Page 25 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 1

ONDERSTEPOORT 100
Amajor project which had already been initiated in 1936 but continued throughout the war years was the Zoological Survey. Following an alarming increase in outbreaks
of rabies and African swine fever (ASF), it was primarily intended to study the epidemiology of diseases
at the wildlife/domestic livestock interface. In addition to rabies and ASF, diseases such as tuberculosis, trypanosomosis (nagana) and rinderpest were also included as
well as some problem wild animals. The survey was coordinated by
A.D. Thomas, head of Pathology, and H.O. Mönnig, head of Helminthology at Onderstepoort, and one full-time officer, F.F. Kolbe, was appointed to carry out the field work.
Thousands of mammals, hundreds
of birds and some reptiles and
amphibians were collected and
studied in terms of such aspects
as distribution, disease conditions and parasite infestations. In reaction to an epidemic of nagana in 1942/43, the Harris trap was also re-evaluated but was found to be of limited value in the eradication of the disease. Based on the virtual disappearance of the disease from other parts of the country following the decimation of game animals by the rinderpest epizootic at the turn
of the century, Veterinary Services initiated a highly controversial game eradication campaign
in the affected area, ignoring the opposition of
conservationists. This resulted in a storm of public protest that was instrumental in stimulating research on alternative ways to eradicate tsetse flies. Unfortunately the survey came to an untimely end in 1946, apparently due to a loss of interest by both the authorities and the scientists involved. Most of the records were also regrettably later lost due to the flooding of the basement
of a building in which they were stored, but the project remains the first concerted effort to comprehensively study the role played by wildlife in the health of domestic animals.
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for Agriculture, who convinced the Secretary for Defence to exempt veterinary researchers from service outside the SAVC. Eventually du Toit approved the release of only four staff members from a list of 17 volunteers for service in the SAVC. The war effort obviously constituted a serious drain on government funds, in turn affecting the availability of research funding. This was compounded by a shortage of imported
materials and equipment essential for research. Nevertheless some progress was made during the war years in solving important problems.
In 1939/40 Neitz made the important discovery that Uliron, one of the first sulphonamide drugs developed in Germany, was effective in the treatment of heartwater, a disease for which no treatment or prophylaxis existed at the
Growth and expansion (1927-1948)
1908-2008
Years