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PubMed1998

Adolescent pregnancy and reproductive health in Transkei (rural South Africa).

A study of adolescent unmarried pregnancy was conducted in 1994 in the Transkei, Eastern Cape (South Africa). Data included a survey of 2,290 married and unmarried women, ages 15 to 49 years, and qualitative data collected from adolescents, parents and family planning officials. While only 11 percent of women were ever-married by age 19 years, 43 percent have had children. Marriage is late, with 64 percent of women 20-24 years never-married, a marked departure from universal and early marriage regarded as characteristics of most african societies. The recent South African political economy has contributed to the predominance of unmarried child-bearing in South Africa. For more than a century black men were recruited to work in cities, while by law, women and children had to remain in rural areas. This policy promoted a norm of unmarried women (possibly the largest in Africa) and a general acceptance of child-bearing outside marital unions.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Runoff-related agricultural impact in relation to macroinvertebrate communities of the Lourens River, South Africa.

A field study at the Lourens River, South Africa, was undertaken during the pesticide application period between November 2001 and January 2002 in order to investigate the potential relation of agricultural pollution to the aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna. The upper regions of the Lourens River were free of contamination (LR1), whereas subsequent stretches flowing through a 400-ha orchard area (LR2) received transient insecticide peaks. Continuously operating suspended-particle samplers as well as flood samplers operating during runoff events were used to measure pesticide contamination. In addition, various physicochemical and morphological parameters were examined. A survey of the macroinvertebrate communities associated with the rocky substrates was carried out every three weeks. Community indices were calculated using the South African Scoring System (SASS 5) for bioassessment of water quality in rivers. The two sites differed in pesticide pollution as well as in average turbidity levels (LR1 5.5 mg/L; LR2 64.3 mg/L), but were similar in bottom substrate composition and most other abiotic factors. At the downstream site (LR2), pesticide values of 0.05 microg/L azinphos-methyl in water as well as 49 microg/kg azinphos-methyl, 94 microg/kg chlorpyrifos and 122 microg/kg total endosulfan in suspended particles were found during runoff conditions. The macroinvertebrate communities of the two sampling sites were similar in terms of number of total individuals, but differed significantly (ANOVA) in average number of taxa (LR1 11.7, LR2 8.9). Seven out of 17 investigated taxa occurred in significantly reduced numbers or were even absent at the downstream site LR2. The community characteristics determined by SASS 5 showed a significantly less sensitive community structure at the downstream site (TS 41; ASPT 4.6), indicating continuously lower water quality compared to site LR1 (TS 80; ASPT 6.9). It is concluded that the Lourens River macroinvertebrate communities are affected by agricultural pollution, with pesticides and increased turbidity as the most important stressors.

Agriculture↗

PubMed1982

Inequalities in health and disease: the case of mortality rates for the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, 1910-1979.

This article analyzes crude death and infant mortality rates for the different population groups in Johannesburg, the largest city in the Republic of South Africa. The analysis is based on official statistics collected by the Department of Health between 1910 and 1979. Over this period, death rates have declined for white, black, Colored, and Asian citizens. However, the present situation reflects the gross inequalities in the health status of the different population groups in South Africa, a country where disease patterns and access to medical resources are as stratified as any other index of social class.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Clinical and molecular characterization of lipoid proteinosis in Namaqualand, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Lipoid proteinosis (LiP) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a hoarse voice, warty skin infiltration and scarring. Mutations within the extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1) gene cause LiP. Since the early 1970s it has been recognized that South Africa has one of the largest groups of LiP patients worldwide, suggesting a probable founder effect. As LiP patients present with considerable clinical variability, this group of patients offers a unique opportunity for genotype-phenotype correlation. OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical features and the molecular basis of LiP in patients from the Namaqualand area of the Northern Cape province of South Africa and to examine molecular evidence for a founder effect. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The LiP patient cohort consisted of 29 Coloured patients from Namaqualand and a further seven Caucasoid patients from other areas of South Africa. The control group included 100 healthy geographically and ethnically matched individuals from Namaqualand. Samples were collected after informed consent and with ethics committee approval from the University of the Witwatersrand. LiP patients were examined clinically and a structured recording sheet was completed. A brief neurological evaluation was also performed. The LiP founder effect was investigated at the molecular level by ECM1 mutation detection and haplotype analysis. RESULTS: The most consistent clinical signs for a diagnosis of LiP in this group were a hoarse voice and thickened sublingual frenulum leading to restricted tongue movement. Homozygosity for a nonsense mutation in exon 7 of the ECM1 gene, Q276X, was identified in all patients (Coloured and Caucasoid). Despite this genetic homogeneity, considerable clinical variability in skin presentation and psychiatric involvement was observed. Haplotype analysis using markers from a 9.98-Mb region around the ECM1 locus confirmed the founder effect with a founder core haplotype, 19-Q276X-12 (ND1-ECM1-D1S2343), in all but four LiP-associated alleles (n = 58). A LiP carrier rate of 1 in 9 was observed among the 100 Namaqualand controls, predicting a LiP incidence of 1 in 324 in this community. CONCLUSIONS: Although several consistent clinical features in LiP patients homozygous for the Q276X mutation in the ECM1 gene were observed, there remains considerable clinical variability. This suggests the action of genetic and environmental modifiers of disease severity. Strong molecular evidence supports a single founder effect for the high prevalence of LiP in South Africans, both Coloured and Caucasoid.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Hepatogenous photosensitivity diseases in South Africa.

