Publications by authors named "Chantelle Pretorius"
The anthropogenic impact on wildlife is ever increasing. With shrinking habitats, wild populations are being pushed to co-exist in proximity to humans leading to an increased threat of infectious diseases. Therefore, understanding the immune system of a species is key to assess its resilience in a changing environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Eight juvenile free-ranging lions in the Greater Kruger National Park were diagnosed with significant muscle degeneration and weakness that impaired their ability to walk properly, resembling a condition seen in domestic cats called hypokalemic polymyopathy.
- - Researchers investigated a specific gene, WNK4, which had been linked to muscle issues in some cats, but found no mutations in this gene after sequencing in both affected lions and control samples.
- - The absence of mutations in the WNK4 gene suggests it isn't a major factor in the lions' muscle degeneration, highlighting the need for further research to understand the disease and support conservation efforts for these vulnerable animals.
With over 200 species of sharks reported from South African waters, the potential of discovering new blood parasites is very high. Unfortunately, this remains a poorly explored area of research, particularly in this biogeographical region. To date, only a single trypanosome species, Yeld and Smit, 2006, has been described from elasmobranchs off the coast of South Africa infecting the catsharks (Müller & Henle) and (Schinz).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF