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Ms. Erin Church [TOP]   Development and analysis of a South African strandings database, with particular references to incidences of mass strandings eclaireza@gmail.com +27-12-4202539   Research project summmary Strandings of cetaceans, including both beach casts of dead animals and live animal incidents, have long intrigued marine scientists. Not only do strandings provide cetacean biologists with important access to research material, but certain species may strand en mass (live or dead) and a number of these have been recorded in the Western Cape. A comprehensive database of records of over 30 species of cetaceans stranded on the South African coastline has been compiled up until 1984. This project will add stranding records from the period between 1985 to 2010 to the database, and thereafter analyse the updated information to identify changes in stranding frequencies as well as their occurrences in space and time. It will also investigate any physical factors which may play a role in mass stranding events, particularly in areas where repeat mass stranding events have occurred.

Meryllin Deuer   No research project title provided yet. m_deuer@yahoo.co.uk +27-12-4202539   Research project summmary No research project abstract provided yet.

Mr. Christiaan van Niekerk [TOP]   Molecular prevalence and diversity of bacteria in the spiny mouse, Acomys spinosissimus. vindicovm@gmail.com +27-74-8973689   Research project summmary Several species of spiny mice, genus Acomys, are known to host a wide range of zoonotic bacteria, including species of the Bartonella genus. Studies on the prevalence of a range of zoonotic bacteria, including Bartonella, are lacking for Acomys spinosissimus, a species occurring in the southern-most distributional range of the genus. This study will investigate zoonotic bacterial prevalence and diversity in A. spinosissimus from South Africa.