Doctoral Celebration Programme

Lecture hall 1-35Arnold Theiler Building

Wednesday, 3 April 2019

Make today matter

Faculty ofVeterinary ScienceFakulteit VeeartsenykundeLefapha la Diseanse tša Bongakadiruiwa

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Programme

08:55 – 09:00 Welcome by the Dean, Prof Vinny Naidoo

09:00 – 09:20 Prof Martin Schulman introduces Margaret Bethaline Nolan Efficacyandsafetyofrecombinantzonapellucidavaccinesindomestichorsemaresand currentapplicationofnativeporcinezonapellucidavaccinesinAfricanelephantcows

09:20–09:40 ProfLyndyMcGawintroducesIbukun Michael Famuyide Potential of Eugenia and Syzygium species (Myrtaceae) to combat diarrhoeagenic pathogenswithemphasisonporcineenterotoxigenicEscherichia coli

09:40–10:00 ProfJanuszPaweskaintroducesGaby Ermelindo Roberto Monteiro MutationofadjacentcysteineresiduesintheNSsproteinofRiftValleyfevervirusresults inlossofvirulenceinamurinemodelinfection

10:00–10:20 DrOttoKoekemoerintroducesHarry Gay Ngoveni Characterizingtheeffectofmutation,recombinationandreassortmentonthegenetic diversityofAfricanhorsesicknessvirusgenomes

10:20 – 10:40 Coffee/tea with snacks in foyer

10:40 – 11:20 Official photos

11:20–11:40 ProfHenriettevanHeerdenintroducesKgaugelo Edward Lekota Genomic study of Bacillus anthracisandBacillusspeciesisolatedfromanthraxoutbreaks in South Africa

11:40 – 12:00 Prof Christo Botha introduces Hamza Ibrahim Isa Developmentandevaluationofimmunogensforayellowtulp(Moraea pallida)vaccine

12:00–12:20 ProfHenriettevanHeerdenintroducesNurudeen Olalekan Oloso Prevalenceandcharacterizationof Salmonella isolates originating from the broiler productionvaluechaininNigeria

12:20 – 12:40 Announcement by the Dean, Prof Vinny Naidoo Refreshments

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Prof Martin Schulman Margaret Bethaline Nolan

Inher thesis,Efficacyandsafetyof recombinantzonapellucidavaccines indomestichorsemaresandcurrentapplicationofnativeporcinezonapellucidavaccines inAfricanelephantcows,thepromovenda reportedthatarecombinantzonapellucida(reZP)immunocontraceptivevaccineformulatedwithnoveladjuvantswasaneffectiveandsafealternativetoporcinezonapellucida(pZP)vaccinationinmares.Datacollectedinrandomisedcontrolledstudiesdescribedmares’ovarianeffects,antibodytitreresponsesandsafetyprofiles.Additionally,aretrospectivedataanalysisfromelephantpopulationsinSouthAfricanre-servesdemonstratedpZPimmunocontraceptivevaccinationasasuccessfulmanagementtool,informingfutureimplementation.Overall,thisworkreportednovelandimprovedalternativesforhumaneveteri-narypopulationmanagementofhorses,potentiallysimilarlyapplicableinelephantsandotherspecies.

Supervisor : ProfMLSchulmanCo-supervisor : ProfHJBertschingerInternalexaminer : ProfVPMGRuttenExternalexaminer : ProfBColenbrander(UtrechtUniversity)Externalexaminer : ProfCHerbert(UniversityofSydney,Australia)

In Absentia:

Dorcas Amara Gado Supervisor: ProfLyndyMcGawSusceptibility of Salmonellaserotypestoplantsecondarymetaboliteswithapplicationininfectioncontrol

Moise Ondua Supervisor: ProfLyndyMcGawAnti-inflammatoryandantioxidantactivitiesofselectedsouthernAfricanmedicinalplantswithpotentialapplication in treating helminth infections

Angela Buys Supervisor: ProfHenriettevanHeerdenDevelopmentandevaluationofaninactivatedmulti-clostridialvaccineforcaptivebredsouthernwhiterhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum)

Shivani Goolab Supervisor: ProfHenriettevanHeerdenCell surface display as a potential Brucellaantigendeliverysystem

Fernando Chanisso Mulandane Supervisor: ProfLuisNevesEpidemiologyofdrugresistanceandevaluationofpossiblemechanicaltransmisionofTrypanosoma con-golensebyhaematophagousinsectsinZambeziaProvince,Mozambique

Amanda Beylefeld Supervisor: ProfCeliaAbolnikGenomiccomparisonofMycoplasmaspeciesisolatedfromcommercialchickensinSouthAfrica

Agnes Tinuke Laleye Supervisor: ProfCeliaAbolnikDynamicsofhighlypathogenicavianinfluenzaoutbreaks:incursionandemergence

Cindy Kim Harper Supervisor: Prof Peter ThompsonDevelopmentandimplementationoftheRhinocerosDNAIndexSystem(RhODIS®)fortheforensicanalysis and biological management of African rhinoceros

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Inherthesison“MutationofadjacentcysteineresiduesintheNSsproteinofRiftValleyfevervirusresultsinlossofvirulenceinamurinemodelinfection”,thepromovendaaimedtoinvestigatetheeffectsofnon-structuralprotein (NSs) conservedcysteine substitutionsonRVFVvirulence.RVFV isamosquitobornezoonoticRNAviruswhichhasahighpotentialtocauselargeoutbreaksinlivestockandhumans,resultinginseverehealthandsocio-economic losses.Nohumanvaccinesarecommerciallyavailable.TheSseg-mentencodesaNSs,themajorvirulencefactor.NSsgenehasfivehighlyconservedcysteineresiduesatpositions39,40,149,178and194.Themutationatcysteines39and40(C39S/C40S)resultedinattenuatedphenotype inBALB/cmice.ThisstudyprovidesabetterunderstandingofRVFVmolecularmechanismsgoverningitsvirulenceandindicatesthatRVFVattenuatedmutant(C39S/C40S)canbeusedasasafevirusforserumneutralizationbasedassaysaswellasapotentialvaccinecandidate.

Supervisor : ProfJTPaweskaCo-supervisor : DrPJansenvanVurenExternalco-supervisor : DrJKortekaas(UtrechtUniversity,TheNetherlands)Internalexaminer : ProfWMarkotterExternalexaminer : ProfFJBurt(UniversityoftheFreeState)Externalexaminer : ProfSGünther(Bernhard-Nocht-InstituteforTropicalMedicine,Germany)

Prof Janusz Paweska Gaby Ermelindo Roberto Monteiro Prof Lyndy McGaw Ibukun Michael Famuyide

In his thesis, Potential of Eugenia and Syzygium species (Myrtaceae) to combat diarrhoeagenic pathogens withemphasisonporcineenterotoxigenicEscherichia coli, the promovendus workedtowardsprovidingso-lutionstotheonehealthissueofantimicrobialresistanceviathefoodchainbyinvestigatingreplacementsforsyntheticantibioticscommonlyaddedtolivestockfeedintheformofmedicinalplantextracts.In vitro methodswereusedtodeterminetheantimicrobial,anti-inflammatoryandantioxidantactivities,cellularsafety and mode of antibacterial action of nine South African Eugenia and Syzygium medicinalplantspecies.PlantextractshadnoteworthyantibacterialactivityagainstplanktonicandbiofilmformsofvariousGram-positiveandGram-negativebacteriaaswellasgoodanti-quorumsensingandanti-adhesionactivities.Theplantshadhighantioxidantandanti-inflammatoryactivitiesandlowcytotoxicitytomammaliancells.Theresultsprovidesupportforthepotentialdevelopmentofsomeoftheselectedplantsasphytogenicfeedadditives.

