We’ve all heard of veterinarians, who we commonly see as the ‘animal healers’, but in fact, there are other branches of veterinary science that studies diseases in animals - with veterinary parasitology being one of them.
Professor Sparagano teaches and researches at the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences in City University as a professor of veterinary parasitology. He mainly conducts research relating to vector-borne diseases - diseases transmitted by creatures such as mosquitoes, flies, ticks, and mice. He studied in France and worked for 25 years in the UK, until he came to Hong Kong when the first vet school opened here, presenting to him the opportunity to work on new parasites and diseases.
Working as a parasitologist
So what exactly does a parasitologist do? Many may think this branch of science mostly involves dead bodies, investigating the parasite that killed an animal. However, Prof. Sparagano clears this misconception by stating that very often this is not the case. “We try to work with the live animals to protect them,” he says, “It's not just working under the microscope every day.” Parasitologists can work in a lab or in the field, and in governments, institutions, or food companies, just to name a few.
The most effective way of combating parasite diseases is to understand the parasites themselves, according to Prof. Sparagano. Parasites have been evolving with humans for many centuries, building resistance to our immune system, the drugs, and the vaccinations we produce and have even adapted to hide within the cells of an animal. There are a lot of diseases humans are still struggling to fight and to win, including malaria, and of course, Covid-19. In the case of malaria, certain drugs are starting to not work anymore, prompting the need for more research as the world loses one million people a year to malaria. Prof. Sparagano mentions that currently more research is being conducted to block the vectors instead of the disease itself. By stopping one vector, say, a mosquito, different kinds of diseases transmitted by that vector could be stopped at the same time. Understanding parasites is the best way to develop useful new drugs and vaccines against them, which makes the study of parasitology necessary both currently and in the future.
As the head of ethics in the university, Prof. Sparagano says it is crucial to practice ethically in his research work. “The baseline of the ethics rules is we have to do something for the benefit of the patient and for the benefit of the society,” says Prof. Sparagano. In research, he has to take care of the animals used and minimize their pain, ensuring their rights and welfare. For veterinarians and medical doctors, they are expected to abide by ethical rules to ensure protection and respect for patients in pain and distress regardless of their species, human or animal. It is especially important that professionals keep their cases confidential, present the true situation when diagnosing patients, and not abuse the situation for personal gain.
Interesting experiences
Having worked in a number of different countries, Prof. Sparagano names the many types of species he has encountered in his career, such as antelopes in Namibia, wild cows in Kenya, and fleas in Thai elephants. Worms, ticks, and flies are the parasites attacking farm animals the most, according to Prof. Sparagano, and may also affect other animals on the farm, spreading from flea to cattle to dogs to the farmer. In regards to wild animals, he says one of the most challenging tasks is to catch the animals themselves, as it is physically demanding to run after them and restrain them, sometimes resulting in being bitten or kicked by the uncooperative animals. Working in Africa was one of the most memorable experiences of his career, as Prof. Sparagano recalls being confronted by a different environment, cultures, and way of looking after the animals in Kenya, in comparison to his previous years in Europe. “With my students, we had to try to tackle the cows,” he says. “It was very exotic for me to run after the animals in the bush, and try to catch the cows, and the cows didn’t want to be caught.”
Difficulties as an academic researcher
Prof. Sparagano also mentions how he conducts research. He mostly bases his research ideas on the opportunities of collaboration and funding, and whether there were people interested in sponsoring his work in finding samples and utilizing techniques. Diseases that affect a lot of people globally, such as malaria, attracts a lot more funding than say, diseases that affect only cats, which means scientists working on less popular topics will need to find partnerships, trusts, and other modes of sponsorship in order to research parasites they are interested in. He also admits that it is difficult to begin working in the academic field at first. “When you are a junior researcher, you don't have the network and the reputation,” he says plainly. Junior professors struggle more than established professors when finding people to collaborate with and mentor them, and the competition for sponsoring makes it all the
harder. Prof. Sparagano encourages juniors to persevere and continue working hard in order to find a more secure and more permanent research placement.
Advice for future vet scientists
Curiosity is one of the essential attributes of being a parasitologist, as a passion for discovering and learning about parasite life is what sparked Prof. Sparagano’s journey in veterinary parasitology. Thus, he suggests aspiring veterinary scientists know what they’re passionate about, follow what they truly want to do, and be active in finding networks and opportunities for themselves. He shares that he originally wanted to be a veterinarian, but never went to vet school, yet he became a professor in a vet school in the end. “People have to be ready to tackle different options, and be happy with your failures,” he says, “I think the failures I had in my career have been helping me go further.”Experiences don’t necessarily need to match expectations for one to reach their goals, as there are many equally fulfilling alternatives to what we first planned to be. He encourages those thinking of joining the veterinary science field to devote themselves to their desired careers and not to lose hope when encountering temporary defeat on the way.
