WEB Vetnews May 2015

Fast mail I Blitspos

FAST MAIL • BLITSPOS Does cat poop parasite play a role

Global snapshot of infectious canine cancer shows how to control the disease FAST MAIL • BLITSPOS A survey of veterinarians (a questionnaire was sent to 645 veterinarians and animal health workers around the world) confirmed that Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumour (CTVT) has a global reach. The replies showed that CTVT is endemic in dogs in at least 90 of 109 countries surveyed. CTVT is the oldest and, by being transmissable, also the most widespread and prolific cancer known in nature. It causes tumours of the genitals, and is spread by the transfer of living cancer cells between dogs during sex. CTVT is one of only two known transmissible cancers – the other has ravaged the wild Tasmanian devil population. It was found that the countries and areas with the lowest rates of the disease also had strong dog control policies. These include managing the number of street dogs; spay and neuter practices; and quarantine procedures for imported dogs. (Source: Andrea Strakova and Elizabeth Murchison. The changing global distribution and prevalence of canine transmissible venereal tumour. BMC Veterinary Research; 3 Sept 2014). v V e t n u u s V e t n e w s V e t n u u s V e t n e w s V e t n u u s V e t n e w s

in curing cancer? Toxoplasma gondii is a single- celled parasite that is happiest in a cat’s intestines, but it can live in any warm blooded animal. Found worldwide,

V e t n u u s V e t n e w s V e t n u u s V e t n e w s V e t n u u s V e t n e w s

T. gondii affects about one-third of the world’s population. A healthy immune system responds vigorously to T. gondii by producing natural killer cells and cytotoxic T cells, the same cell types that wage war against cancer cells. Cancer can shut down the body’s defensive mechanisms, but introducing T. gondii into a tumour environment can jump start the immune system. Since it isn’t safe to inject a cancer patient with live replicating strains of T. gondii , researchers created “cps,” an immunotherapeutic vaccine. A Toxoplasma gene needed to make a building block of its genome was deleted, creating a mutant parasite that can be grown in the laboratory but is unable to reproduce in animals or people, even when the host is immune- deficient. Researchers at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth laboratories have tested the cps vaccine in extremely aggressive lethal mouse models of melanoma or ovarian cancer and found unprecedented high rates of cancer survival. More study is needed before cps leaves the laboratory, but preliminary results are promising! Source: ScienceDaily, 15 July 2014. . v

Hazardous waste FAST MAIL • BLITSPOS A number of retailers already provide drop-off facilities for batteries, e-waste and light bulbs, while some municipalities also provide drop-off facilities at garden sites for this purpose. There are various recyclers that collect certain hazardous waste streams, so that it can be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. Consumers should start to separate their waste at source to contribute to a cleaner environment. To find out where your nearest waste recycler is, visit www.mywaste.co.za. Health care waste should be removed by a registered contractor. The originator of this waste (i.e. you, as the veterinarian) remains accountable for the waste until it was legally disposed of; should the contractor not lawfully dispose of the waste after removing it from your practice, you still are accountable and can be prosecuted. Please make sure that you only make use of a reputable contractor! v V e t n u u s V e t n e w s V e t n u u s V e t n e w s V e t n u u s V e t n e w s With dwindling landfill space and higher environmental consciousness, the correct disposal of waste items has become more important than ever in South Africa. With the growing supply of buy-back centres and kerbside collection facilities, South Africa is moving towards separation at source to ultimately reduce pressure on landfill sites and to promote better waste disposal practices. Hazardous waste should not end up on a landfill site as it is potentially extremely harmful to the environment and citizens’ health. These items include electronic waste, batteries, CFL light bulbs, health care waste which includes syringes and old medicines, paint, pesticides and oil. The Consumer Protection Act (Act 68 of 2008) recognises that some consumer goods, on reaching the end of its lifecycle, can not be disposed of in common waste collection systems and places a responsibility on suppliers and producers of consumer goods to implement take-back schemes at no charge to the consumer.

vet nuus • news

20

Mei/May 2015