bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Third World Express : trains and “revolution” in Southern African poetry
Authors: Wright L.
Published: August 2012

This article examines political dimensions of the train metaphor in selected Southern African poems, some of them in English translation. Exploring work by Mongane Serote, B.W. Vilakazi, Demetrius Segooa, Phedi Tlhobolo, Thami Mseleku, Jeremy Cronin, Alan Lennox-Short, Anthony Farmer, Freedom T.V. Nyamubaya, Abduraghiem Johnstone and Mondli Gwala, the argument shows some of the ways in which the technological character of trains and railways is made to carry a message of political insurrection and revolution. The author shows that the political potential of the railway metaphor builds on the general response to railways evident in poems indebted to traditional African praise poetry. The article also demonstrates that political contention within different strands of the Southern African liberation movement could also find expression using the railway metaphor.
Boer-uitbeeldings in Franse jeugliteratuur tydens die Anglo-Boereoorlog
Authors: Steyn J.E.T.
Published: August 2012

Representations of the Boer in French youth literature duringthe Anglo Boer War Representations of the “other” or alterity are to a large extent influenced by the historical context of the onlooker. When this historical context changes, it often happens that the representation of the “other” is adapted accordingly. This article provides a short overview of the way in which French representations of the Boers in youth novels written before the Anglo-Boer War differ from youth novels about the war. Before the war the Boer is described as a Dutch descendant living in utmost, almost barbaric, simplicity. When the Anglo- Boer War breaks out, the Boer becomes an alter ego for the French who indirectly continue the French struggle against the British. This article discusses the way in which the French adapt their representation of the Boers in order for young French readers to identify with the Boers.
Translating cultural transition in Kgebetli Moele’s Room 207
Authors: Ibinga S.S.
Published: August 2012

This article deals with the issue of cultural translation in a postapartheid text through the analysis of language, setting and discourse to highlight cultural transition in a society where socio-political mutations elicit new literary codes and symbols. The discussion is developed around concepts such as gender and ethnic identity or citizenship in a geographical environment where multi- and transcultural identities are endlessly being contested. The concept of translation is explored to show how Moele’s text represents cultural transition within a postapartheid urban context by analysing the authorial transposition of everyday experience into the textual fabric. The article also examines how the narrative voice negotiates across the current multicultural divide in order to highlight cultural change both in South African literature and in society as a whole. This article addresses in the discussion the controversial debate raised by Michael Titlestad’s (2007) review of the book published in the “Sunday times” on 25 March in which the critic evinces a negative reception of the book. This is used as a point of departure in order to explore a wide range of possibilities that fiction can offer by means of textual representation of the daily experience of black people in a postapartheid urban context.
White masculine desire and despair in The good doctor by Damon Galgut
Authors: Crous M.
Published: August 2012

The purpose of this article is to examine the representation of masculinity in Damon Galgut’s novel, “The good doctor”, and in particular the interaction between the two male characters, namely Frank and Laurence. The character Frank suppresses his feelings of intimacy towards the younger Laurence through his machismo and his cruelty towards the latter. The question arises whether there is a homoerotic relationship between the two men in this postapartheid setting, or whether it is merely a mutual attempt at finding intimacy and closeness in their bleak existence. Furthermore, following Horrell (2005), the concepts of desire and despair with regard to white masculinity as portrayed in the novel will be examined.
B.W. Vilakazi and the birth of the Zulu novel
Authors: Canonici N.N.
Published: August 2012

B.W. Vilakazi is rightly famous for his Zulu poems that integrate the Zulu creative genius with established European poetic trends. He was also the creator of the Zulu romantic novel, having written the first three examples of the genre dealing with both personal and national romantic ideals. These are, however, seldom analysed. This article reflects on the emerging literatures in African languages, their aims, contents and forms. After a general introduction on Vilakazi’s life and innovative approach to creative writing within the context of the African mini-renaissance period of the 1930s, there is a brief exposition of Vilakazi’s vision of an African literature, rooted in the need for self-identification, and recognition of perceived historical greatness. Then each novel is contextualised and analysed, through a description of the characters that exert the greatest influence on the events, since plot and character are also the highest achievement of the folktale, when told by expert performers. An attempt is also made to identify Afro-centric narrative elements and to justify perceived shortcomings in plot construction.
Black writers’ Shona novels of the liberation war in Zimbabwe: an art that tells the truth of its day
Authors: Mutasa D.E. , Chigidi W.L.
Published: August 2012

Over the years Shona fiction that portrays Zimbabwe’s liberation war has been a subject of severe criticism because of its tendency to falsify and distort history. This article attempts to provide answers to the question of why authors of Shona war fiction tended to romanticise the war of liberation. In pursuance of this objective this article looks at circumstances and conditions that prevailed at the time that most of the Shona stories about Zimbabwe’s liberation war were written. These stories were published during the first decade of Zimbabwe’s independence and it is possible to look at this time and come up with a set of interdependent cultural, economic, political and ideological conditions that helped to shape writers’ perspectives on the war. The article argues that the conditions of artistic freedom that interfaced with internalised fear, the euphoria and celebration, the dominant ideology of the time, as well as the situation of competition were responsible for shaping the consciousness of the war fiction writers. In this article views expressed in interviews by some of the writers of Shona war fiction are taken into consideration. All interviews with authors referred to in the article were carried out by the researcher.
’n Ondersoek na ’n werkswyse: die herskryf van ’n komplekse Afrikaanse roman na ’n draaiboek
Authors: Breed C.A. , Greyling S.F.
Published: August 2012

