The growing population of free-roaming dogs in informal communities in South Africa may increasingly place humans at risk of possible zoonotic infections including, but not limited to, Brucella canis. Worldwide, the prevalence of B. canis infection has increased during the last two centuries, resulting in increased reports of dog and human infections. This study investigated the risk factors associated with B. canis infection in dogs in three predefined areas: Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces, of South Africa. Dogs aged 7 months and older presented to welfare organisations and breeders in the study areas were selected for sampling. A comprehensive questionnaire on dog ownership, general health and vaccination status was completed prior to sampling. One blood sample of 8 mL was collected aseptically per dog. Then, equal amounts (4 mL) were transferred to the different vacutainer tubes. The 2-mercaptoethanol-tube agglutination tests were used after validation. Fifty-two dogs out of the combined sample of 1191 dogs from the three study areas tested positive for B. canis, representing an overall occurrence of 4.4%. A binomial logistic regression model was fitted to identify risk factors associated with B. canis in dogs within the study areas. Dog age (0.371; p < 0.05) and external parasite infestation (0.311; p < 0.05) were significantly associated with the B. canis infection. Ownership and sterilisation need to be further investigated as possible risk factors because both had odds ratios of 1684 and 1107, respectively, in the univariate model.

In the later stages of the reaction between rennin and casein drastic viscometric methods are undesirable, but in the first stages there is a fall in viscosity which may be satisfactorily measured in an Ostwald viscometer. Using fat-free milk, the viscosity at first falls linearly with time. At low rennet concentrations (C e ) this may be said to constitute a zero-order reaction (constant k 0 ). At higher rennet concentrations and after longer times, the reaction passes to first order (constant k t ). After very long times it doubtless becomes more complex.The values of k 0 are proportional, over a considerable range, to the milk concentration (C m ), those of k x being independent of C m .For pure rennin k 0 and k y are proportional to C e , but for commercial rennets they vary as a power (N) of C e and the value of N appears to measure the rennin purity. The potentialities of the method for assessing rennet activities are also discussed.If the reduced viscosity (specific viscosity -=-C m ) of fat-free milks is plotted against C m , good straight lines are obtained which may be extrapolated to zero concentration to give a reliable value of intrinsic viscosity. The intrinsic viscosity falls progressively during the protein breakdown process but the slope of the curves ('second order term') remains unchanged.

SummaryIn earlier papers it was shown that the fall in viscosity of milk and caseinate solutions acted on by rennet, follows a first-order reaction equation. The reaction rate constant has been found to be independent of the source of the caseinate substrate used. This seems to be true not only for caseinate from normal cow's milk but also from colostrum, slow-clotting cow's milk and even the milk of buffaloes, sheep and probably goats.With solutions of caseinate from sow's milk the reaction kinetics and the proportional viscosity loss were similar to those of cow's caseinate but the rate constants were much lower. Rennet showed no measurable reaction with human, whale, mare or rhinoceros caseinates but produced a constant rate of fall in the viscosity of a camel caseinate for more than an hour from rennetting.Vegetable and microbiological rennet substitutes also produce a fall in the viscosity of sodium caseinate and the reactions follow first-order kinetics. They differ from cheese rennet in that the proteolysis involved is stronger and is not as limited as that of rennin since they attack at least twice as much of the casein ensemble. This might suggest a mixture of enzymes but since the proportionality between enzyme concentration and k1 was very close this seems unlikely.

No abstract

Veterinary paraprofessionals (VPPs) are engaged worldwide in animal health management, disease surveillance and food safety control. In many countries, particularly developing countries, VPPs are critical to national veterinary services provision. Until recently, there were no globally recognized training requirements for VPPs. Recognition of VPPs’ qualifications and roles, and requirements for registration, vary greatly between jurisdictions. To address these issues, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has developed competency and curricular guidelines for VPPs. A collaborative approach was essential to this mission. Extensive consultation with individuals and agencies representing various countries, animal health and veterinary sectors, and forms of expertise, was undertaken. Collaborative methods included the formation of a guidelines development ad hoc group whose diversity reflected project needs, the use of existing OIE Member Country data to understand roles of VPPs globally, conducting stakeholder surveys to collate VPP competency expectations and solicit feedback on draft guidelines, and in-country missions to validate draft curricular models. The initial deliverable from this work was publication of Competency Guidelines for VPPs. This document provides recommendations on the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and aptitudes that could be expected of VPPs following effective training. The companion document, OIE Curricular Guidelines for VPPs, provides recommendations on coursework structure and content to achieve these competencies. These guidelines will assist countries worldwide in more effectively training and qualifying VPPs so that they can contribute positively to the provision of veterinary services. Another potential impact is to catalyze the review of educational and regulatory standards regarding the respective work rights and activities of veterinarians and VPPs.

In an earlier paper, one of us (Oosthuizen, 1962) showed that vegetable rennets produce a fall in the viscosity of sodium caseinate solutions which follows the equation of first-order chemical kinetics; but that the proteolysis involved is stronger than that of calf's rennet since the vegetable rennets attack a greater proportion of the casein ensemble.

No abstract

Three hundred and ninety two (n = 392) blood samples from randomly selected cattle were subjected to the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test to test for antibodies against Babesia spp. The proportions of males (49%) and females (51%) included in the study did not differ significantly. Cattle that were 5 years constituted 63% of the sampled animals, while cattle that were 0-2 years old were in the minority (14%). Babesia bigemina had the highest prevalence (36.5%), while mixed infections had the least prevalence (13.2%). Based on age, cattle that were 3-4 years old had the highest prevalence of both B. bovis (23.9%) and B. bigemina (44.6 %). Cattle in the 0-2 year age category had the lowest prevalence of both B. bovis (12.3%) and B. bigemina (29.8 %). The 3-4 years old age category also had the highest prevalence (18.5 %) of mixed infections, while the 0-2-years old had the lowest (8.8%). Overall, B. bigemina had the highest prevalence; however the level of the prevalence of babesiosis in the study area was not at the point where the region could be considered endemically stable.There was no significant association between infection and age, gender and place.