African swine fever. II. Functional disturbances of thrombocytes in pigs infected with virulent haemadsorbing and non-haemadsorbing virus isolates

Increased bleeding time, impaired blood clot retraction and decreased thrombocyte aggregation were observed in pigs infected with virulent haemadsorbing and non-haemadsorbing African swine fever virus isolates. These changes appeared to be more frequent and more severe in pigs infected with the haemadsorbing virus isolates than in those infected with the non-haemadsorbing isolate. Moreover, the onset and severity of these changes followed the numerical decrease and morphological damage to these cells apparent in the last 2-3 days of the disease.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.lmchunu2014mn201

A field outbreak in Ile-de-France sheep of a cardiotoxicosis caused by the plant Pachystigma pygmaeum (Schltr) Robyns (Rubiaceae)

A field outbreak of Pachystigma pygmaeum intoxication in sheep is described. Noteworthy clinical signs were: respiratory distress, apathy and subcutaneous oedema of mainly the head. Gross changes included cardiomegaly, centrilobular hepatic necrosis and effusion of body cavities. Microscopically myocardial fibrosis, affecting predominantly the endocardium of the apex, left free ventricular wall and interventricular septum, was most striking in the majority of animals, whilst myofibre atrophy was present in 1 sheep.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.lmchunu2014mn201

Paralysis of laboratory rabbits by nymphae of Ixodes rubicundus, Neumann 1904 (Acarina: Ixodidae) and some effects on the life-cycle following feeding under different temperature conditions

Feeding under constant cold conditions resulted in a marginal shortening of feeding period and a major shortening of the subsequent developmental phase of all stages of Ixodes rubicundus Neumann 1904, the Karoo paralysis tick. Paralysis occurred in laboratory rabbits when nymphae were fed on them under constant warm, constant cold and fluctuating ambient winter conditions. This paralysis was found to be dependant on infestation rate and feeding conditions. Under constant cold conditions paralysis resulted from lower levels of infestation than under warm or under fluctuating winter conditions. Neurological parameters used in assessing the progression of the paresis are discussed.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.lmchunu2014mn201

Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona associated with abortion in cattle : isolation methods and laboratory animal histopathology

Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona was successfully isolated from cattle urine in the western Transvaal after an abortion storm had occurred. Direct inoculation of EMJH medium proved the most successful method. The selective agent, 5-fluorouracil, was most effective in controlling contamination when used at the 0,4 mg/ml level. The strain isolated was pathogenic in hamsters, but specific lesions and the leptospirae were seen only where overwhelming infection occurred.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format

African swine fever. I. Morphological changes and virus replication in blood platelets of pigs infected with virulent haemadsorbing and non-haemadsorbing isolates

Replicating and mature viral particles were detected with the transmission electron microscope in blood platelets of pigs infected with virulent haemadsorbing and non-haemadsorbing African swine fever virus isolates. Although platelet numbers decreased terminally in infected pigs, the most noticeable morphological damage to these cells apparent in the last 2 days of the disease included cytoplasmic swelling, vacuolation, fragmentation and loss of dense granules.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format

Enzootic geophagia of calves and lambs in Northern Cape and Northwest and the possible role of chronic manganese poisoning

(South African J of Animal Science, 2000, 30, Supplement 1: 105-106

Acute lead intoxication in a pregnant mare

Lead (Pb) intoxication in horses is usually a chronic phenomenon with clinical signs associated with central nervous dysfunction. This report gives details of a case of acute Pb intoxication in a 9-year-old American Saddlebred mare with severe, progressive and ultimately fatal neurological deterioration. During the 4 days of hospitalisation, clinical signs progressed from intermittent headshaking and depression to severe, continuous, uncontrollable manic behaviour. At autopsy, three grey-coloured, hard metal particles were present in the gastrointestinal tract and subsequently found to contain 2614 ppm Pb. Lead concentrations in the brain, liver, stomach and kidney were 29, 4, 6 and 2 ppm wet weight, respectively

A Context for the 2011 Compilation of Reviews on the Biological Control of Invasive Alien Plants in South Africa

Besides this introduction, which gives a historical and contextual perspective, this compilation of reviews in African Entomology volume 19(2), comprises 28 papers, 24 of which provide accounts of recent (i.e. emphasising the period from 1999-2010) South African biological control projects against individual invasive alien plant species, or against taxonomically- or functionally-related groups of species. Three of the papers deal with issues related to research and implementation of biological control, namely: regulations and risk assessment; mapping; and cost-benefit analyses. The concluding paper is a complete catalogue, with summary statistics and key references, of all the target weeds and of the insect, mite and pathogen species (and subsidiary taxa) that have been implicated in biological control efforts against invasive alien plants in South Africa since 1913. This compilation is the third in a series of accounts of all the biological control programmes against invasive alien plants that have been undertaken in South Africa: the first, produced in 1991, reviewed progress to that date and the next, published in 1999, was a review of progress from 1990-1998. A comparison of the contents of these three review volumes is given in tabular form. The 2011 compilation contains reports on 13 novel programmes, in the sense that they have not been previously reviewed. Eight of these projects have focused on incipient weeds, or on rapidly-emerging weed species or groups of species, that have only recently been targeted for biological control. The increased scope and commitment to weed biological control research in South Africa has been largely the consequence of the sustained support provided by the Working for Water Programme of the South African Department of Water Affairs, over the last 15 years