Rate My Professor Patricia Pesavento

Pesavento's research as an anatomic pathologist and molecular virologist focuses on novel viral discoveries, pathogenesis of persistent infections, and disease patterns in animal shelters, at the human-wildlife interface, and in the food chain. Her laboratory has characterized 22 novel viruses, including amdoparvoviruses in red pandas, foxes, fisher cats, skunks, and other carnivores; canine diarrhea-associated viruses such as amdo-, kobu-, sapporo-, and circoviruses; neurotropic astroviruses in bovine and ovine species; canine and avian papillomaviruses; and oncogenic polyomaviruses in raccoons, bears, red pandas, alpacas, and rats. Current efforts target amdoparvovirus persistence, RacPyV-associated neuroglial tumors, and circovirus diseases in dogs and bears. She has contributed to FIP vaccine development and received the inaugural SOCK FIP Endowed Chair in Feline Infectious Disease Research. Key publications include 'Faecal virome of cats in an animal shelter' (2014), 'Common and Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Animal Shelter' (2014), 'Circovirus in Tissues of Dogs with Vasculitis and Hemorrhagic Enteritis' (2013), 'Divergent Astrovirus Associated with Neurologic Disease in Cattle and Sheep' (2013), 'Feline Infectious Peritonitis mRNA Vaccine Elicits Both Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses in Mice' (2024), and 'Amdoparvovirus-associated disease in red pandas (Ailurus fulgens)' (2024). With 136 publications and over 8,600 citations, her work advances understanding of emerging zoonotic threats.