Various hepatogenous photosensitivity diseases of ruminants in South Africa, caused by plants, fungi and an alga, are described. Information is given on botanical, mycological, toxicological, clinical and pathological aspects of the diseases. The intoxications were grouped according to the primary site of involvement and type of lesions in the liver. The aetiology, pathogenesis, and diagnosis of these conditions received special attention and the most important features are illustrated in colour.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Characterisation of gastro-enteritis-associated adenoviruses in South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse adenovirus (Ad) numbers and types associated with paediatric gastro-enteritis in South Africa. SETTING: Gauteng, 1994-1996. METHODS: A total of 234 paediatric diarrhoeal stool samples were screened for Ad using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Adenoviral isolates were typed, where possible, using restriction enzyme analysis. RESULTS: Ad was detected in 23 (9.8%) specimens, of which 8 (34.8%) were found by subgroup F-specific ELISA to contain Ad40 or 41. Six of these isolates were typed and 2 could not be typed. Of the remaining 15 specimens, 2 isolates had restriction profiles that did not correspond with known Ads, while 2 were identified as Ad31 and 1 as a subgroup C Ad. The remaining 10 specimens negative for Ad40/41 were non-cultivable and could not be typed. CONCLUSIONS: The high percentage of non-cultivable Ads other than Ad40/41 is unusual, and may possibly indicate the prevalence of hexon variants of Ad40/41 or of emerging Ad types in South Africa.

Adenovirus Infections, Human↗

PubMed1990

The enigma of granuloma inguinale in South Africa.

Granuloma inguinale (donovanosis) was well described in South Africa in the early part of this century. After 1927 no further reports appeared and with the passage of time, the belief grew that the disease did not occur in this country. This belief held until the 1980s, when several reports of cases of the disease appeared. What happened to the disease in the intervening half century? Did it disappear spontaneously? Or was it just not being recognised even when cases were being reported from 1950 onwards in neighbouring Zimbabwe? How is it that a disease can remain unrecognised when, untreated, it can relentlessly progress to cause severe disfigurement?

Granuloma Inguinale↗

PubMed2004

Communities, opportunities, and adolescents' sexual behavior in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

In 2002, the prevalence of HIV among South African clinic attendees under the age of 20 was 15 percent, suggesting a correspondingly high level of unprotected sex and risky sexual behavior. Past research focused on the dynamics of individuals' and partners' sexual decisionmaking without accounting for the larger context in which such decisions are made. Do adolescents' opportunities for schooling, work, and other community activities make a difference? This study uses data collected from a representative sample of young people living in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to explore these questions. Logit analyses show that for girls, higher levels of education reduced the probability of having had sex in the 12 months prior to the survey, and average wages were positively associated with condom use. Greater participation in community sports increased risk-taking behaviors among boys but decreased them among girls. Within the household, education of adults had a positive effect on condom use for both boys and girls.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

An ethnobotanical study of plants used for the treatment of wounds in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

The people of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, still depend, to a large extent, on traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of various diseases and ailments. This includes the use of plants for the treatment of wounds. Information collected from the traditional healers, the Sangomas, has revealed 38 plant species that are used for the treatment of wounds in the Province. The plants belong to 26 families of which Asteraceae, Asphodelaceae and Solanaceae are the most represented. The use of plant leaves as a poultice and infusions are the commonest categories of herbal preparations. In all cases, the treatment of wounds involved the external application of the herbal medicine.

