​Project Manager: ​Dr Ben Mans

The Project’s main objectives are to maintain, improve and provide reliable, a​ccurate, cost-effective and timeous diagnostic services in veterinary parasitology. These diagnostic capabilities are of the utmost importance to the livestock and wildlife industries. Accurate diagnoses are required by government and the private sector to control economically important contr​olled and notifiable disease outbreaks in production animals and at the livestock wildlife interface, e.g. Corridor disease.

We provide serology ​and molecular diagnostic services for:

  • ​​the State controlled and socio-economic importa​nt diseases
  • ​the import and export of companion animals and wildlife

This laboratory achieved SANAS 17025 Accreditation status in October 2010 and continued Quality Control is a prerequisite for maintaining this status. The Accredited scope includes molecular and serological​ tests.

  • DNA Extraction and Real-time PCR for detection of Theileria parva
  • IFAT for Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis
  • IFAT for Theileria equi and Babesia caballi
  • IFAT for Babesia gibsoni
  • IFAT for Theileria parva (Cattle)
  • cELISA for Theileria equi

PVVD Technical competencies

  • IFA
  • ELISA
  • PCR
  • Tissue Culture
  • RLB, LAMP

    New technical staff receive training in all techniques for 4 months

Strategically, the project in future will endeavour to move away from the more conventional tests performed (IFAT specifically) towards molecular, state of the art diagnostics.


Genomics

Currently, the PVVD Programme imports commercial ELISA kits for the routine diagnosis of Theileria parva, Babesia bigemina, B bovis, Theileria equi, Babesia caballi. These kits are expensive and can be assembled locally. The PVVD Programme is involved in the development and improvement of these tools


Specific genomic applications include:

  • Theileria parva
  • Theileria species buffalo
  • Ehrlichia ruminantium, the attenuated Welgevonden vaccine strain

Diagnostics and services related to endoparasites include:

  • faecal worm egg counts
  • larval and adult worm counts and identifications
  • faecal egg count reduction tests to determine anthelmintic resistance
  • Cysticercosis (measles) viability tests

A list of the diagnostic services provided by PVVD  can be downloaded pdf

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