Supervisor : ProfLJMcGawCo-supervisor : ProfJNEloffExternalexaminer : ProfCFranz(UniversityofVeterinaryMedicine,Vienna,Austria)Externalexaminer : DrAOAremu(North-WestUniversity)Externalexaminer : DrMWalkenhorst(ResearchInstituteofOrganicAgriculture,Switzerland)

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Inhisthesis,Characterizingtheeffectofmutation,recombinationandreassortmentonthegeneticdiver-sityofAfricanhorsesicknessvirusgenomes,thepromovendusmadeanindepthstudyoftheevolutioninthegenomeoftheAfricanhorsesicknessvirusthroughtheapplicationofmassivelyparallelsequencingofthecompletegenomesofcloseto100viruses,isolatedoveraperiodofmorethan60years.Itwasdeter-mined that genetic mutations are under strong purifying selection and that the mean nucleotide substitu-tionrateislowerthanisthecaseforotherRNAviruses,aconstraintimposedbythenecessitytoreplicateinboththehostandinsectvectorspecies.Widespreadreassortmentofgenomesegmentswasdetectedanditwasshownforthefirsttimethatrecombinationeventsoccurredwithinsomegenomesegment.Thisknowledgewillbeusedinthedevelopmentofthenextgenerationofvaccinestoensurecompleteantigenicmatchingbetweenvaccinesandfieldviruses.

Supervisor : DrJJOKoekemoerExternalco-supervisor : DrAvanSchalkwyk(ARC-OnderstepoortVeterinaryInstitute)Internalexaminer : DrWCFickExternalexaminer : ProfJDu(LanzhouVeterinaryResearchInstitute,China)Externalexaminer : DrCDJLabuschagne(InqabaBiotechnicalIndustries(Pt)

Dr Otto Koekemoer Harry Gay Ngoveni

Anthraxisazoonoticdiseasethatnaturallyoccursinwildanddomesticanimals,causedby Bacillus anthra-cis. Bacillus anthracis and B. endophyticusisolatedfromanthraxcasesintheNorthernCapeProvince(NCP)hadsimilarmicrobiologicalandgeneticfeatures.Wholegenomesequencingidentifiedthehomologouspolyglutamategenespresent inbothspeciesandalso identifiedregionsthatdifferentiatedB. anthracis from B. endophyticus.MolecularanalysisoftheKrugerNationalPark(KNP)andNCPstrainsfromanthraxoutbreaks inanimalsclusteredmostly in theA-clade.TherareB-cladestrainswere last isolated in the1990sinKNP.Inthisstudy,GenomicstudyofBacillus anthracis and BacillusspeciesisolatedfromanthraxoutbreaksinSouthAfrica,aB-cladestrainwasisolatedfromLimpopoprovince.ABacillus anthracis genom-icdatabasewasgeneratedtoidentifysinglenucleotidepolymorphismsacrosssequencedandworld-widegenomes.SpecificnovelSNPsweredevelopedintohigh-resolutionmeltingSNPdiscriminativeassays.ThisstudyconfirmedthediversityofB. anthracis strainsandidentifiednovelsub-cladesandbranchesinSouthAfrica.

Supervisor : ProfHvanHeerdenExternalco-supervisor : DrCAHefer(ARC-OnderstepoortVeterinaryInstitute)Externalco-supervisor : DrEMadoroba(ARC-OnderstepoortVeterinaryInstitute)Externalexaminer : ProfARHoffmaster(CentreforDiseaseControlandPrevention,USA)Externalexaminer : ProfLKenefic(UniversityofMaryland,USA)Externalexaminer : DrSDerzelle(Agencenationaledesécuritésanitairedel’alimentation,de l’environnementetdutravail,France)

Prof Henriette van Heerden Kgaugelo Edward Lekota

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Inhisthesis,Developmentandevaluationofimmunogensforayellowtulp(Moraea pallida)vaccine,thepromovendusinvestigatedifayellowtulpvaccinecouldbedevelopedtopreventthiseconomicallyimpor-tantplantpoisoninginlivestock.Epoxyscillirosidine,proscillaridinandbufalinwereconjugatedtodifferentproteinstorenderthemimmunogenic.Asuitableadjuvantwasaddedbeforevaccinatingrabbitsinthreedifferenttrials.AnELISAwasdevelopedtodetermineantibodyresponse.Antibodieswereraisedandtheantibodiesagainstproscillaridinandbufalincross-reactedwithepoxyscillirosidine.Theanimalvaccinationstudieswerescaledupandsheepwereimmunized.Cytotoxiceffectsofepoxyscillirosidinewereevaluatedinaratembryoniccardiomyocytecelllineusingcellviabilityassaysandtransmissionelectronmicroscopy.Thecytotoxicitystudiesdemonstratedthatepoxyscillirosidinecausescellnecrosis.Subsequently,thean-tibodiesraisedinsheepwereconcentratedandpurifiedbeforeevaluationoftheirin vitroneutralizationefficacy.However, the anti-epoxyscillirosidine antibodies failed toprevent cytotoxic effects inducedbyepoxyscillirosidine.

