Centenary book 1920 – 2020

Table of contents: pt 1: Training of the first veterinarians in South Africa -- Message from the Dean --The first Dean -- Theiler at work -- The Deans: UP -- Deans: MEDUNSA -- The Onderstepoort Bacteriology Laboratory and TUKS starts training Vets -- Why Onderstepoort? -- The palace of luxury --Training facilities: 1920 -- Philosophy of the first syllabus -- Graduation Achievements -- The Residences -- The official syllabus: 1920’s -- The first veterinary hospital -- End of an era -- The BVSc recognition -- pt 2: Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria and MEDUNSA -- The Previous Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria -- The First Faculty Buildings -- The Divorce Agreement -- Sir Arnold Theiler Statue -- Sir Arnold Theiler Building -- Construction OF the Theiler Building -- The Newly renovated Theiler Building -- Jotella F Soga Library -- Brief history of Faculty Day -- Sir Arnold Theiler plaque -- Pathology -- Construction of the Pathology Complex -- Veterinary Academic Hospital -- Construction of the OVAH -- The MEDUNSA Veterinary Faculty -- Segregation of Veterinary Training -- Satellite image of the MEDUNSA campus next to Ga-Rankuwa -- MEDUNSA -- The New National Faculty of Veterinary Science -- Then and now -- Academic Departments -- Renovations Post-amalgamation -- Lesedi Complex -- Skills Labs -- Cafeteria and Multidisciplinary Laboratory 1-- Teaching Philosophy -- Animal Training Facilities -- Mamelodi and Hluvukani -- Community Engagement -- Wildlife Hospital -- Veterinary Nursing -- Research -- Laboratories -- Wildlife Medicine --- Hans Hoheisen Wildlife Research Station -- Specialist Training -- PhD celebrations -- Sir Arnold Theiler Bust -- pt 3: Student and staff life -- Staff and student life -- Reach Out and Give (Rag/Jool) -- Final lecture day -- Dean’s cultural event 2016 -- MEDUNSA socials -- I Want to be a Vet -- Onderstepoort socials -- Year-end celebrations -- Heritage Day -- Sports Day -- Student outreach -- Run for Rhinos -- 100 Years CelebrationsAcknowledgments: Fransie Lottering, Marie Watson-Kriek, René Abernethy, Paul van Dam, Chris van Blerk, Marinda Oosthuizen and Monica Roos.ab202

Serum and plasma cholinesterase activity in the Cape griffon vulture (Gyps coprotheres)

Vulture (Accipitridae) poisonings are a concern in South Africa, with hundreds of birds dying annually. Although some of these poisonings are accidental, there has been an increase in the number of intentional baiting of poached rhinoceros (Rhinocerotidae) and elephant (Elephantidae) carcasses to kill vultures that alert officials to poaching sites by circling overhead. The primary chemicals implicated are the organophosphorous and carbamate compounds. Although most poisoning events can be identified by dead vultures surrounding the scavenged carcass, weak birds are occasionally found and brought to rehabilitation centers for treatment. The treating veterinarian needs to make an informed decision on the cause of illness or poisoning prior to treatment. We established the reference interval for serum and plasma cholinesterase activity in the Cape Griffon Vulture (Gyps coprotheres) as 591.58–1,528.26 U/L, providing a clinical assay for determining potential exposure to cholinesterase-depressing pesticides. Both manual and automated samplers were used with the butyrylthiocholine method. Species reference intervals for both serum and plasma cholinesterase showed good correlation and manual and automated measurements yielded similar results.Afgri via the World Wildlife Fund, South Africahttp://www.jwildlifedis.orgam2016Paraclinical Science

