown viruses as it provides him with the opportunity to work with individuals who are highly motivated and hungry for new knowledge.
Linfa Wang – a Science Leader for the Office of the Chief Executive and Senior Principal Research Scientist – leads a large project group that focus on research into new and emerging viruses that affect both humans and animals
