Epidemiology of lobomycosis-like disease in bottlenose dolphins <i>Tursiops</i> spp. from South America and southern Africa

We report on the epidemiology of lobomycosis-like disease (LLD), a cutaneous disorder evoking lobomycosis, in 658 common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from South America and 94 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins T. aduncus from southern Africa. Photographs and stranding records of 387 inshore residents, 60 inshore non-residents and 305 specimens of undetermined origin (inshore and offshore) were examined for the presence of LLD lesions from 2004 to 2015. Seventeen residents, 3 non-residents and 1 inshore dolphin of unknown residence status were positive. LLD lesions appeared as single or multiple, light grey to whitish nodules and plaques that may ulcerate and increase in size over time. Among resident dolphins, prevalence varied significantly among 4 communities, being low in Posorja (2.35%, n = 85), Ecuador, and high in Salinas, Ecuador (16.7%, n = 18), and Laguna, Brazil (14.3%, n = 42). LLD prevalence increased in 36 T. truncatus from Laguna from 5.6% in 2007-2009 to 13.9% in 2013-2014, albeit not significantly. The disease has persisted for years in dolphins from Mayotte, Laguna, Salinas, the Sanquianga National Park and Bahía Málaga (Colombia) but vanished from the Tramandaí Estuary and the Mampituba River (Brazil). The geographical range of LLD has expanded in Brazil, South Africa and Ecuador, in areas that have been regularly surveyed for 10 to 35 yr. Two of the 21 LLD-affected dolphins were found dead with extensive lesions in southern Brazil, and 2 others disappeared, and presumably died, in Ecuador. These observations stress the need for targeted epidemiological, histological and molecular studies of LLD in dolphins, especially in the Southern Hemisphere

The national grazing strategy of the Republic of South Africa: Objectives, achievements and future challenges.

The White Paper on Agricultural Policy, tabled in May 1984, made reference to the alarming deterioration of natural rangelands and led to the drawing up of the National Grazing Strategy (NGS), released to parliament in May 1985, which was endorsed by the Department of Agriculture and accepted in its entirety by the Government. The NGS committed authorities to reassess approaches to rangeland utilization in South Africa and to achieve a number of clearly-defined goals within a specified time frame. It is proposed that future implementation of the NGS should be augmented by some important second phase actions; Over the past few years various measures have been applied to address the problem of the retrogression of southern African rangelands. However, it has become apparent that many of these measures were ad hoc and not part of a long-term strategy aimed at fostering effective management of the rangeland resources. The White Paper on Agricultural Policy, tabled in May 1984, made reference to the alarming deterioration of natural rangelands and led to the drawing up of the National Grazing Strategy (NGS), released to Parliament in May 1985, which was endorsed by the Department of Agriculture and accepted in its entirety by the Government. The NGS committed authorities to reassess approaches to rangeland utilization in South Africa and to achieve a number of clearly-defined goals within a specified time frame. The implementation of the NGS has been carefully monitored. Despite some progress, few of the goals set have actually been achieved. However, various problems have arisen such as the need to: encourage the cooperation of all range users, develop informed public opinion, increase manpower and establish priorities, all of which must be taken into account when future rangeland strategies are devised. These strategies also need to recognize the dichotomy that exists between programmes aimed at the development of certain industries and those aimed at resource conservation. It is proposed that future implementation of the NGS should be augmented by some of the following important second phase actions: (i) The strategy should be converted into a policy to be applied to all Departmental institutions, (ii) policy makers and politicians must accept liability and must take the lead in the application of stringent measures aimed at agricultural resource conservation and utilization.Language: EnglishKeywords: Agricultural policies; Grazing; National Grazing Strategy; Natural rangelands; South Africa; agricultural policy; management; rangeland; rangeland utilization; resource conservation; grazing strategy; retrogression; utilization; conservation; rangelands; strategies; white paper; policies; agriculture; goal

