Roles of host and environment in shift of primary anthrax host species in Kruger National Park.

Environmental and climatic factors, as well as host demographics and behaviour, significantly influence the exposure of herbivorous mammalian hosts to pathogens such as Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. Until the early 1990s in Kruger National Park (KNP), kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) was the host species most affected by anthrax, with outbreaks occurring predominantly in the dry season, particularly during drought cycles. However, the most affected host species has shifted to impala (Aepyceros melampus), with more frequent anthrax outbreaks during the wet season.

Season of death, pathogen persistence and wildlife behaviour alter number of anthrax secondary infections from environmental reservoirs.

An important part of infectious disease management is predicting factors that influence disease outbreaks, such as , the number of secondary infections arising from an infected individual. Estimating is particularly challenging for environmentally transmitted pathogens given time lags between cases and subsequent infections. Here, we calculated for infections arising from anthrax carcass sites in Etosha National Park, Namibia.

The persistence of time: the lifespan of Bacillus anthracis spores in environmental reservoirs.

Anthrax is a lethal bacterial zoonosis primarily affecting herbivorous wildlife and livestock. Upon host death Bacillus anthracis vegetative cells form spores capable of surviving for years in soil. Anthrax transmission requires host exposure to large spore doses.

Catalytic ketonization of palmitic acid over a series of transition metal oxides supported on zirconia oxide-based catalysts.

Modification of a ZrO based catalyst with selected transition metals dopants has shown promising improvement in the catalytic activity of palmitic acid ketonization. Small amounts of metal oxide deposition on the surface of the ZrO catalyst enhances the yield of palmitone (16-hentriacontanone) as the major product with pentadecane as the largest side product. This investigation explores the effects of addition of carefully chosen metal oxides (FeO, NiO, MnO, CeO, CuO, CoO, CrO, LaO and ZnO) as dopants on bulk ZrO.