An investigation into a methodology: the adaptation of a complex Afrikaans novel into a screenplay Very few Afrikaans films are currently being produced. One of the possible reasons for this phenomenon could be that very few Afrikaans screenplays are written nowadays. There are, however, some good Afrikaans novels which could conceivably become commercially successful films, provided they were properly adapted into screenplays. In this article, the methodology that was used by an aspiring Afrikaans screenwriter to adapt the Afrikaans novel, “Die swye van Mario Salviati”, by Etienne van Heerden, into a screenplay, is discussed. The purpose of this study was to investigate a particular writing method that can be used by screenwriters to adapt an Afrikaans novel into a screenplay. The investigation included a practical application, giving the writer an opportunity to test the validity of the methodology. The various phases of the investigation and the adaptation itself are discussed in the article, and the efficacy of the methodology is evaluated.
The presentation of male same-gender abuse in W.K. Tamsanqa’s Ithemba liyaphilisa
Authors: Mkonto B.B.
Published: August 2012

The aim of this article is to analyse the manner in which W.K. Tamsanqa depicts aggression initiated by males against other males and in so doing, engendering same-gender abuse in “Ithemba liyaphilisa”. Tamsanqa identifies certain amaXhosa cultural practices as being socially oppressive in same-gender relations within families and society. In addition his presentation of the characters’ continuation of traditional gender ideology will be explored to highlight familial conflict. These familial conflicts, seen as horizontal violence, are exacerbated by tribal laws and customs which reinforce vertical violence.
Narratology and the study of lyric poetry
Authors: Du Plooy H.J.G.
Published: August 2012

This article provides a brief discussion of the theoretical and historical underpinnings of the study of narrativity in lyric poetry. As part of the justification of studying narrative aspects of lyric poetry, reference is made to contemporary paradigms in postclassical narratology of which transgeneric narratology is one. The project titled, “Verse and narrative: narrative structures and techniques in lyric poetry”, from which the articles in this issue emanated, is described briefly by presenting the objectives of the research and by discussing the theoretical and historical implications of such a project. The theoretical part of the article concludes with a list of the preliminary findings. The article also serves as an introduction to this issue of “Literator”, which contains the contributions on English and Dutch texts to the project.
Affordances of form in stanzaic narrative poetry
Authors: McHale B.
Published: August 2012

This article develops the notion that poetry is crucially distinguished from other forms of verbal art by its foregrounding of segmentivity, the spacing of language. If a measure is regarded as the smallest unit of resistance to meaning, measure determines where gaps open up in a poetic text. Poetry is, however, not only measured, but typically countermeasured and narrative in poetry can also be countermeasured against the segmentation that is specific to narrative. The present article investigates segmentivity in one particular type of narrative poem, namely poems in discontinuous stanzaic forms. The concept of affordances (referring to different potentials for use) is applied to the stanzaic form in Edmund Spenser’s “The faerie queene” (1590; 1596) and to the “ottava rima” stanza, as exemplified by Kenneth Koch’s postmodernist narrative poem, “Seasons on earth” (1960; 1977; 1987).
Politics in poetry: epic poetry as a critique of Dutch culture
Authors: Heynders O.M.
Published: August 2012

This article describes a Dutch volume of epic poetry, using a disciplinary strategy (concepts and devices from narrative studies) and a cultural analytical and rhetorical approach. The volume “Roeshoofd hemelt” by Joost Zwagerman (2005) is a political poetic text that raises fundamental questions on issues of mental illness and on consumerism in contemporary Dutch society.
A narratological perspective on Douglas Livingstone’s A littoral zone (1991)
Authors: Kahl J.H.
Published: August 2012

This article explores aspects of the contemporary South African poet Douglas Livingstone’s “A littoral zone” (1991) from a narratological point of view, leaning largely on Peter Hühn’s narratological concept of the event and Rachel Blau DuPlessis’ “hypothesis of poetry as segmentivity” as formulated by Brian McHale (2009:18). A discussion of two juxtaposed poems from the said volume explores how the poems’ respective anecdotes and events are segmented, then arranged and sequenced into specific narratives to highlight the speaker’s conviction of the necessity of a biological and spiritual connection with the natural environment. In the larger context of the volume there are numerous other narrative lines (in the form of poems about specific experiences the poet had) that are juxtaposed in a similar fashion. Collectively these juxtaposed narrative lines then constitute on the level of the volume as a whole the autobiographical narrative of the poet’s development as self-ironic individual. The various anecdotes also contribute to the formation and development of the theme of symbiosis, a theme that has a direct bearing on how the poet sees the gap between humankind’s current and supposed connection with nature. The main event of the volume is to be found in the reader’s mind: the realisation that bridging this gap is absolutely necessary and that it starts with the individual.
Beckett and Coetzee: alternative identities
Authors: Meihuizen N.C.T.
Published: August 2012

