Page 28 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 1

OND
ERSTEPOORT 100
of Newcastle disease in chickens in Natal during 1945. This disease was to become a permanent, although periodical, scourge for the poultry industry requiring continuous vaccination. Equally important was the first diagnosis in South Africa of enterotoxaemia (pulpy kidney disease/ bloednier) by Schulz and McIntyre in 1948. Caused by a toxin produced by Clostridium welchii type D during its multiplication in the intestines, the disease had in fact long been known to farmers as ‘kidney disease of sheep’. It was of unknown origin and often confused with other conditions. A formalized vaccine was in use overseas and after some improvements in production procedures at Onderstepoort it
became one of its best sellers.
A final highlight during this period was the publication
of a classic paper by Neitz in 1948 on the immunology of bluetongue disease. By means of cross-protection studies he demonstrated that each of the previously known strains or serotypes of the bluetongue virus produced a solid immunity against itself but only a variable degree of protection against heterologous strains. His results could explain the vaccine failures that were reported from the field and paved the way for the later development of the present polyvalent vaccines against bluetongue and African horsesickness, both caused by orbiviruses (for more details see Part 3: Virology).
The post-war years also saw several new
initiatives aimed at greater collaboration
between the countries of southern Africa in
combating animal diseases. This was something
close to P.J. du Toit’s heart and, during his later years, he
played an increasingly important part in facilitating the
development of a common approach to the problems of disease control. In 1946 and
1948 he represented South Africa at meetings convened by those countries struggling with the control of animal and human trypanosomosis that seriously affected their economic development. It led to
the establishment of the Inter-African Bureau for Trypanosomosis and Tsetse in which South Africa participated for a number of years as the only country in Africa that had succeeded in eradicating
a vector of nagana in a specified area. Following an Empire Scientific Conference in London in
1946, where du Toit was a South African delegate, the CSIR convened an African Regional Scientific Conference in Johannesburg in 1949, the largest international conference to be held in South Africa up to that time. Although he had retired from Onderstepoort in March 1948, du Toit acted as President of the conference and was largely responsible for its huge success.
A direct result of the conference was the establishment of a non-governmental International Scientific Council for Africa south of the Sahara (CSA) of which he was the elected President. At this time he also served as Deputy President (1948-1950) and then President (1950-1951) of
the CSIR. For 10 years he guided many activities of the CSA which collaborated
closely with the inter-governmental Commission for Technical
Cooperation in Africa south of the Sahara (CCTA). Unfortunately this
linkage led to a taint of colonialism and both organizations were rejected by the
newly independent African states and dismantled in 1963. Through these initiatives Onderstepoort had,
however, established good relationships
with the veterinary authorities in neighbouring countries that persisted
to a certain extent throughout the later years of political isolation.
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PART 1
Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute: General History
1908-2008
Years