Pretoriana, no. 039 & 040, Aug.-Dec. 1962

G. Rissik, Penningmeester van die Genootskap Oud-Pretoria en President van die Suid-Afrikaanse Reserwebank / W. Punt -- Rissik worked his way up from humble posts -- Uit die briewe van Arnold Theiler VI / F.J.du T. Spies -- Sir Arnold Theiler / Austin Roberts -- Die geskiedenis van die Veeartsenykundige Navorsingsinstituut op Onderstepoort / C.C.F. Whitcomb -- Besoek aan die Nederlandse Opelugmuseum te Arnhem, Nederland / P.F. Coetzee -- Die sangvereniging "Hollandsch Mannenkoor" / Jan Ploeger -- The Union Buildings on Meintjeskop / T.E. Andrews -- Historiese besienswaardighede in en rondom Pretoria, II / H.M. Rex -- Pretoria at the time of Unification = Pretoria ten tye van Uniewording / A.A. Roberts -- Annual report = Jaarsverslag, 1962 / G.W. Eybers -- New opportunities for research in the Transvaal Archives / A.M. Dave

Sustainability in Viticulture and Oenology: The Final Conference of the YeSVitE Project

The wine world is going through a rapid transformation due to a deep change in consumer preferences, consumption habits and accompanied by an important reduction in economic resources available to the people. Thus, the modern viticulture and oenology has the key role of innovating traditional practices by supporting new choices for a sustainable production of wine. In general, many of the current challenges faced by the world of wine can be addressed in the YeSVitE project including production quality, making \u2018healthier\u2019 wines, and establishing the concept of sustainability in winemaking. The strategic aim of the project is to create a coordinated network that can learn how to manage the topic of sustainability in oenology bringing innovation by exploiting yeasts as the principle resource, a still untapped source in food production. The consortium of YeSVitE is built around the project that is mainly focused on training and transfer of knowledge and on research activity, a scientific proposal that is gradually nurturing the knowledge and competences of the involved researchers. As far the training activity, 29 researchers, for a total of 71 months eligible for funding, have implemented their competences during the project. All parties of the network have participated to the transfer of knowledge exchanging the following skills: microbial isolation techniques, novel high-throughput yeast phenotyping methods, fermentation technology in batch cultivations, management of spontaneous fermentations, techniques for the assessment of microbial interactions, Next-generation sequencing, use of software for the genetic comparison of genomes, use of software for clustering analysis and elaboration of SNPs, custom-made methods for NGS yeast genome data assembly and annotation, use of CRISPR/Cas9 approach to silence genes, FTIR metabolomics, and data elaboration of metagenomics results. From the research activity point of view, the project has released more than 60 scientific products (such as oral and poster presentations in international conferences, scientific reports per each secondment, original research papers and attractive yeast strains) in 4 years regarding the four programmed work packages (WPs): WP1, The diversity \u201cchallenge\u201d of fermentative yeasts in ancient and new vine growing areas; WP2, Yeast genetic improvement for sustainable wine; WP3, Exploitation of Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts to manage wine fermentation; WP4, Natural interactions between grape and wine-related organisms for a sustainable oenology. In the last two years, the YeSVitE consortium has been oriented towards a wine optimization that promotes the concept of \u201cfood for future\u201d. Thus, environment, food safety, food quality, and innovation represent the keywords of the final results of the project. First, benefits concerning the activity of isolation and selection of new yeast species/strains for wine production and the exploitation of the natural microbiota found in any individual grape must could be directed to the operators of oenological chain and to starter\u2019s industry in the future. The innovations introduced by the setting up of new protocol could support a direct relationship between product and territory; actually, a common patrimony constitutes a resource to the valorisation of typical food products. Second, the contribution of the partnership on wine chain sustainability could be played out on the control of fungal diseases and mycotoxins contamination and the reduction of alcohol and sulphite levels in winemaking. The exploitation of the natural antagonistic potential of various yeasts against molds during grape maturation and post-harvesting represents an innovative and eco-friendly strategy to face the negative impact of chemical compounds in the environment. According to the European policy on consumer health the change of the alcohol and sulphite content is fundamental for the future of the wine product. Finally, the expected increasing of competence and knowhow of the involved researchers will represent an advantage for the whole productive chain, allowing competitive young scientists to access to job career with a vision of sustainability