NRF Rated Researchers

Research Profile

Pascal Obong Bessong

Pascal Obong Bessong, Head of Microbiology, holds a Master of Science degree in Medical Microbiology and Parasitiology, and a PhD in Microbiology with specialization in the molecular genetics of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). At different times he received his doctoral and postdoctoral training in South Africa, France and the United States, with fellowships from the French government, and the Ellison Medical Foundation.
Dr Bessong is the leader of the AIDS Virus Research Programme at the University of Venda. His group is looking at genetic diversity, transmission of drug resistant viruses, and the evolution of drug resistance in HIV type 1 subtype C, the genetic variant responsible for the epidemic in Southern Africa.  In addition, he is the Principal Investigator of the bioprospecting platform at the University of Venda, and of Mal-ED South Africa. The bioprospecting platform is investigating the anti-HIV, antifungal, and immunomodulatory properties of South African medicinal plants, with outreach support to traditional health practitioners. The Mal-ED programme studies the relationship between malnutrition and intestinal infections and the consequences of these conditions on various aspects of child development (www.mal-ed.fnih.org). Dr Bessong’s research group comprises over 70 individuals comprising investigators, graduate students and hired staff.

Dr Bessong is a technical adviser to the International Foundation for Science, research grant reviewer for the AIDS Trust Fund, and the Department of Health of the Government of Hong Kong, and the National Research Foundation, South Africa. He reviews on an adhoc basis for over 10 scientific journals, in addition to conference abstracts and proceedings. He is also a reviewer for the Master’s and doctoral theses for several South African universities.

His research is supported by the National Research Foundation, South Africa; South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative, the South African National Department of Health, the Technology Innovation Agency, South Africa; and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, USA. He collaborates with the Department of Virology, University of Limpopo; Center for Global Health and Thaler Center for AIDS and Human Retrovirus Research, University of Virginia; Indigenous Knowledge Systems Laboratory, MRC South Africa; Laboratoire REGER, University of Bordeaux 2, France; and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg. 
He has authored or co-authored over 50 research papers in peer-reviewed journals; in addition to book chapters and conference proceedings.

