Ana S Gligić

Ana Gligić (née Ana Filipović, 6 August 1934 – 4 January 2025) was a Yugoslav and Serbian virologist, a specialist in medical microbiology, and a senior research associate at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine. She made important contributions to the understanding and control of viral hemorrhagic fevers, including the Marburg virus, and was instrumental in identifying the cause of the 1967 outbreak in Belgrade. Gligić also played a crucial role in halting the spread of the 1972 smallpox outbreak in Yugoslavia, and her later work included research on the West Nile virus and other zoonotic pathogens.

Early life and education Ana Gligić was born on 6 August 1934, in Ćeralije, Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Her early life was shaped by the events of World War II, during which she lost several family members. She completed her secondary education in Virovitica in 1953 and went on to study biology at the University of Belgrade, graduating in 1959. She began her scientific career at the "Dr. Milan Jovanović Batut" Institute of Public Health, and later joined the newly established Institute of Virology, Vaccines, and Sera "Torlak" in 1960.

Career

Marburg virus research In 1967, Gligić participated in the Yugoslav response to the first outbreak of Marburg virus disease outside of Africa. The infection occurred among laboratory workers in Belgrade who had handled tissues from African green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) imported from Uganda. She played a central role in isolating the virus from clinical samples, contributing significantly to global understanding of filoviruses.

Once the diagnosis was confirmed, Gligić joined national containment efforts, often traveling by car or helicopter to infected areas. She personally led the inactivation of the smallpox virus at the Torlak Institute, ensuring its safe destruction. Reflecting on the night she was summoned, she said: "I felt like a soldier. They invested in my education so I could be useful in such moments. It would have been a betrayal not to respond."

Hantavirus research Her research on Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and isolation of hantaviruses unique to the Balkans gained her international recognition. In 1992, she co-authored the first scientific report describing the "Belgrade virus," a novel hantavirus strain isolated in Yugoslavia.