Coetzee’s scholarly interest in Beckett, and his aesthetic interest in the same (which carries a strong measure of readily acknowledged influence), diverge in the case Coetzee presents in a recent mini-biography cum autobiography, “Samuel Beckett in Cape Town – an imaginary history” (Coetzee, 2006:74-77), where both he and Beckett are imagined as having experienced alternative pasts in South Africa. Considering this acknowledged influence, which Coetzee (1992b) mentions in an interview with David Attwell in “Doubling the point”, one might assume that it followed an initial scholarly interest in Beckett(Coetzee’s Ph.D. was on Beckett, and was completed years before he himself became a creative writer). However, in the case at hand this causal sequence is broken, because the doubled Coetzee, though under the spell of Beckett’s prose, does not wish to do scholarly work on the doubled Beckett. What is it about Coetzee’s imagined Beckett that has this effect on him? And why is it that Coetzee engages in such metafictional blurred doubling when it comes to himself and Beckett? This article attempts to shed light on the problems that surround Coetzee’s crafted interaction between authors who are also (in this rather odd context) characters.
Trauma in Der Nazi & der Friseur von Edgar Hilsenrath
Authors: Van den Berg J.P.C.
Published: August 2012

Theory about trauma and trauma representation can be very useful when interpreting literary texts. The notion of trauma is a complex one and can in general be associated with specific historical experiences, or used as an ontological category to describe fundamental aspects of human existence and identity. From a psycho-analytical perspective the latter refers to a lack within the symbolic order to assimilate and interpret experience in a meaningful way, which consequently leads to a confrontation with the alienating Žižekian real. “Der Nazi & der Friseur”(“The Nazi & the barber”) by Edgar Hilsenrath deals, among other issues, with the Holocaust experiences of the main character.The aim of this article is to identify possible signs of trauma, both at the level of narrated events and the narration itself. Besides these signs of historical trauma, it will be demonstrated that the play with identity in the novel can be read against the background of trauma used as ontological category,grounded in the “other”, as something existing beyond the boundaries of the symbolic order.
Ruimte as tema en metafoor in die poësie van enkele vroulike Afrikaanse digters: 1994-2005
Authors: De Beer A.M. , Du Plooy H.J.G.
Published: August 2012

Space as theme and metaphor in the poetry of selected female poets in Afrikaans: 1994-2005This article illustrates that the representation of physical and abstract space is exceptionally prominent in the work of female poets in Afrikaans who published poetry between 1994 and 2005. The possibility that a “female consciousness” influences the use of spatial metaphors is put forward (but not proved).Following the theoretical insights of Pierre Bourdieu, the relationship between society and art is explored, and consequently the importance of the postcolonial context of Afrikaans poetry published between 1994 and 2005 forms part of the analyses of the thematic and metaphorical aspects of the selected poems. Examples of the salient aspects of representations of space,both as theme and as metaphor, in the work of female Afrikaans poets are discussed in more detail before some preliminary conclusions are put forward.
How cool is Nietzsche – an aid to remove the fear of great philosophers
Authors: Ester H.
Published: August 2012

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is far more accessible than many of his contemporaries. He has a tremendous sense of humour, plays with words and expressions,and he is not scared of attacking other philosophers like Hegel and Schopenhauer. Nietzsche’s use of figures is very significant thanks to the variations of these figures. The result of his style is a sort of inclusiveness towards the reader. Nietzsche seduces the reader to become a member of the select group of chosen thinkers. His central work “Thus spoke Zarathustra”, shows this strategy of conquering the reader or listener in a clear way. Nietzsche’s courage to ask other philosophers or “Geisteswissenschaftler” what their essence is can encourage us to ask essential questions. However, Nietzsche’s central value of life is too vague to be acceptable and caused a lot of political confusion during the previous century.
“Gestures of approach”: aspects of liminality and labyrinths
Authors: Ullyatt Tony
Published: August 2012

The purpose of this article is to explore some matters of liminality relevant to labyrinths. To this end, the discussion opens by considering some implications of the way liminality is defined before moving on to an examination of labyrinths in terms of their two- or three-dimensionality. The liminal implications of these labyrinths as designs and structures are then discussed in some detail, together with their symbolic/metaphorical aspects. In the course of this discussion, a taxonomy of the labyrinth walking process is presented. The article concludes with a brief consideration of the liminal significance of the Knossos Labyrinth’s location on the island of Crete.
From foreign to national: a review of the status of the French language in Gabon
Authors: Ndinga-Koumba-Binza H.S.
Published: August 2012

