Division of Molecular Biology & Human Genetics

Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics

Animal TB

NEWS

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Prof Michele Miller received the Eugene Cloete Outstanding Postdoc Mentor Award at the 2022 annual Stellenbosch University Postdoc Fellow Award. This award (by nomination) honors Hosts of Postdoctoral Research Fellows for their excellence in leadership, commitment to Postdoctoral Researcher development and excellence in the advancement of future research.

Prof Michele Miller was recognized at the Stellenbosch University Research Excellence Award ceremony on Monday 29 August 2022 for her contribution to SU's strategic vision of becoming Africa's leading research-intensive institution. The awards are presented to SU researchers who made the biggest contribution in terms of accredited publications (based on audited publication statistics of 2020 publications submitted to the Department of Higher Education and Training – DHET – in the 2021-output submission year) and doctoral graduates (December 2021 and March/April 2022 graduations).

Dr Wynand Goosen was awarded the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF)/South32 TW Kambule-NSTF Award: Emerging Researcher 2022 for his leadership of research in SA on the surveillance of zoonotic TB in domestic cattle and wild animals as potential sources of infections in susceptible people in rural areas. Prize sponsor: proSET (Professionals in SET), a sector of the NSTF representing professional bodies and learned societies

MBHG Retreat - Award Ceremony

Prof. Clive Gray presenting the third prize for a full presentation at the MBHG Retreat (3-4 February 2022) to MSc student Rachiel Gumbo within the Animal TB Group.

20 April 2022: Rhino poaching decreased during lockdown but population continues to decline

5 March 2022: https://ewn.co.za/2022/03/05/photo-essay-knp-gives-wings-to-zoonotic-disease-testing-in-elephants

3 March 2022: https://www.getaway.co.za/travel-news/elephant-darted-and-tested-for-tuberculosis-in-kruger-national-park/

3 March 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5QW0EwDO7c

3 March 2022: https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/3039199/experts-still-puzzled-by-elephants-tb-death-02-march-2022/

3 March 2022: RSG Interview - Soundcloud

2 March 2022: https://rekord.co.za/409649/reverse-zoonotic-tb-transmission-prompts-testing-of-elephants-at-kruger-national-park/

1 March 2022: Elephant darted, tested for TB 

24 February 2022: http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=8925

20 October 2021: SU researcher joins American rhino conservation initiative

17 October 2021: Speed cats return to southern Mozambique after six decades

19 August 2021: Competing human values make wildlife conservation more complex

19 August 2021: Why do ‘lockdowns’ matter for rhinos?

What can Elephants Teach Us About Cancer Prevention and Treatment.pdf

Read about the incredible work done by a former Animal TB member, Dr Jos Chileshe: Test developed to identify bovine TB in wild rhinos

https://www.thecattlesite.com/news/54762/how-bovine-tuberculosis-diagnostics-contribute-to-wildlife-conservation/

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Tina Meiring, a PhD student in the Animal TB group, had her research featured in the latest edition of Stellenbosch University (SU)'s multi-award winning publication Research at Stellenbosch University (29/09/2020):

http://www.sun.ac.za/NGS_wilddog

Prof. Michele Miller shares her expertise on testing elephants for TB in the National Geographic (published 4 September 2020):

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/09/threat-of-tuberculosis-transmission-looms-in-captive-elephants/

29 July 2019: https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2019-07-29-kruger-park-elephant-that-died-of-human-tb-still-a-puzzle-for-vets/

Image Viewer

PHOTO GALLERY

Animal TB Group September 2022

(back from left: Dr Tanya Kerr, Pamela Ncube, Dr Léanie Kleynhans, Dr Abisola Okunola, Dr Wynand Goosen; Candice de Waal, Pamela Ncube; front: Prof. Michele Miller, Rachiel Gumbo, Charlene Clarke, Rebecca Dwyer; missing: Debbie Cooke, Maureen Kamau, Guy Hausler)

Animal TB Group February 2020

(back from left: Charlene Clarke, Dr Tanya Kerr, Prof. Michele Miller, Dr Wynand Goosen, Dr Léanie Kleynhans; Middle: Tina Meiring, Jos Chileshe, Sam Goldswain, Candice de Waal, Pamela Ncube; front: Rebecca Dwyer, Kat Smith, Rachiel Gumbo; missing: Debbie Cooke)

Animal TB Group December 2019

(back row from left: Dr Léanie Kleynhans, Sam Goldswain, Dr Tanya Kerr, Dr Wynand Goosen; front: Kat Smith, Jos Chileshe, Rachiel Gumbo, Tina Meiring, Prof. Michele Miller)

Buffalo TB testing in Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park. 

Prof Michele Miller, Dr Netanya Bernitz, Dr Tanya Kerr and Candice de Waal (left). Candice, Netanya and Tanya processing samples in the lab (right).

Image 1 - EEHV Study - DNA Extractions.jpg

Lab action: Jana van Heerden doing DNA extractions (left) and qPCR (right) for the Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) study. Read about the project here: Animal TB Student projects

Figure 3 - Felid Study - Blood Stimulation.jpg

Blood stimulations for the felid study: Animal TB Student Projects

Figure 4 - Felid Study - ELISA Development.jpg

Rachiel Gumbo working on the ELISA development for the felid study.

7th International M.bovis conference

TKerr presenting poster at Mbovis conference June 2022.jpg Wynand presenting at Mbovis conference 2022.jpg

Wynand Tanya Michele Mbovis conference 2022.jpg

Participation of Dr. Tanya Kerr, Dr. Wynand Goosen and Prof Michele Miller at the 7th International M.bovis conference in Galway, Ireland (7-10 June 2022)

World TB Day 2022

For World TB Day (24 March 2022) we took pictures of our group members with the local currency to support the campaign to encourage world leaders to #investtoendtb and #savelives 💵💶💷💴

UCT One Health Special Study Module

Dr Wynand Goosen, together with Dr Stefan Opperman and Dr Sarishna Singh from the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS), presented a series of set lecturs to UCT's Faculty of Health Sciences 3rd year MBChB students for a Special Study Module about TB One Health. This content focused on how the Animal TB Research Group, in collaboration with the NHLS in Greenpoint, uses novel techniques to look for zoonotic Mycobacteria spp. in people from the Western Cape.

Two UCT 3rd year MBChB students, Ms Camryn Ferns (Left) and Mr Ramses Peigou Wonkam (middle) attended a job shadow opportunity with Dr Wynand Goosen (Right) in the Animal TB Lab.

During this initiative, the students performed end-point PCRs, real time PCRs and subsequent amplicon sequencing on patient samples in order to identify which Mycobacteria other than M. tuberculosis may be causing human disease. These are real patient case studies, for which the results will be written up for publication.

MEDIA LINKS

4 April 2022:

The journal, Animals, is having a "Best cover" competition and we have one in the running! It's called: "Combining Analytical Approaches and Multiple Sources of Information to Improve Interpretation of Diagnostic Test Results for Tuberculosis in Wild Meerkats" Please vote for the meerkat cover!

https://surveymonkey.com/r/YRM6NPF

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