The use of Clausena anisata in insect pest control in Africa : a review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE : Clausena anisata is used traditionally by various communities across Africa against pests such as mosquitoes, flies and weevils among others. Pests are a major cause of disease and production losses in various crop and livestock production systems in Africa. This review discusses the available information on the occurrence, chemistry, biological activity and possible commercialization of Clausena anisata with a view to see the plant species being integrated in pest management. MATERIALS AND METHODS : Information on the ethnomedical use, chemistry and biological activity of C. anisata published between 1980 and 2016 was accessed from various databases namely Science Direct, Springer Link and Wiley Online Library. In addition various relevant books were also consulted. RESULTS : The crude extracts as well as different fractions of C. anisata have been evaluated for activity against various insect pests and have been shown to be active. Furthermore, close to 50 compounds have been isolated and identified from C. anisata, which include coumarins, carbazole alkaloids, limonoids and essential oils (monoterpenes). Some of these compounds have been proven to exhibit pesticidal properties in both laboratory and field studies against various pests including mosquitoes, flies and weevils. The possible mechanisms of action of these compounds have been explored in this review. CONCLUSION : The results of pesticidal and hytochemical screening of C. anisata strongly indicate that the species is endowed with pesticidal properties that can be harnessed into commercial products. However, one glaring challenge in the evaluation of this plant species for pesticidal activity has been the non-availability of standard testing systems. Researchers have used various methods which they developed based on their own circumstances and resources. Formulation, standard appropriate testing systems and agronomic research are key in unlocking the potential of this important African species.The National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF) (Grant No. 95408)http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jethpharm2017-12-31hb2017Paraclinical Science

Florfenicol induces early embryonic death in eggs collected from treated hens

BACKGROUND : Florfenicol, a commonly used veterinary antibiotic, was reported to have caused a severe drop in egg hatchability following its off-label use on a broiler breeder farm in South Africa. According to the pharmacovigilance report, hatchability dropped by 80 % for up to a week following a five day course at 10 mg/kg (both males and females treated metaphylactically) to manage an Escherichia coli infection. While mammalian toxicity studies indicate the potential for early embryonic death in utero or testicular damage, no literature is available on the avian toxicity of florfenicol. For this study we investigated the effects of florfenicol at various doses from 10 to 90 mg/kg on the egg hatchability in a breeder flock we kept and established under controlled conditions, with the same cockerels and hens being exposed in a phased manner. RESULTS : Following five days of oral exposure, no toxic signs were evident in any of the cockerels or hens treated at doses up to 90 mg/kg. Treatment of only the cockerels had no effect on egg hatchability, while treatment of only the hens at doses of 60 and 90 mg/kg resulted in decreased hatchability of 0 % in comparison to 70 % of the control as early 24 h after treatment. In all cases, decreased hatchability was associated with embryonic death at 5 days of development. The toxic effects of florfenicol were completely reversible with comparable hatchability being present by day 4 post-treatment withdrawal. Toxicity correlated with total egg florfenicol concentrations with an LC50 of 1.07 μg/g. CONCLUSION : Florfenicol appears to be toxic to the developing chick embryo at around day 5 of incubation, in the absence of related toxicity in the hen or cockerel.Saudi Food and Drug Authorityhttp://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcvetreshb201

Accelerated induction of etorphine immobilization in blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) through the addition of hyaluronidase