Selected publications

1. Benson Iweriebor, Pascal Obong Bessong, Lufuno Mavhandu, Tracy Masebe, Julius Nwobegahay, Sylvester R. Moyo, Jeffrey Mphahlele. Genetic analysis of the near-full length genome of an HIV type 1 A1/C recombinant from Northern South Africa. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses (2010 Nov 18. Epub ahead of print).
2. Julius Nwobegahay, Pascal Obong Bessong, Tracy Masebe, Lufuno Mavhandu, Benson Iweriebor, Gloria Selabe, Norbert Ndjeka, Cecile Manhaeve. Prevalence of drug resistance mutations among drug-naive HIV-1 infected individuals in a treatment site in the Waterberg District of South Africa. South African Medical Journal (In press, 2011).
3. Pascal O. Bessong, Lutendo M. Mathomu. Seroprevalence of HTLV1/2, HSV1/2, and Toxoplasma gondii among chronic HIV-1 infected individuals in rural northeastern South Africa. African Journal of Microbiology Research (In press, 2011).
4. Julius M. Nwobegahay, Pascal O. Bessong, Tracy M. Masebe, Lufuno G. Mavhandu, Benson C. Iweriebor, Gloria Selabe. Prevalence of antiretroviral drug resistant mutations and HIV-1 subtypes among newly diagnosed drug-naïve persons visiting a voluntary testing and counseling centre in northeastern South Africa. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition (In press, 2011).
5. Pascal O. Bessong, Rathogwa M (2010). Immune pressure analysis of HIV-1 subtype C protease and reverse transcriptase primary isolates from drug naïve South Africans. African Journal of Biotechnology (Accepted).
6. BI Okeleye, A Samie, PO Bessong, NF Mkwetshana, E Green, AM Clarke, RN Ndip (2010). Crude ethyl acetate extract of the stem-bark of Peltophorum africanum (Sond, Fabaceae) possesses in vitro inhibitory and bactericidal activity against clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori. Journal of Medicinal Plant Research 4(14):1432-1440.
7. Ezekiel Green, Samie Amidou, Larry C. Obi, Pascal O. Bessong, Roland N. Ndip (2010). Inhibitory properties of selected South African medicinal plants against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 130 (2010) 151–157.
8. Samie A, Barrett LJ, Bessong PO, Ramalivhana JN, Mavhandu LG, Njayou M, Guerrant RL (2010). Seroprevalence of Entamoeba histolytica in the context of HIV and AIDS: Case of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 104: 55-63.
9. E. Green, C.L. Obi, M. Nchabeleng, B.E. de Villiers, P.P. Sein, T. Letsoalo, A.A. Hoosen, P.O. Bessong, Roland N Ndip (2010). Drug susceptibility pattern of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa: possible guiding design of retreatment regimen. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition 28: 7-13.
10. James Heckman, Amidou Samie, Pascal Bessong, Mmboniseni Ntsieni, Hassan Hamandi, Matthew Kohler, Benjamin Milam, Jessica Scriver, Rebecca Dillingham (2010). Anaemia among clinically well under-fives attending a community health centre in Venda, Limpopo Province. South African Medical Journal 100: 445-448.
11. Samie A, Tambani T, Harshfield E, Green E, Ramalivhana JN, Bessong PO (2010). Antifungal activities of selected Venda medicinal plants against Candida albicans Candida krusei and Cryptococcus neoformans isolated from HIV positive patients. African Journal of Biotechnology 9 (20): 2965-2976.
12. Theo A, Masebe T, Suzuki Y, Kikuchi H, Wada S, Obi CL, Bessong PO, Usuzawa M,      Oshima Y, Hattori T (2009). Peltophorum africanum, a traditional South African medicinal plant contains anti HIV-1 constituent, betulinic acid. Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine 217(2): 93-99.
13. Pascal Obong Bessong, John Odiyo, Justice Musekene, Abere Tessema (2009). Spatial distribution of diarrhoea; and microbial quality of domestic water sources during a diarrheoa outbreak in Tshikuwi community in Venda, South Africa. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition 27(5): 652-659.
14. Samie A, Guerrant RL, Barrett L, Bessong PO, Igumbor EO , C. L. Obi (2009). Prevalence of intestinal parasitic and bacterial pathogens in diarrheal and non-diarrheal human stools from the Vhembe district, South Africa. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition 27 (6): 739-745.
15. Pascal Obong Bessong, Benson Chuks Iweriebor, Lufuno Grace Mavhandu, Tracy Masebe, Julius Nwobegahay (2008). Tools for genotyping human immunodeficiency virus, and implications of genetic diversity on diagnostics, treatment and prevention. African Journal of Biotechnology 7(25): 4774-4783.
16. Pascal Obong Bessong (2008). Polymorphisms in HIV-1 subtype C proteases and their potential impact on protease inhibitors. Tropical Medicine and International Health 13: 141-152.
17. Pascal Obong Bessong (2008). Issues surrounding herbal therapies for AIDS in endemic regions. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 102: 209-210.
18. E Green, LC Obi, M Nchabeleng, BE de Villiers, PP Sein, T Letsoalo, AA Hoosen, PO Bessong (2008). Characterization of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis from Dr George Mukhari Hospital, Pretoria, South Africa. Southern African Journal of Infection and Epidemiology 23(3): 11-14.
19. Samie A, Obi CL, Franaziak J, Archbald-Pannone L, Bessong PO, Alcantarra-Warren C, Guerrant RL (2008). PCR detection of Clostridium difficile triose phosphate isomerase (tpi), toxin A (tcdA), toxin B (tcdB), binary toxin (cdtA, cdtB) and tedC genes in Vhembe district, South Africa. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 78: 577-578.
20. Samie A, Obi CL, Bessong PO, Houpt E, Stroup S, Njayou M, Sabeta C, Mduluza T, Guerrant RL (2008). Entamoeba histolytica: Genetic diversity of African strains based on the polymorphism of the serine-rich protein gene. Experimental Parasitology 118: 354-361.
21. Steven J. Reynolds, Pascal O. Bessong, Thomas C. Quinn (2006). Human Retroviral Infections in the Tropics. In: Tropical Infectious Diseases: Principles, Pathogens, and Practice. RL Guerrant, DH Walker, PF Weller (Eds). 2nd Edition. Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier Publishers, Ireland. ISBN 0-443-06668-X. Pp 852-883.
22. Pascal Obong Bessong, Jeffrey Mphahlele, Isaac Choge, Larry Obi, Lynn Morris, Marie-Louise Hammarskjöld, David Rekosh (2006). Resistance mutational analysis of HIV-1 subtype C among rural South African drug naïve patients prior to large scale availability of antiretrovirals. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses 22(12): 1306-1312.
23. Pascal Obong Bessong, Chikwelu Larry Obi (2006). Ethnopharmacology of HIV in South Africa. African Journal of Biotechnology 5(19): 1693-1699.
24. Pascal Obong Bessong, Larry Chikwelu Obi, Tonie Cilliers, Isaac Choge, Mary Phoswa, Candice Pillay, Maria Papathanasopoulos and Lynn Morris (2005). Characterization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 from a previously unexplored region of South Africa with a high HIV prevalence. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses 21(1): 103-109. Page 5 of 33
25. Pascal Obong Bessong, Chikwelu Larry Obi, Marie- Line Andréola, Luis Rojas, Laurent Pouségu, Eunice Igumbor, Marion Meyer, Stéphane Quideau, Simon Litvak (2005). Evaluation of selected South African medicinal plants for inhibitory properties against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase and integrase. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 99(1): 83-91.
26. Pascal O. Bessong, Luis B. Rojas, Larry C. Obi, Peter M. Tshisikhawe, Eunice O. Igumbor (2006). Further screening of Venda medicinal plants for activity against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and integrase. African Journal of Biotechnology 5(6): 526-528.
27. Pascal Obong Bessong, Chikwelu Larry Obi, Marie-Line Andreola, Simon Litvak (2004). In-vitro activity of three selected South African medicinal plants against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase. African Journal of Biotechnology 3(10): 555-559.
28. Pascal Obong Bessong. Ethnopharmacology of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa. In: Recent Progress in Medicinal plants Vol 15: Natural Products I. JN Gohil, VK Singh (Eds). Stadium Press LCC, Houston, USA. 2007. ISBN 0-9761847-7-4.