This article provides a review of the various statuses of the French language in Gabon, a French-speaking country in Central Africa. It reveals a process in which different generations of Gabonese people are increasingly learning, and thus conceptualising, French as a second language rather than a foreign language. Furthermore, some are also learning and conceptualising French as a mother tongue or initial language, rather than a second language. This process of reconceptualisation has somehow been encouraged by the language policy of the colonial administration and the language policy since the attainment of independence, the latter being a continuation of the former. The final stage of this process is that the language has been adopted among the local languages within the Gabonese language landscape.
Postcolonial travel accounts and ethnic subjectivity: travelling through Southern Africa
Authors: Nas L.
Published: August 2012

This article deals with three recent South African travelogues, to wit Sihle Khumalo’s “Dark continent: my black arse” (2007) and “Heart of Africa: centre of my gravity” (2009), and Steven Otter’s “Khayelitsha: umlungu in a township” (2007). It argues that the authors are engaged in a postcolonial quest to find out what makes them African: the one, a black corporate employee, by following the footsteps of white nineteenth century explorers; the other, a white journalism student, by living in one of South Africa’s largest black townships.
Three protagonists in B.W. Vilakazi’s “Ezinkomponi” (“On the mine compounds”)
Authors: Zondi N.
Published: August 2012

In this poem the great Zulu poet B.W. Vilakazi is preoccupied with the surreal scene of a gold mine compound in the 1940s Johannesburg, and reflects on the three protagonists of the drama that plays out in front of him: the miners, mine magnates and the heavy machinery, all things that drive the entire enterprise of enslaving the workers. Feelings flood his imagination: about the terrible status of the miners (with whom he identifies); what they have left behind, their dreams and the reality they battle with; the unfeeling and overwhelming spectre of industrialisation, and distant capitalist interests; and the instruments of oppression: the deafening mine machines. These three protagonists(especially the first and the third,) assume human characteristics and fight to justify their respective roles in the conflict. Vilakazi’s famous protest poem becomes a cry for help in the face of destructive industrial advancement as everpresent human drama, which pits values of gold/ and money against what is more fully human and worth living for; possibly unachievable present prosperity against a vision of future happiness and fulfilment.
A 'spirit' of home and exile: a re-evaluation of Breyten Breytenbach’s Memory of snow and of dust
Authors: Jansen T.
Published: August 2012

This article notes the emergence of a global consciousness that recognises the need to move beyond well-worn categories of interpretation. In exploring the concepts of home and exile in Breyten Breytenbach‟s novel, “Memory of snow and of dust” (1989), the article examines how fresh perspectives in postcolonial studies – identified as a „spiritual turn‟ – allow one to gain access to new insights into the exilic condition. The author captures and conveys the experience of exile, and envisages through the exile‟s „double vision‟ a more complicated notion of home. The distressing journey into a new awareness of what constitutes home is examined. Furthermore, the article considers the restless, yet regenerative condition of exile that – although characterised by mental anguish – makes possible a more fluid response to spatiality. The renewed interest in (and legitimation of) the spiritual in postcolonial studies lends further insight into an alternative response to the search for a place/ space to call home. This article concludes with an affirmation of the relevance of “Memory of snow and of dust”, as a novel that challenges one to cultivate an expanded awareness – that moves beyond the material – in times during which the overlapping boundaries of home and exile are becoming a global condition.
One rainbow, one nation, one tongue singing: whiteness in post-apartheid pulp fiction
Authors: West M.E.
Published: August 2012

A certain brand of fiction has become popular in post-apartheid South Africa that accounts for the relative success of Susan Mann‟s “One tongue singing” (2005). This article seeks to examine the implications of narratives such as this in revealing the normative assumptions that might inform text and reception a decade into a new democracy. It begins with an overview of whiteness studies as a post-colonial frame of reference useful in gauging the continued hegemonic normativity of whiteness as a cultural affiliation. This is followed by an analysis of Mann‟s novel. I argue that it is precisely in fiction such as this – massproduced for a white middle-class, mostly female readership both here and abroad – that there is ample evidence of the kinds of normative assumptions that whiteness studies attempts to make visible. I demonstrate that despite the writer‟s liberal and politically correct attempts to negotiate the politics of race, gender and class, her narrative inadvertently reinforces stereotypes that it ostensibly challenges. Thus it exhibits the discursive limits and powers of the most readily available reading matter this country has to offer.
Karakterisering en die gebruik van verwysings na psalms, gesange en hallelujaliedere in die roman Agaat van Marlene van Niekerk
Authors: Van der Mescht H.H.
Published: August 2012

Characterisation and the use of references to psalms, hymns and hallelujah songs in Marlene van Niekerk’s novel Agaat The qualities of the main characters in Marlene van Niekerk‟s Afrikaans novel “Agaat” (2004) are often emphasised by the use of references to classical, folk and sacred music. As religious songs constitute an integral part of the Afrikaans community, it is fitting to include references to the texts of psalms, hymns and hallelujah hymns in an Afrikaans novel set on a farm. The novel makes extensive use of such references to portray the characters and their context. These references form one of the most important means of characterisation in the novel. The texts are often used by the characters in a harsh and ironic way – and without respect for the religious content – but there are also some touching situations in which the original religious context is retained.
'Man muss die Dinge sich vor Augen halten ...': Goethe’s and Adorno’s aesthetic programmes as a critique of Modernity
Authors: Mühr S.
Published: August 2012