OBJECTIVE : To study the effects of the addition of hyaluronidase (HA) to an etorphine/azaperone drug combination on induction times of immobilization. STUDY DESIGN : Experimental part-randomized 'blinded' cross-over study. ANIMALS : Eight wild managed blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus). METHODS : Animals were immobilized, on separate occasions separated by two weeks, with one of four treatments. Treatments were; 'Control drugs (CD), etorphine 0.01 mg kg(-1) + azaperone at 0.1 mg kg(-1) ; treatment 1 CD + 5000IU HA; treatment 2 CD + 7500 IU HA; and treatment 3 etorphine 0.007 mg kg(-1) + azaperone at 0.07 mg kg(-1) + 7500 IU HA. Times to first effect and to immobilization (from darting to possible to approach and blindfold) were measured. anova was used to compare treatments. Results are given in means ± SD (range). RESULTS : For control, and treatments 1-3 respectively, times (in minutes) to first effect were 1.58 ± 0.42 (1.02-2.10), 1.64 ± 0.42 (0.95-2.17), 1.12 ± 0.24 (0.80-1.48) and 1.60 ± 0.21 (1.13-1.88) and to immobilization were 5.38 ± 1.53 (3.82-8.07), 3.80 ± 1.14 (2.02-5.50), 3.51 ± 1.08 (2.28-5.52) and 4.46 ± 0.67 (3.30-5.40). Compared to control, time to first effect for treatment 2 was significantly shorter. Time to immobilization was significantly quicker in all three treatments containing HA than that for control. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE : Hyaluronidase can reduce the time to immobilization when used in the immobilizing dart, and might be usefully incorporated into etorphine combinations for darting wildlife.University of Pretoria and the South African Veterinary Foundation.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-29952016-03-31hb201

Expression and phylogeny of multidrug resistance protein 2 and 4 in African white backed vulture (Gyps africanus)

Diclofenac toxicity in old world vultures is well described in the literature by both the severity of the toxicity induced and the speed of death. While the mechanism of toxicity remains unknown at present, the necropsy signs of gout suggests primary renal involvement at the level of the uric acid excretory pathways. From information in the chicken and man, uric acid excretion is known to be a complex process that involves a combination of glomerular filtration and active tubular excretion. For the proximal convoluted tubules excretion occurs as a two-step process with the basolateral cell membrane using the organic anion transporters and the apical membrane using the multidrug resistant protein to transport uric acid from the blood into the tubular fluid. With uric acid excretion seemingly inhibited by diclofenac, it becomes important to characterize these transporter mechanism at the species level. With no information being available on the molecular characterization/expression of MRPs of Gyps africanus, for this study we used next generation sequencing, and Sanger sequencing on the renal tissue of African white backed vulture (AWB), as the first step to establish if the MRPs gene are expressed in AWB. In silico analysis was conducted using different software to ascertain the function of the latter genes. The sequencing results revealed that the MRP2 and MRP4 are expressed in AWB vultures. Phylogeny of avian MRPs genes confirms that vultures and eagles are closely related, which could be attributed to having the same ancestral genes and foraging behavior. In silico analysis confirmed the transcribed proteins would transports anionic compounds and glucose.The National Research Foundation, South Africahttps://peerj.comam2021Paraclinical Science

Repellent and mosquitocidal effects of leaf extracts of Clausena anisata against the Aedes aegypti mosquito (Diptera : Culicidae)

Mosquitoes are rapidly developing resistance to insecticides that millions of people relied on to protect themselves from the diseases they carry, thereby creating a need to develop new insecticides. Clausena anisata is used traditionally as an insect repellent by various communities in Africa and Asia. For this study, the repellency and adulticidal activities of leaf extracts and compounds isolated from this plant species were evaluated against the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. In the topical application assays, using total bites as an indicator, repellency was dose dependent, with the acetone crude extract (15 %) having 93 % repellence and the hexane fraction (7.5 %) 67 % repellence after 3 h. Fractionation resulted in a loss of total repellence. As mosquito-net treating agents, the acetone and hexane extracts of C. anisata, both at 15 %, had average repellences of 46.89 ± 2.95 and 50.13 ± 2.02 %, respectively, 3 h after exposure. The C. anisata acetone extract and its hexane fraction caused mosquito knockdown and eventually death when nebulised into the testing chamber, with an EC50 of 78.9 mg/ml (7.89 %) and 71.6 mg/ml (7.16 %) in the first 15 min after spraying. C. anisata leaf extracts have potential to be included in protection products against mosquitoes due to the repellent and cidal compounds contained therein.The University of Pretoria and the National Research Foundation.http://link.springer.com/journal/113562017-06-30hb2016Paraclinical Science

Efficacy and toxicity of thirteen plant leaf acetone extracts used in ethnoveterinary medicine in South Africa on egg hatching and larval development of Haemonchus contortus

