From a very young age, Dr Kerr have always wanted to be involved with animals. She, therefore, combined her background in conservation and her interest in wildlife infectious diseases to obtain her PhD from Stellenbosch University in 2016. Her PhD research focused on the molecular epidemiology and the evolution of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) in African lions and leopards in the Kruger National Park. In 2017 she joined the Animal TB Research Group at Stellenbosch University. Her current work focuses on developing tools with diagnostic potential for tuberculosis (TB) detection in wildlife species including large felids (African lion, leopard, and cheetah), African elephants, hippopotamus, and various antelope and primate species. Using these tools, the hope was to evaluate the epidemiology of TB in these various wildlife species. She also continues to explore and characterise Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) in cheetah, African lions, and leopard and hope to start characterizing Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) in free-ranging African elephants.