Early on in his acquaintance with Goethe, Schiller criticised Goethe‟s „philosophy‟ as too subjective: „It takes too much from the world of [the] senses, whereas I take from the soul.‟ Today, subjectivity is the opposite to the „objective‟ world experienced via the senses – a view that can be traced back to the early Scotist thinking on subjective versus objective truth. In the first part of this article, close textual analysis of Goethe‟s Farbenlehre („On the theory of colour‟) and Wahlverwandtschaften („Elective affinities‟), demonstrates how Goethe aligns the cognition of truth with a subjective function of participatory observation; which he sees as truly empirical. These texts from very different genres execute the same aesthetic programme, in which the narrator withdraws to invite the reader to see for him-/ herself. In the second part, Goethe‟s concept of participatory truth-finding is compared to Adorno‟s aesthetic theory – Adorno claims that only the non-identical appears momentarily in artwork. The comparison between Goethe‟s „Aperçu‟ and Adorno‟ s „Apparition‟, Goethe‟s „zarte Empirie‟ and Adorno‟s incommensurable insight of art, supports the argument that Adorno‟s dilemma in grappling with the absolute can be overcome by using Goethe‟s relativising stance. This approach interprets knowledge as a set of cultural-historical concepts, emphasising the pivotal position and relevance of literary studies.
The heart remembers : observations of cardiac memory in the Dorper sheep heart
Authors: Ker J. , Webb E.C. , Ker J.A. , Bekker P.A.
Published: August 2012

Memory is a property common to a diverse range of tissues. Cardiac memory has been demonstrated in the human, dog, rat and rabbit. This is a peculiar phenomenon, reflected in the T wave of the electrocardiogram. The heart is able to remember periods of alterations in the sequence of ventricular activation and once there is a return to a normal sequence of ventricular activation the T waves may manifest memory. Cardiac memory is noted when the T wave during normal ventricular activation retains the vector of the previous abnormal QRS complex, caused by a period of altered ventricular activation. Possible mechanisms of memory in the heart are alterations of the transient outward potassium current (Ito) in ventricular myocytes and new protein synthesis inside myocytes. These two mechanisms operate in short- and long-term cardiac memory respectively. Currently, it is unknown whether memory may have adverse structural consequences in the heart. We were able to demonstrate memory in the hearts of Dorper wethers and this is the first report of cardiac memory in Dorper sheep.
Review of blackfly (Diptera : Simuliidae) control in South Africa
Authors: Myburgh E. , Nevill E.M.
Published: August 2012

The medical, veterinary and economic importance of blackflies in South Africa, and the historical development of blackfly control programmes in various South African rivers, are reviewed in this paper. In 1996 it was estimated that blackflies can cause more than R 88 million damages per annum along the middle and lower Orange River where Simulium chutteri is considered the main pest species. A clear link between the construction of dams and the spread of the blackfly problem was shown. Four phases characterize the development of blackfly control in South Africa: (1) during the 1960s blackflies in the Vaal River were controlled with DDT; (2), during the 1970s and into the 1980s blackflies were controlled using water-flow manipulation; (3) when used at strategic times, water-flow manipulation could be used to enhance the effect of natural predator populations; and (4) during the 1990s the organophosphate temephos and toxins produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis were tested for their efficacy against blackflies. The larvicides temephos and B. thuringiensis proved to be effective and are still used in several control programmes. The latest research focuses on the factors that influence adult blackfly survival and annoyance, as well as the development of methods that can be used to protect sheep from blackfly attacks.
Occurrence, clinical manifestation and the epidemiological implications of naturally occurring canine trypanosomosis in western Kenya
Authors: Matete G.O.
Published: August 2012

Domestic dogs were screened for Trypanosoma brucei infection using the haematocrit centrifugation technique as part of routine active surveillance exercises in the Busia and Teso districts of Kenya. The purpose was to assess the role of dogs as sentinels for the occurrence of human sleeping sickness. Out of 200 dogs screened, five were found to be infected at the various test sites. These five succumbed to the disease within four weeks, and exhibited a distinct and pronounced corneal opacity before death. Blood from two naturally infected dogs were tested for the presence of the serum resistance associated (SRA) gene and one tested positive, confirming it as human infective (T. brucei rhodesiense) prevalence (0.5 %). It is considered that the occurrence of this clinical sign could be used as an early warning prediction of future outbreaks. This type of prediction could form an integral part of an indigenous technical knowledge set in areas lying at the edges of the tsetse (Glossina) belts where T. brucei is the main trypanosome species that affects dogs. The occurrence of corneal opacity in dogs could indicate a rise in the levels of T. brucei a proportion of which could be human infective T. b. rhodesiense circulating in the population early enough before disease outbreak occurs. It is thought that during sleeping sickness epidemics the domestic dog will be the first casualty rapidly succumbing to disease long before it is noticed in man. Prompt prediction of disease outbreaks would thus enable early interventions that would reduce the morbidity, mortality and the general economic losses associated with sleeping sickness to be instituted.
Population structure of Argas arboreus (Acari : Argasidae) ticks associated with seasonally abandoned mixed heronries, dominated by cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis), in South Africa
Authors: Belozerov V.N. , Van Niekerk D.J. , Butler H.J.B.
Published: August 2012

