Creation of a reliable and easy to use serologic test would greatly improve ante mortem diagnosis of Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium and aid in the control of avian mycobacteriosis, particularly in captive birds. In order to determine whether serodiagnostics could be of value in testing ring-neck doves (Streptopelia risoria) for M. a. avium infection, Western blot analysis was used to assess the humoral response of ring-neck doves exposed to M. a. avium, and to evaluate whether an association could be made between humoral response and necropsy findings, histopathology, culture, and PCR testing. Western blot results were examined for reactivity patterns associating the humoral response with infection status, severity and type of lesions (diffuse vs multifocal granulomatous inflammation) and phenotype (white vs non-white). A sensitivity of 88.24% and a specificity of 100% were achieved utilizing Western blot analysis to detect M. a. avium infection in ring-neck doves, offering a negative predictive value of 93% and a positive predictive value of 100%. While Western blot analysis results did not reflect lesion severity, lesion type did partially correspond with the humoral response. The findings of the present study indicate that serologic testing can be used as a valuable ante mortem screening tool for identifying ring-neck doves infected with M. a. avium.

Thesis (M.A. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Globally, mental disorders are a growing public health problem. The World Health Organisation has urged member states to prioritise efforts to address the growing pandemic of mental illness. One strategy identified by WHO is the promotion of the use of traditional medicines. Similarly, a collaboration between Western and Traditional health care practitioners has been identified as another strategy that could help bridge the gap of shortages of mental health care providers and the cost of professional mental health care services. The present study investigated the Mmotong community’s knowledge of mental disorders and attitudes towards collaboration between Traditional healers and Western-trained practitioners in the treatment of mental disorders. A quantitative study was conducted, with a sample of 200 participants (Female = 131; Male = 69; in the age range of 18 years and older). Participants were selected using convenience sampling. Data was collected using a questionnaire and analysed using the SPSS to draw out the descriptive statistics. A majority (59%) of participants were found to possess knowledge of mental disorders. Attitudinally, most participants favoured Western-oriented mental health care services in terms of effectiveness. Despite this finding, a majority (69%) endorsed the need for collaboration between the two healthcare systems. A gender analysis revealed that more females (71.8%) than males (63.8%) favoured collaboration. While analysed by age, those 18-37 years (63.5%), 38-57 years (75.5%) and over the age of 58 years (75.5%) favoured the collaboration respectively. The present study findings show that in this community, the majority of members possess knowledge of mental illness. The community also favours the collaboration between traditional and medically oriented health care providers in mental health care. The study is concluded by making recommendations to the government, Traditional healers, and Western-oriented health practitioners to work towards the harnessing of collaboration of the two healthcare systems.