Page 61 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 3

poultry diseases for the first 20 years of
Onderstepoort’s existence were dealt with,
when necessary, in the Pathology Section for
diagnosis or in Infectious Diseases (Bacte-
rial and Tropical Diseases) when relevant.
This included Theiler’s work in 1912 on
anthrax in ostriches. A few lectures on
poultry diseases were included in the curri-
culum of the new Faculty in 1920, delivered
by the staff of these departments. By 1930
the poultry industry had developed to the
stage that it could exert some pressure on
the Department of Agriculture to include
the industry’s problems in its research
programmes. As a result a levy was imposed
on egg sales and the income used for
these purposes. In 1931 J.D.W.A. (Dougie)
Coles, a 1926 graduate, was appointed to
lecture on avian pathology and to initiate
some research. During 1934/35 he was
awarded a Commonwealth Fund fellow-
ship for postgraduate study at the
Washington University, St Louis, USA, and
on his return in 1936 founded the Poultry
Section of which he remained head until
his retirement in 1959. In 1946 he was
promoted to full Professor and remained
in this capacity on a part-time basis when the Faculty was restructured for the first time in 1958.
Coles contributed significantly to a variety of scientific fields. In 1930 he and two other workers independently described the organisms associated with the disease called psittacosis which occurs in a variety of animal species as well as in humans. The organism was later named Chlamydophila psittaci, related to Chlamydia trachomatis, the causal agent of trachoma in humans. He also discovered psittacosis in pigeons and a rickettsia causing ophthalmia in sheep. This organism was first named Colesiota after him but later renamed Rickettsia conjunctivae. He was widely recognized as an expert in the classification of the order Rickettsiales which includes the Chlamydiae. Coles also discovered the paralysis caused by the fowl tick Argas persicus in ducks and geese (the South African fowl tick was later
151
ONDERSTEPOORT 100 Poultry Diseases
F W. HUCHZERMEYER
Introduction
n the early days poultry were kept main- ly for egg production and were largely a sideline on farms concentrating on other agricultural activities. Therefore
identified by Hoogstraal as A. walkerae, named after Jane Walker of the Institute). In addition, Coles worked on another rickettsia transmitted by these ticks, Aegyptianella pullorum, including reporting its finding in jackass penguins. Another important discovery was the vertical trans- mission of osteopetrosis in fowls. Finally, he was also responsible for lectures in nutri-tion in the early 1930s which led to a life-long interest in this discipline, his later in-volvement in the development of balanced poultry rations and his appointment to the National Nutrition Council.
When the Faculty was restructured in 1958, Poultry Diseases retained the dual function of teaching at the Faculty while providing a diagnostic service and under- taking research at the Institute. It was the only section with an animal species- oriented approach. Coles remained in charge of the Section and of lecturing until his retirement in 1959.
R.B. (Bob) Cumming joined the Poultry Section of the Institute in 1956 under Coles and left a year after Coles’ retirement. Amongst other duties, he lectured to BSc (Agric) students, James Hayes being amongst them. In 1960 he emigrated to Australia. After Coles’ retirement in 1959, the lectures were taken over by L. (Lionel) Abrams whose fortes were teaching and
J.D. Coles, famed poultry nutritionist and teacher (1936-1959)
“By 1930 the poultry industry had developed to the stage that it could exert some pressure on the Department of Agriculture to include the industry’s problems in its research programmes. As a result a levy was imposed on egg sales and the income used for these purposes.”
practical diagnosis. He was popular with farmers, as he was able to communicate with them at an understandable level.
L. (Louis) Coetzee came to work in the Virology Section of the Institute in 1962, rendering a service to the Poultry Section under Abrams. Coetzee imported poultry virus strains from the USA and largely concentrated on poultry virology and the production and improvement of poultry vaccines. In 1967 the Poultry Section moved into the new vaccine factory building, an appropriate move in view of the contributions it made in developing and improving vaccines, and producing diagnostic reagents. When Abrams left to join the feed firm Epol in 1965, Coetzee became head of the Poultry Section and took over lecturing at the Faculty. Part of the duties of the Poultry Section was the examination of dead cage birds, mainly psittacines, from the quarantine station at Jan Smuts (now O.R. Tambo) International Airport. Coetzee’s request for a bio-safe laminar
Poultry Diseases
1908-2008
Years