During winter populations of Argas arboreus from heronries of the cattle egret, Bubulcus ibis, in South Africa are composed of adults, with some predominance of males, and II-IV instar nymphs, in a state of diapause. The period of tick activity, including reproduction and development of eggs, larvae and N1 nymphs, is synchronized with the nesting and breeding season of their avian hosts. It begins during spring with the return of birds to the heronry, and ceases in autumn through induction of reproductive diapause in engorged females, and behavioural diapause in unfed nymphs and adult ticks. Many ticks showed morphological anomalies and malformations, the study of which could possibly be used for monitoring of environmental pollution.
Limitation of the spread and impact of infectious coryza through the use of a continuous disinfection programme
Authors: Bragg R.R.
Published: August 2012

The effect of a continuous disinfection programme, using the non-toxic disinfectant Virukill, in layers, on the spread and impact of infectious coryza, caused by Haemophilus paragallinarum was evaluated. In this experiment, both unvaccinated layers and layers vaccinated against infectious coryza were used. Duplicate smaller groups of vaccinated and unvaccinated chickens were challenged with different serovars of both NAD-dependent as well as NAD-independent isolates of Haemophilus paragallinarum. One group of chickens challenged with each of the different bacterial serovars was treated with the continuous disinfection programme, while the other group remained as the untreated controls. The clinical signs of infectious coryza were evaluated over a period of 20 days in each group. The egg production over this period was also evaluated. It was found in all experimental challenges, that the severity of the symptoms was reduced in the birds receiving the continuous disinfection programme. The drop in egg production was also found to be less severe in the treated groups when compared to the untreated control groups. The duration of infection was found to be either unchanged, or shorter in the birds treated with the continuous disinfection programme. In none of the experimental challenges was the duration or expression of clinical signs of IC increased due to the continuous disinfection programme.
Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. XLIV. Fleas (Insecta : Siphonaptera : Pulicidae) collected from 15 carnivore species
Authors: Horak I.G. , Beaucournu J.-C. , Braack L.E.O.
Published: August 2012

Fleas were collected from 61 wild carnivores belonging to 13 species in various nature reserves and on farms, two feral domestic cats in a nature reserve and a domestic dog in the city of Johannesburg. Eleven flea species, including two subspecies of one of these, belonging to six genera were recovered. Amongst these only Ctenocephalides felis felis and Ctenocephalides felis strongylus are considered specific parasites of carnivores. The remaining ten species normally infest the prey animals of the various carnivores.
Psittacine beak and feather disease virus in budgerigars and ring-neck parakeets in South Africa
Authors: Albertyn J. , Tajbhai K.M. , Bragg R.R.
Published: August 2012

Psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) is a common disease of the psittacine species and is caused by the psittacine beak and feather disease virus (PBFDV). In this study the occurrence of the disease in ring-neck parakeets and budgerigars in South Africa suffering from feathering problems, using polymerase chain reaction as a diagnostic test was investigated. The genetic variation between viral isolates was also studied. Results indicate that PBFDV can be attributed to being the cause of feathering problems in some of the ring-neck parakeets and budgerigars in South Africa. Genetic variation of isolates occurs between species and individuals. A cheap and easy to use method of blood sample collection on filter paper for diagnostic purposes was also evaluated. It proved to be less stressful to the birds and did not inhibit further processes.
The occurrence of Contracaecum sp. larvae (Nematoda : Anisakidae) in the catfishClarias gariepinus (Burchell) from Lake Chivero, Zimbabwe
Authors: Barson M.
Published: August 2012

Clarias gariepinus were collected from Lake Chivero, Zimbabwe, and examined for nematode parasites from November 2000 to May 2002. Of the 202 specimens collected, 42.6 % were infected with third-stage larvae of Contracaecum sp. in the body cavity. The intensity of the infection was 1-7 worms per fish (mean intensity = 2.2). Seasonal variation in the prevalence of the parasite was not obvious and there was no significant difference in the prevalence of infection between males and females (c2 = 2.228; P > 0.05). No significant relationship between host size and prevalence was established. There was also no significant relationship between intensity and the body condition factor (r = 0.11; P > 0.05). The low parasite prevalence may have been caused by the disruption of the infection cycle since piscivorous birds, which are the final hosts of the parasite, do not feed on C. gariepinus in Lake Chivero.
Evidence of possible evasion of protective immunity by NAD-independent isolates of Haemophilus paragallinarum in poultry
Authors: Bragg R.R.
Published: August 2012

