Junior and Senior WO Neitz Medals
The Parasitological Society of Southern Africa confers two awards annually for a postgraduate (MSc and PhD) thesis focussed on parasitology. These awards are named after Dr. Wilhelm Neitz. The following students have received the respective awards:
Senior WO Neitz Medal
2023: Anja Erasmus (NWU)
PhD thesis - An environmental parasitological approach to marinemetal pollution: The endemic South African intertidalklipfish, Clinus superciliosus, as model organism
2022: Marliese Truter (NWU)
PhD thesis – The assessment of metazoan parasite diversity of native and extralimital Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) populations: a holistic approach
2021: Anneke Schoeman (NWU)
PhD thesis – Host-parasite associations in globally invasive Xenopus laevis
2020: T. E. Onyiche (NWU)
PhD thesis – Epidemiology of equine and camelid ticks and tick-borne pathogens in Nigeria
2019: Edward Netherlands (NWU)
PhD thesis – Ecology, systematics and evolutionary biology of frog blood parasites in northern KwaZulu-Natal
2018: Quinton dos Santos (UJ)
PhD thesis – African Paradiplozoon Akhmerov, 1974 species: A case study of their taxonomy, morphology and phylogeny
2017: Charles Byaruhanga (UP)
PhD thesis – Epidemiology and tick-borne haemoparasite diversity amongst transhumant Zebu cattle in Karamoja region, Uganda
2016: Karien Labuschagne (ARC-OVI)
PhD thesis – The Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) species of South Africa
2015: Kyle McHugh (NWU)
PhD thesis – Comprehensive fish health assessment and parasitological investigation of alien and indigenous fishes from the Amatola region, South Africa
2014: Not awarded
2013: Kerry Hadfield (UJ)
PhD thesis – The biodiversity and systematics of marine fish parasitic isopods of the family Cymothoidae from southern Africa
2012: Grace Madanire-Moyo (UL)
PhD thesis – A comparative evaluation of ecosystem health of selected water bodies in the Olifants and Limpopo River systems using the health assessment index and parasite diversity as indicators
2011: Kgomotso Sibeko (UP)
PhD thesis – Improved molecular diagnostics and characterization of Theileria parva isolates from cattle and buffalo in South Africa
2010: Raksha Bhoora (UP) & Elenor Yeld (UCT)
Bhoora PhD thesis – Molecular characterization of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi, the aetiological agents of equine piroplasmosis, in South Africa
2009: Tshepo Matjila (UP)
PhD thesis – Molecular detection and characterization of tick-borne pathogens of dogs
2008: Not awarded
2007: M Leeto (UCT)
PhD thesis – The role of IL-4Ra during acute schistosomiasis
Junior WO Neitz Medal
2023: Bernard Jordaan (NWU)
MSc dissertation - Revisiting species of Trypanosoma (Euglenozoa:Trypanosomatidae) parasitising amphibians and reptiles from Southern Africa
2022: Linda Van Der Spuy (NWU)
MSc dissertation – Morphological and molecular characterisation of Onchoproteocephalidean cestodes of South African elasmobranchs
2021: Willie Landman (NWU)
MSc dissertation – Madagascan polystome (Monogenea) diversity and taxonomy
2020: Alexander Carlin Sousa Neves Jeanrenaud (WITS)
MSc dissertation – The molecular and phenotypic effects of organic and inorganic pollutants on Anopheles arabiensis
2019: Obaidiyah Mustapha (WITS)
MSc dissertation – The effect of terpenes on the life cycle of the malaria parasite
2018: Gerhard de Jager (UFS)
MSc dissertation – Taxonomic status of Trichodina heterodentata Duncan, 1977 (Ciliophora: Peritrichia) using standard morphology, as well as molecular techniques
2017: Not awarded
2016: Dewald Eygelaar (UP)
MSc dissertation – Tick-borne haemoparasite prevalence and Theileria parva strain diversity in African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) from northern Botswana and Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe
2015: Ed Netherlands (NWU)
MSc dissertation – Species diversity, habitat utilization and blood parasites of amphibians in and around Ndumo Game Reserve
2014: Ronel Pienaar (UP)
MSc dissertation – Assessment and improvement of molecular diagnosis of Theileria parva of African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in southern Africa
2013: Not awarded
2012: Josef-Heinrich Möller (UFS)
MSc dissertation – Review of the African Diplozoidae
2011: David Vaughan (UWC)
MSc dissertation – Review of South African genera of the family Hexabothriidae Price, 1942, parasites of chondrichthyan fishes
2010: Andrea Spickett (UP)
MSc dissertation – The antihelmintic effect of copper oxide wire particle (COWP) boluses against Haemonchus contortus in indigenous goats in South Africa
2009: Courtney Cook (UJ)
MSc dissertation – Biodiversity and systematics of apicomplexan parasites infecting South African leopard and hinged tortoises
2008: Kerry Hadfield (UJ)
MSc dissertation – The biodiversity, systematics and ecology of fish parasitic gnathiid isopods from the east coast of South Africa
2007: Claire Hovings (UCT)
MSc dissertation – Characterisation of novel T cell specific IL-4Ra knockout mice: Investigating the role of T-cell responses to IL-4 in Leishmania major and Nippostrongylus brasilliensis infections
Applications:
The MSc or PhD thesis must have been accepted within the last 18 months by a tertiary institution. Each thesis must be accompanied by a nomination in writing by the candidate's supervisor or Head of Department. For further information contact:
Prof Kgomotso P. Sibeko-Matjila
Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases
University of Pretoria
Private Bag X04
Onderstepoort
0110
South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)12 529 8402
E-mail: kgomotso.sibeko@up.ac.za
The deadline for applications is (30 April every year)