BACKGROUND: Helminthiasis is a major limitation to the livestock industry in Africa. Haemonchus contortus is the singular most important helminth responsible for major economic losses in small ruminants. The high cost of anthelmintics to small farmers, resistance to available anthelmintics and residue problems in meat and milk consumed by humans further complicates matters. The use of plants and plant extracts as a possible source of new anthelmintics has received more interest in the last decade. Our aim was not to confirm the traditional use, but rather to determine activity of extracts. Based on our past experience acetone was used as extractant. Because it is cheaper and more reproducible to evaluate the activity of plant extracts, than doing animal studies, the activity of acetone leaf extracts of thirteen plant species used traditionally in ethnoveterinary medicine in South Africa were determined using the egg hatch assay and the larval development test. Cytotoxicity of these extracts was also evaluated using the MTT cellular assay. RESULTS: Extracts of three plant species i.e. Heteromorpha trifoliata, Maesa lanceolata and Leucosidea sericea had EC50 values of 0.62 mg/ml, 0.72 mg/ml and 1.08 mg/ml respectively for the egg hatch assay. Clausena anisata; (1.08 mg/ml) and Clerodendrum glabrum; (1.48 mg/ml) extracts were also active. In the larval development assay the H. trifoliata extract was the most effective with an EC50 of 0.64 mg/ml followed by L. sericea (1.27 mg/ml). The activities in the larval development test were generally lower in most plant species than the egg hatch assay. Based on the cytotoxicity results C. anisata was the least toxic with an LC50 of 0.17 mg/ml, while Cyathea dregei was the most toxic plant with an LC50 of 0.003 mg/ml. The C. anisata extract had the best selectivity index with a value of 0.10 and 0.08 for the two assays, followed by H. trifoliata and L. sericea with values of 0.07, 0.07 and 0.05, 0.04. The C. dregei extract had the worst selectivity index with a value of 0.00019 for both assays. CONCLUSION: The result of this study indicates which species should be further investigated in depth for isolation of compounds.MA participated in the design of the study, carried out field work, prepared the extracts, participated in all assay, analysed the data and wrote first draft and subsequent drafts of the manuscript. VN participated in the design and coordination of the study, supervised the study, analysed the data and revised the draft manuscript. JNE participated in the design and coordination of the study, supervised the study and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.The National Research Foundation and University of Pretoria provided funds, the Pretoria National Botanic gardens allowed us to collect plant material. The study of one of us (MA) was made possible by the University of Agriculture Makurdi and Tertiary Education Tax Fund (TETFund), Nigeria.http://www.biomedcentral.com/1746-6148/9/38am2013mn201

Antimicrobial resistance among Escherichia coli isolates from dogs presented with urinary tract infections at a veterinary teaching hospital in South Africa

Background This study investigated the burden and predictors of canine E. coli urinary tract infections (UTI) and antimicrobial resistance among dogs presented at a veterinary teaching hospital in South Africa, 2007–2012. Methods The Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to investigate temporal trends while logistic regression models were used to investigate predictors (age, sex, breed, year) of E. coli infections and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Results A total of 22.3% (168/755) of the urinary specimens tested positive for E. coli. A significant (p = 0.0004) decreasing temporal trend in the percentage of E. coli positive isolates was observed over the study period. There were high levels of AMR to penicillin-G (99%), clindamycin (100%), tylosine (95%), cephalothin (84%) but relatively low levels of resistance to enrofloxacin (16%), orbifloxacin (21%). Almost all (98%, 164/167) the isolates exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR), while only 11% (19/167) and 2% (4/167) exhibited extensive drug resistance (XDR) and pan-drug resistance (PDR), respectively. Conclusions Although, the risk of E. coli UTI declined during the study period, the risk of AMR increased. The high levels of AMR and MDR as well as the presence of XDR and PDR is concerning as these have the potential of affecting prognosis of UTI treatments