An indication of the ability of NAD-independent variants of Haemophilus paragallinarum to evade the immune system has been obtained from data obtained from several experiments. Firstly, it was noted that there was a difference in the serovar distribution between the NAD-dependent isolates in the 1990s and the NAD-independent isolates, as there was a significant decrease in the incidence of serogroup A NAD-dependent isolates. This can possibly be attributed to the extensive use of vaccines. On the other hand, most of the earlier NAD-independent isolates were serovar A. This is a possible indication of evasion of the protective immunity by the NAD-independent isolates. Further evidence of possible evasion of the protective immunity was obtained from results obtained when different isolates, both NAD dependent and NAD independent, were tested with a panel of monoclonal antibodies (Mabs). The V1 Mab reaction pattern was only seen in the reference strain 0083 among all of the NAD-dependent isolates tested in South Africa. This Mab was, however, found to react with some of the NAD-independent isolates. Furthermore, the isolation of NAD-dependent isolates in Australia which react with the V1 Mab also suggest possible evasion of the protective immunity by the NAD-independent isolates as no vaccines containing strain 0083 are used in Australia. In order to investigate the hypothesis of immune-evasion by NAD-independent H. paragallinarum, vaccinated and unvaccinated chickens were challenged with a NAD-independent serogroup C isolate. As a control, chickens were also challenged with NAD-dependent H. paragallinarum of the same serogroup. The results obtained indicate that there is no significant difference in the disease profiles obtained in vaccinated and unvaccinated chickens challenged with the NAD-independent isolate, thus providing further evidence of evasion of the productivity immunity by the NAD-independent isolates. The ability of the NAD-independent isolates to evade the immune system suggests that a different vaccination strategy, or alternative control methods may be needed for the control of IC caused by these isolates.
Use of scanning electron microscopy to confirm the identity of lice infesting communally grazed goat herds
Authors: Sebei P.J. , McCrindle C.M.E. , Green E.D. , Turner M.L.
Published: August 2012

Lice have been described on goats in commercial farming systems in South Africa but not from flocks on communal grazing. During a longitudinal survey on the causes of goat kid mortality, conducted in Jericho district, North West Province, lice were collected from communally grazed indigenous goats. These lice were prepared for and viewed by scanning electron microscopy, and micromorphological taxonomic details are described. Three species of lice were found in the study area and identified as Bovicola caprae, Bovicola limbatus and Linognathus africanus. Sucking and biting lice were found in ten of the 12 herds of goats examined. Lice were found on both mature goats and kids. Bovicola caprae and L. africanus were the most common biting and sucking lice respectively in all herds examined. Scanning electron microscopy revealed additional features which aided in the identification of the louse species. Photomicrographs were more accurate aids to identification than the line drawings in the literature and facilitated identification using dissecting microscope.
The testing and modification of a commercially available transport medium for the transportation of pure cultures of Haemophilus paragallinarum for serotyping
Authors: Bragg R.R. , Jansen van Rensburg P. , Van Heerden E. , Albertyn J.
Published: August 2012

Haemophilus paragallinarum, the causative agent of infectious coryza in poultry, is an extremely fastidious organism requiring specific growth conditions for isolation. For complete control of the disease in regions where more that one of the serovars of the different serogroups occurs, it is essential that the bacterium causing the problem be isolated and serotyped. This work describes the modification and testing of transport media, which will ensure the survival of the causative agents in suspected infectious coryza cases for transport to a laboratory where the bacterium can be isolated and serotyped. The various transport media used are based on commercially available Amies Transport Medium supplemented with the different supplements used for the growth of H. paragallinarum. It was established that the bacterium remains viable for up to 18 days in Amies Transport Medium containing all the supplements when stored at 4 oC or 37 oC. At room temperature or 25 oC, there was no difference in the survival of H. paragallinarum in commercial Amies Transport Medium (without charcoal) and Amies Transport Medium with supplements.
The pCS20 PCR assay for Ehrlichia ruminantium does not cross-react with the novel deer ehrlichial agent found in white-tailed deer in the United States of America
Authors: Mahan S.M. , Simbi B.H. , Burridge M.J.
Published: August 2012