Humans↗

PubMed2004

Veterinary education in South Africa: the class of 1924.

Veterinary education in South Africa is now more than 80 years old. It started in 1920 when the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty was created as an integral part of the Veterinary Research Institute at Onderstepoort. Sir Arnold Theiler, the founder of Onderstepoort, was its first Dean. This article concerns itself with some of the known and lesser known developments and actions associated with the creation of the faculty and how it was possible to provide suitable lecturing staff. This is followed by concise descriptions of the life histories of the first 8 veterinarians who graduated from the new faculty in 1924 and subsequently spent their entire working life in government service.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Integrating prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission into antenatal care: learning from the experiences of women in South Africa.

In 1999, for the first time in South Africa, a Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission (MTCT) prevention programme was implemented at the routine primary care level and not as part of a research protocol. A total of 264 women attending prenatal care in these clinics were interviewed in Xhosa using a standardized questionnaire. All had been offered HIV testing, and 95% had accepted. Women who had not been tested were four times more likely to believe that in the community families reject HIV-positive women (p<0.005). Of women who tested, 19% were HIV positive and 83% had told their partner that they had taken the test. HIV-positive women who had not disclosed testing to their partners were three times more likely to believe that, in the community, partners are violent towards HIV-positive women (p<0.005); 86% stated that they would have taken AZT if found to be HIV positive. Only 11% considered that the use of formula feeding indicated that a woman was HIV positive. In conclusion, routine prenatal HIV testing and interventions to reduce perinatal HIV transmission are acceptable to the majority of women in a South African urban township, despite an awareness of discrimination in the community towards HIV-positive women.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Genetic diversity of woolly apple aphid Eriosoma lanigerum (Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations in the Western Cape, South Africa.

The woolly apple aphid Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann) is one of the most damaging apple pests in South Africa. Information on its genetic diversity is lacking and this study, in which the genetic structure of parthenogenetic E. lanigerum populations was characterized in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, represents the first local study of its kind. A total of 192 individuals from four different regions were collected and analysed using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). Using five selective AFLP primer pairs, 250 fragments were scored for analysis. Results indicated that a low level of genetic variation was apparent in E. lanigerum populations in the Western Cape (H = 0.0192). Furthermore, populations collected from geographically distant regions were very closely related, which can partly be explained by the fact that agricultural practices were responsible for dissemination of populations from a common ancestor to geographically distant areas. The low level of variation found indicated that the possibility of controlling E. lanigerum in the Western Cape using host plant resistance is favourable. This is the first report of AFLP being used to characterize the genetic structure of an aphid species. Results indicate that this marker may be useful for analysis of other aphid species.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1997

The impact of insecticides on beneficial arthropods in cotton agro-ecosystems in South Africa.

The unique diversity of beneficial arthropods in South Africa can be regarded as an important natural resource in agro-ecosystems as it plays an important role in the natural control of insect pests. Insecticide applications reduce the ability of these beneficials to regulate cotton pests. In the absence of insecticides, average daily predation rates of 37% and 30% of bollworm eggs and larvae respectively were found in exclusion experiments. By minimizing the number of pesticide applications the combination of the direct negative effect of pesticide application on predator populations and secondary pesticide effects such as the stimulation of red spider mite populations as a result of predator suppression, can be avoided. This would open the option to fully utilize the full pest control potential of the natural enemy complex.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Anticipating rotavirus vaccines: epidemiology and surveillance of rotavirus in South Africa.

