Leopardi Stefania
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Role | Veterinarian |
| Structure | SCS5 – Mammalian and Aquatic Species Virology Rabies and Emerging Viral Zoonoses Laboratory |
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| Phone | +39 049 8084385 | |
| sleopardi@izsvenezie.it |
Professional profile
Stefania Leopardi is a senior veterinary officer at the SCS5 – Mammalian and Aquatic Species Virology Unit of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe).
She graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Bologna in 2010 and subsequently obtained a Master’s degree in Wild Animal Health from the Royal Veterinary College, in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London. In 2019, she completed her postgraduate specialization in Animal Health, Breeding, and Livestock Production at the University of Milan. Before joining IZSVe in 2015, she worked in private practice specializing in companion, exotic, wild, and zoo animal medicine.
Since 2015, her work has focused on emerging infectious diseases at the Rabies and Emerging Viral Zoonoses Laboratory of IZSVe. She is involved in diagnostic activities concerning rabies, with a particular focus on passive surveillance in bats, and is a member of the IUCN Bat Specialist Group. She participates in several research projects on bat lyssaviruses and coronaviruses aimed at: i) identifying reservoir species for specific viruses, ii) studying the biological and behavioural drivers that influence host-pathogen interactions, iii) describing viral circulation dynamics in bats, iv) investigating bat immune responses to viruses, and v) identifying contact points that may facilitate viral spillover from bats to humans or domestic animals.
Her primary research interests centre on the ecology of infectious diseases in wild reservoirs, with a special emphasis on lyssaviruses and emerging viruses originating from bats. Within this field, her activities aim to investigate the mechanisms of circulation, persistence, and transmission of zoonotic pathogens in wildlife, in relation to both host and environment.