Dr du Plessis, Mignon

Dr Mignon du Plessis works at the Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis (CRDM) at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg, South Africa. She obtained her PhD from the University of the Witwatersrandand and has a broad background in microbiology and molecular biology, with specific training and expertise in molecular characterisation of respiratory and meningitis-causing pathogens and specialised molecular diagnostics.
Her activities include managing various molecular activities of the department related to surveillance, research, outbreak response and diagnostic testing and pathogen characterisation for the following pathogens: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, Corynebacterium diphtheriae and atypical pneumonia-causing pathogens (Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Legionella spp. and Bordetella pertussis), influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus and SARS-CoV-2.
CRDM serves as a World Health Organization (WHO) regional reference laboratory for molecular testing of CSF specimens collected in southern African countries participating in pediatric invasive bacterial meningitis surveillance. Additionally, the centre serves as a WHO regional reference laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 and a WHO national influenza centre. This function includes laboratory support and training in-country as well as externally in other African countries. To date, Du Plessis has authored/co-authored 68 publications in international peer-reviewed journals and successfully supervised 9 MSc/PhD students. She is registered with the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a Medical Biological Scientist (Microbiology) and has a National Research Foundation rating of C2 (established researcher).