Rabies in the African Civet: An Incidental Host for Lyssaviruses?

In South Africa, canid rabies virus (RABV) infection is maintained in domestic and wildlife species. The identification of rabies in African civets raised the question of whether this wildlife carnivore is a potential reservoir host of RABVs of direct and ancestral dog origin (dog-maintained and dog-derived origins) with an independent cycle of transmission. Genetic analyses of African civet nucleoprotein sequences for 23 African civet RABVs and historically published sequences demonstrated that RABVs from African civets have two origins related to dog and mongoose rabies enzootics. The data support observations of the interaction of civets with domestic dogs and wildlife mongooses, mostly in Northern South Africa and North-East Zimbabwe. Within each host species clade, African civet RABVs group exclusively together, implying intra-species virus transfer occurs readily. The canid RABV clade appears to support virus transfer more readily between hosts than mongoose RABVs. Furthermore, these data probably indicate short transmission chains with conspecifics that may be related to transient rabies maintenance in African civets. Hence, it is important to continue monitoring the emergence of lyssaviruses in this host. Observations from this study are supported by ongoing and independent similar cases, in which bat-eared foxes and black-backed jackal species maintain independent rabies cycles of what were once dog-maintained RABVs.

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Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of small antelopes : steenbok, Raphicerus campestris and suni, Neotragus moschatus : research communication

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v73i3.150 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

H. Golezardy ◽

I.G. Horak

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Tick Species ◽

Immature Stages ◽

Research Communication ◽

Far North ◽

Wildlife Species ◽

North East ◽

Kwazulu Natal ◽

North Eastern ◽

Geographic Regions

During surveys on the tick burdens of various wildlife species in South Africa, nine small antelopes became available for study. Six of these were steenbok, Raphicerus campestris and three sunis, Neotragus moschatus, and their tick burdens are recorded here. The steenbok were examined in three nature reserves and harboured nine tick species. The sunis were examined in a fourth reserve and were infested with eight species. The steenbok and sunis were generally infested with the immature stages of the same tick species that infest larger animals in the same geographic regions. In addition the sunis harboured Haemaphysalis parmata, which in South Africa is present only in the eastern and north-eastern coastal and adjacent areas of KwaZulu-Natal Province. They were also infested with Rhipicephalus kochi, which in South Africa occurs only in the far north-east of the KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo Provinces.

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Impacts of climate variation on the length of the rainfall season: an analysis of spatial patterns in North-East South Africa

Theoretical and Applied Climatology ◽

10.1007/s00704-015-1498-7 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 125 (1-2) ◽

pp. 93-100 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tibangayuka Kabanda ◽

Shandukani Nenwiini

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Spatial Patterns ◽

Climate Variation ◽

Rainfall Season ◽

North East

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Peronospora destructor. [Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria].

IMI Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria ◽

10.1079/dfb/20056400456 ◽

1975 ◽

Author(s):

K. G. Mukerji

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

New Zealand ◽

East Asia ◽

Downy Mildew ◽

Geographical Distribution ◽

Wild Species ◽

Peronospora Destructor ◽

North East

Abstract A description is provided for Peronospora destructor. Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. HOSTS: Affects species of Allium; common on A. cepa, rarer on A. ascalonicum, A. fistulosum, A. porrum, A. sativum, A. schoenoprasum, and a few wild species. DISEASE: Downy mildew (mildiou, falscher Mehitau) of onion. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: On onion in all parts of Europe and America; north, east and south Africa, west, south and east Asia, Australia, New Zealand; and Tasmania. On other Allium crops in a few countries in Europe and on other continents (CMI Map 76. ed. 3, 1969).

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57EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT FOLLOWING INTERSPECIES NUCLEAR TRANSFER OF AFRICAN BUFFALO (SYNCERUS CAFFER), BONTEBOK (DAMALISCUS DORCUS DORCUS) AND ELAND (TAUROTRAGUS ORYX) SOMATIC CELLS INTO BOVINE CYTOPLASTS

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rdv16n1ab57 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 150 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