Supervisor : ProfCJBothaCo-supervisor : DrJECraffordInternalexaminer : ProfJGMyburghExternalexaminer : ProfSRGooneratne(LincolnUniversity,NewZealand)Externalexaminer : ProfFNToka(RossUniversitySchoolofVeterinaryMedicine,WestIndies)

Prof Christo Botha Hamza Ibrahim Isa

Inhisthesis,PrevalenceandcharacterizationofSalmonella isolates originating from the broiler production valuechaininNigeria,thepromovendus investigatedtheepidemiologyandestablishedbaselinedatainsupportoftheprevalenceofSalmonellaintheNigeriabroilerproductionvaluechain(NBPVC)usingSouthAfricaasa reference. The structureof theNBPVC revealedpolicy inconsistency,uncompetitivepricingandcompromisedfood-safetystandards.Biosecuritycomplianceinbroiler-breeder-farmswaspoorwithdemonstrablehighriskofverticaltransmissionofsalmonellosis.Prevalenceof55%forlocationsand23%forsampleswasobservedformultidrugresistantSalmonella linkedtounregulatedhighlevelofdrugus-ageinanimal-human-environmentsinterface.ThestudydemonstratedSalmonella asaneglectedzoonoticfoodbornepathogeninAfrica.JointcontinentalwisesurveillanceandnationaldatacollectionplatformsonSalmonellawithantimicrobialresistanceisimperativetoestablishgoodantimicrobialstewardship.

Supervisor : ProfFOFasinaCo-supervisor : ProfHvanHeerdenInternalexaminer : ProfCMEMcCrindleExternalexaminer : ProfLMughini-Gras(RIVM,TheNetherlands)Externalexaminer : DrESSwai(DepartmentofVeterinaryServices,Tanzania)

Prof Dayo Fasina Nurudeen Olalekan Oloso

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In her thesis, Susceptibility of Salmonella serotypestoplantsecondarymetaboliteswithapplicationinin-fection control, the promovendaevaluatedtheantibacterialactivityofleavesoftenselectedSouthAfricanmedicinalplants.Loxostylis alatawasselectedforfurtherinvestigationbasedonpromisingpreliminaryan-tibacterialandantioxidantactivityandlowcytotoxicity.Theactivityofcrudeextractsof L. alatawasevalu-ated against both susceptible and multi-resistant Salmonella isolates of animal origin in comparison to commercialantibioticswithgoodresults.Nogeneticrelatednessbetweenresistantstrainswasobservedbasedonpulsedfieldgelelectrophoresis(PFGE)analysisofS.EnteritidisandS. Typhimurium isolates.Theantibacterialcompoundsdelicaflavone,5-demethylsinensetin,methylgallateandcetenewerepurifiedandidentifiedfromtheleavesof L. alataforthefirsttime.Themodesofactionviaantibiofilmactivityandimmune modulatory properties of Loxostylis alata leafextractsandpurifiedcompoundswerereportedforthefirsttime.

Supervisor : ProfLJMcGawCo-supervisor : ProfMMEhlers-vanderZelExternalexaminer : ProfVKuete(UniversityofDschang,Cameroon)Externalexaminer : ProfFMMahomoodally(UniversityofMauritius)Externalexaminer : ProfJvanStaden(UniversityofKwaZulu-Natal)

