Dourine in Southern Africa 1981-1984: serological findings from the Veterinary Research Institute, Onderstepoort.

This research paper reports on the cases of dourine, a venereal disease in horses, found in southern Africa from 1981 to 1984, and provides information on its geographic distribution and challenges in testing for the disease in donkeys and mules.

Distribution of Dourine Cases

• The study findings are based on the results of the complement fixation test conducted at the Veterinary Research Institute in Onderstepoort, South Africa.
• The recorded positive dourine cases spanned from 1981 to 1984.
• Within South Africa, areas of dourine infection were identified in several state veterinary districts, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Rustenburg, Upington, Lichtenburg, Kroonstad, Louis Trichardt, Middelburg (Cape), and Mossel Bay.
• Outside of the Republic of South Africa, cases were also recorded in Bophuthatswana, Transkei, Lesotho, South West Africa (now Namibia), and Swaziland.

Testing Challenges

• The research further details challenges related to the anti-complementary activity of horse sera, which can interfere with test results.
• According to the study, horse sera did not present any anti-complementary activity problems; however, issues arose when testing donkey and mule sera.
• Approximately 50% of the tested donkey and mule sera showed anticomplementary activity, which can affect the accuracy of dourine diagnoses.
• The researchers suggest that this problem can be mitigated by diluting the sera by half before inactivating it at a temperature of 63 degrees Celsius for an hour.