White-tailed deer are susceptible to heartwater (Ehrlichia [Cowdria] ruminantium infection) and are likely to suffer high mortality if the disease spreads to the United States. It is vital, therefore, to validate a highly specific and sensitive detection method for E. ruminantium infection that can be reliably used in testing white-tailed deer, which are reservoirs of antigenically or genetically related agents such as Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Anaplasma (Ehrlichia) phagocytophilum (HGE agent) and Ehrlichia ewingii. Recently, a novel but as yet unnamed ehrlichial species, the white-tailed deer ehrlichia (WTDE), has been discovered in deer populations in the United States. Although the significance of WTDE as a pathogen is unknown at present, it can be distinguished from other Ehrlichia spp. based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. In this study it was differentiated from E. ruminantium by the use of the pCS20 PCR assay which has high specificity and sensitivity for the detection of E. ruminantium. This assay did not amplify DNA from the WTDE DNA samples isolated from deer resident in Florida, Georgia and Missouri, but amplified the specific 279 bp fragment from E. ruminantium DNA. The specificity of the pCS20 PCR assay for E. ruminantium was confirmed by Southern hybridization. Similarly, the 16S PCR primers (nested) that amplify a specific 405-412 bp fragment from the WTDE DNA samples, did not amplify any product from E. ruminantium DNA. This result demonstrates that it would be possible to differentiate between E. ruminantium and the novel WTDE agent found in white tailed deer by applying the two respective PCR assays followed by Southern hybridizations. Since the pCS20 PCR assay also does not amplify any DNA products from E. chaffeensis or Ehrlichia canis DNA, it is therefore the method of choice for the detection of E. ruminantium in these deer and other animal hosts.
Studies on the genus Setaria Viborg, 1795 in South Africa. III. Setaria thwaitei Mönnig, 1933
Authors: Watermeyer R. , Boomker J. , Putterill J.F.
Published: August 2012

Mönnig (1933) described Setaria thwaitei from a sable antelope, Hippotragus niger, the type host, as well as from roan antelope, Hippotragus equinus, and waterbuck, Kobus ellipsiprymnus. Yeh (1959) considered Setaria thwaitei to be synonym of Setaria hornbyi. Material collected from roan antelopes, sable antelopes and gemsbuck, Oryx gazella, from several localities in the north and south of South Africa, together with Mönnig's (1933) material, were re-examined. Measurements of the adult worms obtained in this study were compared with those in the original description of the species. Scanning electron microscopy of the anterior and posterior regions of the female worms confirmed S. thwaitei as a valid species.
Effect of diminazene block treatment on live redwater vaccine reactions
Authors: Combrink M.P. , Troskie P.C.
Published: August 2012

One third of the manufacturer's prescribed dose of diminazene has long been used to block treat the South African unfrozen Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis (redwater) vaccine reactions, with no known adverse effects. It is known that the inhibitory effect of antibabesial drugs is more pronounced in animals inoculated with the frozen vaccine than those with the unfrozen vaccine. Reports of vaccine failures in some animals in which diminazene was used for block treatment of the reactions following inoculation with frozen South African redwater vaccine led us to reinvestigate the required waiting period before treatment and the reduced dose necessary for successful treatment and development of immunity. Results from febrile reactions in cattle following vaccination indicated day 7 as the optimal day for administering block treatment. Treatment of B. bigemina vaccine reactions in cattle on day 7 at a level of 0.35 mg/kg (1/10 fraction of the normal dose) diminazene killed all the parasites while B. bovis vaccine parasites survived treatment using diminazene at levels between 0.35 mg/kg and 1.16 mg/kg. However, various other factors, such as the degree of natural resistance of different cattle breeds and individual animals, the accuracy of diminazene content according to the manufacturer's label claim and the accuracy of the drug dose administered, all influence the successful immunization of animals. Consequently block treating of Babesia vaccines with diminazene on day 7 after vaccination is not recommended.
Genetic organisation of the capsule transport gene region from Haemophilus paragallinarum
Authors: De Smidt O. , Albertyn J. , Bragg R.R. , Van Heerden E.
Published: August 2012

The region involved in export of the capsule polysaccharides to the cell surface of Haemophilus paragallinarum was cloned and the genetic organisation determined. Degenerate primers designed from sequence alignment of the capsule transport genes of Haemophilus influenzae, Pasteurella multocida and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae were used to amplify a 2.6 kb fragment containing a segment of the H. paragallinarum capsule transport gene locus. This fragment was used as a digoxigenin labelled probe to isolate the complete H. paragallinarum capsule transport gene locus from genomic DNA. The sequence of the cloned DNA was determined and analysis revealed the presence of four genes, each showing high homology with known capsule transport genes. The four genes were designated hctA, B, C and D (for H. paragallinarum capsule transport genes) and the predicted products of these genes likely encode an ATP-dependent export system responsible for transport of the capsule polysaccharides to the cell surface, possibly a member of a super family designated ABC (ATP-binding cassette) transporters.
Characterization of a pigeon paramyxovirus (PPMV-1) isolated from chickens in South Africa : research communication
Authors: Abolnik C. , Horner R.F. , Maharaj R. , Viljoen G.J.
Published: August 2012

A paramyxovirus with a thermostability of 60 min (typical of velogenic viruses) and a mean death time of > 90 h (typical of lentogenic viruses) was isolated from layers near Mooi River, South Africa. Our results, based on comparative nucleotide sequence data indicated that the virus is pigeon paramyxovirus 1 (PPMV-1), a variant of Newcastle disease virus. The F0 cleavage site contains a 112RRKKRF117 motif, and the virus had 98 % sequence identity with PPMV-1 strains from the Far East. PPMV-1 was last reported in South Africa during the 1980s, with this being the first report of PPMV-1 isolated from chickens in South Africa.