M. Matshikiza ◽

P. Bartels ◽

G. Vajta ◽

F. Olivier ◽

T. Spies ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Nuclear Transfer ◽

Somatic Cells ◽

Blastocyst Stage ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

African Buffalo ◽

Syncerus Caffer ◽

Cell Stage ◽

Wildlife Species ◽

Interspecies Nuclear Transfer

Wildlife conservation requires traditional as well as innovative conservation strategies in order to preserve gene and species diversity. Interspecies nuclear transfer has the potential to conserve genes from critically endangered wildlife species where few or no oocytes are available from the endangered species, and where representative cell lines have been established for the wildlife population while numbers were still abundant. The purpose of this study was to investigate the developmental ability of embryos reconstructed with transfer of somatic cells from the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), bontebok (Damaliscus dorcus dorcus) and eland (Taurotragus oryx) to enucleated domestic cattle (Bos taurus) oocytes. Skin tissue from the three wildlife species were collected by surgically removing approx. 1.0×1.0cm ear skin notches from animals immobilized with a combination of etorphine hydrochloride (M99; South Africa) and azaperone (Stressnil, South Africa). The biopsies were placed into physiological saline and transported to the laboratory at 4°C within 2h, cleaned with chlorohexidine gluconate and sliced finely in Minimal Essential Medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. The resultant tissue explants were treated as previously described (Baumgarten and Harley 1995 Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 110B, 37–46) and actively growing fibroblast cultures made available for the nuclear transfer process. Nuclear transfer was performed using the HMC technique (Vajta et al., 2003 Biol. Reprod. 68, 571–578) using slaughterhouse-derived bovine oocytes. Culture was performed in SOFaaci (Vajta et al., 2003 Biol. Reprod. 68, 571–578) medium supplemented with 5% cattle serum using WOWs (Vajta et al., Mol. Reprod. Dev. 50, 185–191). Two identical replicates were made with somatic cells of each species. After successful reconstruction, 57, 42 and 48 nuclear transferred and activated buffalo, bontebok and eland embryos were cultured, respectively. All except for 2 buffalo embryos cleaved; 22 (39%) developed to or over the 8-cell stage, and 2 (3.5%) of them to the blastocyst stage. All but 3 bontebok embryos cleaved, 17 (40%) developed to or over the 8-cell stage, but none of them reached the compacted morula or blastocyst stage. Sixteen (33%) of the eland embryos developed to or over the 8-cell stage with one (2%) reaching the blastocyst stage. In conclusion, buffalo, bontebok and eland embryos developed from reconstruction using their respective somatic cells combined with bovine cytoplasts, however, in vitro developmental ability to the blastocyst stage was limited. Additional basic research that establishes the regulative mechanisms involved with early preimplantation development together with optimising nuclear transfer techniques may have the potential to one day play a role in the conservation of critically endangered wildlife species.

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First Report of Enteromyxum leei (Myxozoa) in the Black Sea in a Potential Reservoir Host Chromis chromis

Fish Pathology ◽

10.3147/jsfp.49.57 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 49 (2) ◽

pp. 57-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ahmet ^|^Ouml;zer ◽

T^|^uuml;rkay ^|^Ouml;zt^|^uuml;rk ◽

Hakan ^|^Ouml;zkan ◽

Arzu ^|^Ccedil;am

Keyword(s):

Black Sea ◽

Reservoir Host ◽

The Black Sea ◽

First Report ◽

Potential Reservoir ◽

Enteromyxum Leei

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Rabies in South Africa between 1993 and 2005 - what has been achieved?

Journal of the South African Veterinary Association ◽

10.4102/jsava.v81i1.89 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 81 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

B. Gummow ◽

Y. A.A. Roefs ◽

G. De Klerk

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Domestic Animal ◽

Limpopo Province ◽

Domestic Dogs ◽

Veterinary Services ◽

Time And Space ◽

Kwazulu Natal ◽

Laboratory Results

Epidemiological analyses in time and space were carried out on all animal rabies cases reported in South Africa for the period 1993 - 2005. Validation of state veterinary records was done by comparing these with data from the 2 diagnostic laboratories mandated to test for animal rabies. A discrepancy between state veterinary records and laboratory results was found and is discussed. The total number of positive rabies cases reported to veterinary services between 1993 and 2005 was 4767. During this period the proportion of domestic animal rabies had increased to 79% (19% more than for the period 1980 - 1994), with 59% of the total cases being domestic dogs. Of the domestic animal cases 74% were canine and only 21% were bovine; when compared to the data from 1985 - 1994 there was an increase of 6% of rabies in canine and a 3% decrease in bovine cases. A disturbing trend is the increase in the incidence of rabies over the last 16 years in provinces neighbouring KwaZulu-Natal province, where rabies used to be concentrated, and in Limpopo province.

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The contemporary geomorphology of the Letaba River in the Kruger National Park

Koedoe ◽

10.4102/koedoe.v44i1.185 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

B.P. Moon ◽

G.L. Heritage

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Flow Regime ◽

Field Observation ◽

National Park ◽

Kruger National Park ◽

The Other ◽

Northern Province ◽

Sediment Delivery ◽

North East ◽

Olifants River

The Letaba River drains part of Northern Province in north-east South Africa. Its catchment has been modified significantly by human activity which has affected the flow regime; it experiences only ephemeral flows through the Kruger National Park to its confluence with the Olifants River. Although the Letaba is similar to the other rivers in the Kruger National Park in that it displays some bedrock influenced channel features, increased sediment delivery from the degraded catchment upstream has resulted in extensive alluviation within the channel. Sections of channel flowing over bedrock with no sediment covering are rare, and the river comprises a series of channel types: mixed anastomosing, alluvial braided, mixed pool-rapid and alluvial single thread. Each is characterised by a different combination of morphological units which relate to the degree of alluviation in the channel. These channel types are described in detail and inferences are made concerning their formation and maintenance from field observation and measurement.

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