Editor’s Note

As someone who once lost a puppy to tick bite fever, a disease I was not familiar with until that unfortunate experience, the article titled “Tick bite fever in Southern Africa” resonated with me. Even though we took the puppy to the veterinarian as soon as it showed signs of illness, it sadly died two days later while still undergoing treatment.

According to the article, tick bite fever has been a persistent feature of the South African medical landscape since it was first described in the 1930s. The authors lament that despite this long history and the accumulated medical and scientific knowledge about the disease, “it is an unfortunate fact that even in South Africa, a few patients die from severe tick bite fever every year due to missed diagnosis and delayed or inappropriate treatment.”

This article is one of 40 featured in this issue, showcasing the National Institute for Communicable Diseases’ (NICD) peer-reviewed research output for the first quarter of the current financial year. The publication includes peer-reviewed articles published in various journals in which NICD staff members are co-authors. The first section highlights articles in which NICD researchers are lead authors (first or last authors), while the second features articles in which NICD staff are contributing co-authors.

Another study featured in this issue, “Effects of chilling, fluorescent dust marking, and X-ray irradiation on the quality of male Anopheles arabiensis for sterile insect technique applications,” led by Dr Thabo Mashatola and Dr Givemore Munhenga from the NICD’s Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases. The researchers assessed the effects of chilling, fluorescent dust marking, and X-ray irradiation on the quality of laboratory-reared male Anopheles arabiensis.

Enjoy these and many other insightful articles in this issue. And as for the story of losing my puppy to tick bite fever, I am glad to share that its mother survived. This year, she turned 11, a good innings for a Boerboel.