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Mei/May 2015
vet
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Fast mail
I Blitspos
FAST MAIL • BLITSPOS
Does cat poop parasite play a role
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,
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.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140715095515.htm>.
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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).
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Hazardous waste
FAST MAIL • BLITSPOS
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.
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!
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