Prof Lyndy McGaw Dorcas Amara Gado

Inhisthesis,Anti-inflammatoryandantioxidantactivitiesofselectedsouthernAfricanmedicinalplantswithpotential application in treating helminth infections, the promovendusinvestigatedthebiologicalactivitiesofelevensouthernAfricanplantsusedintraditionalmedicinetotreatinflammation.Twonewcompoundswithgoodanti-inflammatoryandanthelminticactivitieswereisolatedforthefirsttimefromTypha capensis (isorhamnetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside,andisorhamnetin3-O-rutinoside).Typha capensis hadgoodactivitynotonlyagainstthelarvaeoftheparasiticlivestocknematode Haemonchus contortus butalsoagainstvariousinflammatorymediators.ThissupportsthepotentialofT. capensis,thecommonbulrush,fordevelopmentintoananthelminticremedyabletoadditionallyenhancehealingofdamagedtissuesviaanti-inflamma-toryandantioxidantaction.Therewasastrongcorrelationbetweenin vitro antioxidantandanthelminticactivities,suggestingthatantioxidantassaysmaybeusedinbioassay-guidedfractionationforisolationofcompoundsfromplantswithactivityagainsthelminthparasites.

Supervisor : ProfLJMcGawExternalco-supervisor : DrEMfotieNjoya(UniversityofYaoundé,Cameroon)Internalexaminer : ProfNLallExternalexaminer : ProfJHohmann(UniversityofSzeged,Hungary)Externalexaminer : DrARNdhlala(AgriculturalResearchCouncil)

Moise Ondua Prof Lyndy McGaw

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In her thesis, Development and evaluation of an inactivatedmulti-clostridial vaccine for captive bredsouthernwhiterhinoceroses(Ceratotherium simum simum), the promovendadevelopedamulti-clostridialvaccineusingmodernsingle-usetechnologyofC. perfringens type A, C. sordellii, C. novyi, C. septicum and C. chauvoei. Fermentationwas followedby thedevelopmentof indirectenzyme-linked immunosorbentassays(iELISAs)forantibodydetection.Twogroupsofwhiterhinoceroseswereevaluatedconsistingofagroupvaccinatedwithacommercialmulti-clostridialvaccineforcattleandagroupvaccinatedwithRhi-novax.Post-vaccinationantibodytitresfromRhinovaxvaccinatedrhinocerosincreasedsignificantly(P≥0.05)exceptagainst C. perfringens typeAwhencomparedtoanimalsvaccinatedwiththecommercialcattlevaccine.Toestablishbaselinedata,sero-surveillanceofunvaccinatedrhinoceros(n=100)intheKrugerNa-tionalParkwasevaluated.DatashowedhightitrestoC. perfringens type A and C. septicumonly.Theresultscontributedtotheunderstandingofserologicalprofilesofrhinocerosestoveterinaryimportantclostridialorganisms.

Supervisor : ProfHvanHeerdenCo-supervisor : DrJECraffordExternalexaminer : ProfFUzal(UniversityCalifornia,Davis,USA)Externalexaminer : DrIIHitzeroth(UniversityofCapeTown)Externalexaminer : DrMJMiller(StellenboschUniversity)

Angela Buys Prof Henriette van Heerden

Brucellosisisachallenging,zoonoticdiseaseposingadevastatingimpactonlivestock.Anovelvaccinationstrategyemployedtheavirulent, Escherichia coli and Yarrowia lipolytica expressionsystemsforthesurfacedisplay of Brucella antigens,Omp16andOmp19.InherthesisCellsurfacedisplayasapotentialBrucella antigendelivery system, the promovenda investigatedwhether the incorporationof thesehomologouslipoproteins in non-pathogenic cells could ultimately protect livestock against commonBrucella specie infection.Superresolutionlocalizationmicroscopyconfirmedlipoproteinsurfacedistribution,whichvali-datedtheseplatformsforuseasvaccine“vehicles”.ThisprovidedinsightintoBrucella lipoprotein spatial distributionandbiogenesis.Thevaccineefficacymonitored inmice indicatedthehumoral immunere-sponseacquiredwassupportedbyacross-reactiveresponsetothebacterialenvelopecomponents.Theprotectionconferredintheimmunizedmodelbytheavirulentdeliverysystems,uponBrucella infec-tionwasinadequateincomparisontotheB. abortusS19vaccine.Nonetheless,theseantigenplatformscoupledwiththeselipoproteinsmaydemonstratepotentialasboostervaccinations.

Supervisor : ProfHvanHeerdenCo-supervisor : DrMCCramptonExternalco-supervisor : DrRRoth(CSIR)Internalexaminer : ProfJTheronExternalexaminer : DrGBriones(NationalUniversityofSanMartin,Argentina)Externalexaminer : DrDO’Callaghan(UniversityofMontpellier,France)

Prof Henriette van Heerden Shivani Goolab

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Trypanosomosis,adiseasetransmittedbiologicallybytsetsefliesandmechanicallybytabanids,togetherwithtrypanocidaldrugresistance,hascausedadrasticreductioninthecattlepopulationinZambeziaprov-ince.InthisthesisEpidemiologyofdrugresistanceandevaluationofpossiblemechanicaltransmisionof Trypanosoma congolensebyhaematophagousinsectsinZambeziaProvince,Mozambique,drugresistancewasassessedthroughablocktreatmentexperiment.Anentomologicalsurveytostudythecompositionofthefliesinvolvedinthetransmissionoftrypanosomosis,includingthedeterminationoftrypanosomeinfectionrates,wasalsoconducted.Thestudyrevealedthepresenceofsingleandmulti-drugresistanceinNicoadaladistrict.Itwasalsodemonstratedthatthereisasmalltsetsepopulationsurvivingintheareaaswellasalargehomogeneouspopulationoftabanidswithanoverlappingdistribution,bothcontributingtothetransmissionoftrypanosomosis.Thisinformationisfundamentalwhenconsideringthecontroloftrypanosomosisinthearea.

Supervisor : ProfLCBGDNevesCo-supervisor : ProfMCOosthuizenExternalco-supervisor : DrVDelespaux(VrijeUniversityBrussel,Belgium)Internalexaminer : DrJJOKoekemoerExternalexaminer : DrDWBerthier(CIRAD,France)Externalexaminer : DrPHolzmuller(CIRAD,France)

Prof Luis Neves Fernando Chanisso Mulandane

Inherthesis,GenomiccomparisonofMycoplasmaspeciesisolatedfromcommercialchickensinSouthAfrica, the promovendageneratedcompletegenomesequencedatafor178mycoplasmaisolates,identify-ingsixspeciesinthenationalflock,includingMycoplasma gallisepticum and M. synoviae,notifiableaviandiseaseagents.Antimicrobialresistanceprofilesof70axenicisolateswerecorrelatedtogeneticresistancemarkers,resultingintheidentificationofnovelpointmutationsinM. gallinaceum and M. gallinarum associ-atedwithantimicrobialresistance.Thepromovenda furthermore assembled, annotated and published the firstcompletegenomesequenceofM. pullorum.Finally,26novelgenetargetswereidentifiedinawholegenomecomparisonof68axenicmycoplasmaisolatesthatwillaidinthedevelopmentofimproveddiag-nosticassaysandfuturevaccines.Thesequencingdatabaseof79axenicisolatesgeneratedinthiscanbeutilisedfornumerousfuturemycoplasmarelatedgenestudies.

Supervisor : ProfCAbolnikExternalexaminer : ProfMMElgazzar(IowaStateUniversity,USA)Externalexaminer : ProfMGyuranecz(InstituteofVeterinaryMedicalResearch,CAR,HAS, Hungary)Externalexaminer : ProfMSMarenda(UniversityofMelbourne,Australia)

Prof Celia Abolnik Amanda Beylefeld

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Inherthesis,Dynamicsofhighlypathogenicavianinfluenzaoutbreaks:incursionandemergence,thepro-movendademonstratedevolutionaryrelationshipsbetweenNigerianH5N1virusesandEurasianstrainswithevidenceofco-circulatinggenotypesandemergenceofreassortantstrains.Shealsoexploredmo-lecularchangesinvolvedintheemergenceofhighlypathogenicvirusesfromostrich-originlowpathogenicH5/H7progenitors in vivo.Deepsequencingdataindicatedprogressiontowardshighpathogenicitybythedemonstrationofincreasedbasicaminoacidsattheconnectingpeptidesofthehemagglutinincleavagesites,andmutationsinothergenesegments.Thisworkprovesthatshouldthelowpathogenicvirusesspilloverfromostrichestochickens,thevirusescanmutateintothehighlypathogenicformswithapotentiallydevastating impactonpoultryproductionaswellaspublichealth issues.Thepromovenda furthermore developedastandardoperatingprocedureforthepropagationofavianinfluenzavirusinostricheggs.

