Doctoral Degrees (Molecular Biology and Human Genetics)

Understanding decision-making regarding prenatal diagnostic testing for down syndrome and termination of pregnancy: an interpretive phenomenological study

Scott, Chantelle Jennifer (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Pregnant women or couples who screen high risk for a baby with Down syndrome (DS) are faced with having to make life changing decisions. Firstly, they need to decide whether they want prenatal diagnostic ...

Nucleoid Gene Regulation in Mycobacteria

Steyn, Nastassja Lise (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis disease, remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The ongoing tuberculosis epidemic and poor treatment outcomes can be attributed ...

Identification of novel candidate genes for susceptibility to tuberculosis by identifying disease-causing mutations in individuals with Primary Immunodeficiency disorders

Schlechter, Nikola (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease (MSMD) is a rare primary immunodeficiency disorder believed to affect less than 1:1 000 000 individuals globally. It is characterized by increased ...

Sputum derived biomarkers of anti-tuberculosis drug activity in early bactericidal activity (EBA) studies.

Kayigire, Xavier A (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Sputum sample is a crucial material to diagnose tuberculosis (TB), the resistance to different drugs and the assessment of new drug effectiveness in clinical trials. The first step to evaluate the efficacy ...

Immunological markers for active TB and early treatment response indicators

Awoniyi, Dolapo Olaitan (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03)

Background The difficulty in diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) and evaluating TB treatment response are two major problems that are hampering the defeat of this infectious disease. The current TB diagnostic tools have several ...

The effects of a Mycobacterium bovis infection on the metabolic and reproductive systems of African lions (Panthera leo) in the Kruger National Park.

Viljoen, Ignatius Michael (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: SCCHg en SCCmec elemente is, maar verdere filogenetiese ondersoeke moet uitgevoer word, om insig te gee oor die oorsprong en verspreiding van hierdie nuwe element. This thesis serves as an attempt to ...

Evaluating TB treatment responses by [18F]FDG-PET/CT imaging

Malherbe, Stephanus Theron (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12)

BACKGROUND Tuberculosis (TB) presents a massive health care problem around the world and the rate of unfavourable outcomes after TB treatment remains unacceptably high. The absence of a gold standard to determine when ...

Seroprevalence and molecular epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii in the Western Cape of South Africa

Hammond-Aryee, Kenneth Nii Ofei (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12)

ENGLISH SUMMARY: Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii and is one of the most widely occurring infections known to man, causing disease in almost all mammals and ...

Pyrazinamide resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Whitfield, Michael Gordon (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12)

ENGLISH SUMMARY: Pyrazinamide (PZA) is one of the drugs included in the standardized TB treatment regimen for both drug susceptible and resistant TB. PZA has a unique ability to target persister bacilli and since its ...

Molecular characterization and drug susceptibility of isolates from MDR-TB patients in the Eastern Cape and North West provinces of South Africa

Mphahlele, Matsie Theodora (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12)

ENGLISH SUMMARY: South Africa is among the countries facing rising numbers of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) drug resistant strains. In 2000, DOTS-Plus strategy was introduced nationally to combat drug resistant tuberculosis ...

The evaluation of novel biomarkers and antigens for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium bovis infection in African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer).

Goosen, Wynand Johan (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12)

ENGLISH SUMMARY: Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) forms part of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC), a group of genetically related bacteria that causes tuberculosis in humans and animals. African buffaloes (Syncerus ...

Identification of novel Parkinson’s disease genes in the South African population using a whole exome sequencing approach

Glanzmann, Brigitte (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)

ENGLISH SUMMARY: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive and severely debilitating neurodegenerative disorder that is characterised by a range of motor symptoms and the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the ...

Analysis of copy number variation and disease mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease

Van der Merwe, Celia (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain. Although the aetiology of PD is still not fully ...

Mapping of the distribution of Mycobacterium bovis strains involved in bovine tuberculosis in Mozambique

Machado, Adelina da Conceicao (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-12)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Bovine tuberculosis (BTB), caused by bacteria of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex is reported to cause economic and public health negative impact in countries where it is prevalent. The control ...

Differential inhibition of adenylylated and deadenylylated Mycobacteriun tuberculosis glutamine synthetase by ATP scaffold-based inhibitors

Theron, Anjo (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-12)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Please refer to full text for abstract