Rotavirus infection is associated with acute infantile gastroenteritis in infants and young children globally. In South Africa, rotavirus infection has been shown to be associated with approximately one-quarter of all diarrhoeal admissions to hospital. Rotavirus infection predominantly occurs in infants less than 12 months of age (75%) and has a peak of shedding during the cooler, drier months of the year. A secondary peak during the spring has been observed. Multiple infections with rotavirus and at least one other microbial agent are common. The circulating VP7 serotypes and VP4 genotypes have been determined in various regions of South Africa and show a geographic specific distribution. A decade previously, P[8]G1 or G4 strains predominated, and P[4]G2 strains occurred in an epidemic pattern in one region. More recently, rotavirus strains with P[6] genotype have become common and novel VP7/VP4 genotype combinations are occurring across the country. G9 strains have been reported from Cape Town to Vendaland. The circulating rotavirus types observed in this study add to the knowledge of the natural history of rotavirus infection and provide the groundwork to consider future vaccine strategies.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed2006

Generalizing a model of health behaviour change and AIDS stigma for use with sexually transmitted infection clinic patients in Cape Town, South Africa.

We tested the Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills (IMB) model of AIDS preventive behaviour in South Africa. Prospective path analyses were performed on measures collected from 131 men and 60 women with sexually transmitted infections (STI) in Cape Town. Results showed that IMB constructs collected at baseline predicted risk reduction behaviour 3 months later. Risk reduction intentions were positively associated with risk reduction self-efficacy and self-efficacy was in turn positively associated with protective behaviour 3 months later. In a second model, AIDS-related stigmas correlated inversely with AIDS knowledge and there was a trend toward AIDS stigmas correlating inversely with behavioural intentions. Accounting for AIDS-related stigmas did not improve model fit. These findings parallel similar tests of the IMB model in US samples and suggest that the IMB model may generalize to South Africa and may therefore be useful in guiding HIV risk reduction interventions.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Schistosomiasis of the spinal cord--underdiagnosed in South Africa?

Schistosomiasis is endemic in many areas of South Africa, particularly the northern and eastern Transvaal. At Ga-Rankuwa Hospital in the northern Transvaal, 30 km north-west of Pretoria, spinal cord disease is common. In a substantial proportion of these cases no obvious cause for the condition can be found. In an attempt to draw attention to schistosomiasis as a possibly underdiagnosed cause of spinal cord disease, 3 cases of schistosomiasis of the spinal cord seen over a period of 3 years are reported. These 3 patients had histological evidence of spinal schistosomiasis. Because myelography of the spinal cord is often non-contributory in schistosomal involvement, it is suggested that patients with 'myelopathy of unknown origin' who come from an endemic area be given a therapeutic trial of praziquantel, especially if the serological findings are positive for schistosomiasis and the lower cord is involved.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Veterinary education in South Africa: the class of 1925.

Veterinary education in South Africa started in 1920 when the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty was created. Sir Arnold Theiler was close to retirement when he finally officiated as Dean at the graduation ceremony in 1926 for the class of 1925, constituting the 2nd group of graduates. In this article the fateful circumstances that dictated the final years of Theiler's brilliant career and their effect on his participation in student matters are initially dealt with. This is followed by concise descriptions of the life histories of the ten veterinarians who graduated from the Faculty in 1925. Particularly noteworthy is that although they all started off their careers as civil servants, 4 ended up in private practice. One of them in fact spent by far the greatest part of his career, namely 35 years, as a private practitioner. An unusual incident was the almost fatal shooting of another one, while he was executing his duties as a veterinary field officer, by the son of a farmer.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Infect one, infect all: Zulu youth response to the AIDS epidemic in South Africa.

The province of KwaZulu-Natal leads South Africa in HIV/AIDS infection, with over two-thirds of the currently estimated 1.8 million cases. Recent studies show that the spread of HIV is accelerating, especially among young people under the age of 25. For Zulu township youth, HIV infection has come to be accepted as a new and inevitable part of growing up. Ongoing political violence and high levels of crime characterize the townships, from which has emerged a youth culture where young people who suspect they may be infected with HIV will avoid a definite diagnosis while at the same time seek to spread the infection as widely as possible. This response to the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic is examined against the cultural ethos of ubuntu and the strategies once used by youth to forge solidarity in their struggle against the former white regime. The social impact of this response, which may include increasing rape incidence, is discussed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