title: The digestive tract of the whiteback griffon vulture and its role in disease transmission among wild ungulates.
abstract: The digestive tract of the whiteback vulture (Gyps africanus) is described. Some disease organisms were fed to a captive bird to discover if they could survive passage through the tract, and the role of these scavenging birds in the spread of diseases among wild ungulates is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001188:Artiodactyla; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001715:Bird Diseases; D001717:Birds / Q000382:microbiology*; D002432:Cecum / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002590:Cestode Infections / Q000662:veterinary; D002988:Cloaca / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003426:Crop, Avian / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D004063:Digestion; D004064:Digestive System / Q000382:microbiology; D004068:Digestive System Physiological Phenomena; D004199:Disease Vectors; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004947:Esophagus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005895:Gizzard, Avian / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007420:Intestine, Large / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009349:Nematode Infections / Q000662:veterinary; D011531:Proventriculus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012007:Rectum / Q000382:microbiology; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013997:Time Factors