Supervisor : ProfCAbolnikInternalexaminer : ProfFOFasinaExternalexaminer : ProfNLewis(RoyalVeterinaryCollege,UK)Externalexaminer : DrBZLöndt(InstitutehVIVO,London,UK)

Agnes Tinuke Laleye Prof Celia Abolnik

Inthisthesis,DevelopmentandimplementationoftheRhinocerosDNAIndexSystem(RhODIS®)fortheforensicanalysisandbiologicalmanagementofAfricanrhinoceros, thedevelopmentofa techniquetoindividuallyidentifyrhinoceroshornthroughDNAprofilingwasdescribed.TheresearchutilisedtheDNAprofileandbiologicaldatainadatabase,whichincludesrepresentativesamplesofAfricanwhiteandblackrhinocerostosupportDNAprofilematchesinrhinocerosforensiccases.Theresearchalsoappliedthesedatatoassistthebiologicalmanagementofextantrhinocerospopulations.Thisstudypresentsthedatacollected,technicalandanalyticalmethodsusedandshowstheoverallutilityoftheRhODIS®systemasanimportanttoolinprotectingandsustainingrhinocerospopulations.TheresultsofthisstudyreceivedinternationalrecognitionandestablishedaprecedentintheuseofDNAforensicsinwildlifecrimecases.

Supervisor : ProfPNThompsonExternalco-supervisor : ProfSO’Brien(StPetersburgStateUniversity,Russia)Internalexaminer : ProfEvanMarle-KösterExternalexaminer : ProfBSWeir(UniversityofWashington,USA)Externalexaminer : DrOARyder(InstituteforConservationResearch-SanDiegoZoo,USA)

Prof Peter Thompson Cindy Kim Harper

Master of Veterinary Medicine in Pathology Alischa Henning NicolizeO’Dell in Small Animal Medicine Anri Celliers Small Animal Surgery FransGerickevanHeerden

Master of Science

Animal/Human/Ecosystem Health Rauna Ndinelao Athingo VincentCharlHenwood TapiwaMargaretTatianaMakwavarara DumakudeMpofu ChisangaTwamboMwamba NomathamsanqaNogwebela GeorgeTapiwaSandengu Samantha Kelly Wills-Berriman Ruminant Health OlufenkeAbeniNwosu Tropical Animal Health GillianDeclercq Stephen Mandara Rudo Marange Ratselane Daniel Marumo Johan Gerhard Nel ReverendMooregoodSpargo Leandri Strydom Biance Voigts JaisonZanga Veterinary Epidemiology LisaHazelHiemstra in Veterinary Science FrederickKennethBotha Jolandie Botha JacquesPieterduPreez Karen Ebersohn TravisRossGray Roanda Jacobs Rebecca Eileen Jeal Katembue Kambuyi Mohammed Sulaiman Liman FreddyMokadiMabetlela NomsaFeleciaMabogoane SekgotaMarcusMakgabo AyandaManqele NomawethuShellyMasina MologadiThelmaMokgophi MatlalePhriskeyMphahlele PaidamwoyoBerryMutowembwa Sophie Joan Neller Ntji Shabangu Gideon Petrus Stemmet

Veterinary Science Anatomy and Physiology ChloeElizabethGrotto Companion Animal Clinical Studies RoxanneShereeEmslie AlishahiMajidKhanzadeh Miles John Penfold Paraclinical Sciences Danielle Henn EdwardThatoKhunoana Relebohile Juliet Lepheana ThembekaKimMtetwa Brad Michael Querl TahiyyaShaik Veterinary Science Tropical Diseases TsireledzoGoodwillMakwarela XolaniMazibuko KoketsoDesireeMazwi CharlotteRopafadzoMupfunya Matshie Phosa

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