Belt Of Africa Research Articles

A Population Genetic Perspective on Subsistence Systems in the Sahel/Savannah Belt of Africa and the Historical Role of Pastoralism.

This review focuses on the Sahel/Savannah belt, a large region of Africa where two alternative subsistence systems (pastoralism and agriculture), nowadays, interact. It is a long-standing question whether the pastoralists became isolated here from other populations after cattle began to spread into Africa (~8 thousand years ago, kya) or, rather, began to merge with other populations, such as agropastoralists, after the domestication of sorghum and pearl millet (~5 kya) and with the subsequent spread of agriculture. If we look at lactase persistence, a trait closely associated with pastoral lifestyle, we see that its variants in current pastoralists distinguish them from their farmer neighbours. Most other (mostly neutral) genetic polymorphisms do not, however, indicate such clear differentiation between these groups; they suggest a common origin and/or an extensive gene flow. Genetic affinity and ecological symbiosis between the two subsistence systems can help us better understand the population history of this African region. In this review, we show that genomic datasets of modern Sahel/Savannah belt populations properly collected in local populations can complement the still insufficient archaeological research of this region, especially when dealing with the prehistory of mobile populations with perishable material culture and therefore precarious archaeological visibility.

Meningococcal Meningitis in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review

The scourge of Meningococcal Meningitis in the Sub-Saharan African nations is well known. This review paper focuses on this very important topic and describes the symptoms, diagnoses, and available vaccines for the same. The review then focuses on the Meningitis Belt of Africa and elucidates on the introduction of MenAfriVac™ vaccine. The review ends with the success of this vaccine and the future of Meningococcal Meningitis in the context of overall global climate change.

Demographic history and admixture dynamics in African Sahelian populations.

The Sahel/Savannah belt of Africa is a contact zone between two subsistence systems (nomadic pastoralism and sedentary farming) and of two groups of populations, namely Eurasians penetrating from northern Africa southwards and sub-Saharan Africans migrating northwards. Because pastoralism is characterized by a high degree of mobility, it leaves few significant archaeological traces. Demographic history seen through the lens of population genetic studies complements our historical and archaeological knowledge in this African region. In this review, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of demographic history in the Sahel/Savannah belt as revealed by genetic studies. We show the impact of food-producing subsistence strategies on population structure and the somewhat different migration patterns in the western and eastern part of the region. Genomic studies show that the gene pool of various groups of Sahelians consists in a complex mosaic of several ancestries. We also touch upon various signals of genetic adaptations such as lactase persistence, taste sensitivity and malaria resistance, all of which have different distribution patterns among Sahelian populations. Overall, genetic studies contribute to gain a deeper understanding about the demographic and adaptive history of human populations in this specific African region and beyond.

Using genetic and phenetic markers to assess population isolation within the southernmost tsetse fly belt in Africa.

The effective control of tsetse flies (Diptera; Glossinidae), the biological vectors of trypanosome parasites that cause human African trypanosomosis and African animal trypanosomosis throughout sub-Saharan Africa, is crucial for the development of productive livestock systems. The degree of genetic isolation of the targeted populations, which indicate reinvasion potential from uncontrolled areas, will be critical to establish a control strategy. Molecular and morphometrics markers were used to assess the degree of genetic isolation between seemingly fragmented populations of Glossina brevipalpis Newstead and Glossina austeni Newstead present in South Africa. These populations were also compared with flies from adjacent areas in Mozambique and Eswatini. For the molecular markers, deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted, a r16S2 Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed and the PCR product sequenced. Nine landmarks were used for the morphometrics study as defined by vein intersections in the right wings of female flies. Generalised Procrustes analyses and regression on centroid size were used to determine the Cartesian coordinates for comparison between populations. Both methods indicated an absence of significant barriers to gene flow between the G. brevipalpis and G. austeni populations of South Africa and southern Mozambique. Sustainable control can only be achieved if implemented following an area-wide management approach against the entire G. brevipalpis and G. austeni populations of South Africa and southern Mozambique. Limited gene flow detected between the G. austeni population from Eswatini and that of South Africa or Mozambique may imply that these two populations are in the proses of becoming isolated.

Highlights from Recent Cancer Literature

Highlights from Recent Cancer Literature

Nomadic pastoralists and sedentary farmers of the Sahel/Savannah Belt of Africa in the light of geometric morphometrics based on facial portraits.

The Sahel/Savannah belt is a region where two sympatric human subsistence strategies-nomadic pastoralism and sedentary farming-have been coexisting for millennia. While earlier studies focused on estimating population differentiation and genetic structure of this ecologically remarkable region's inhabitants, less effort has been expended on understanding the morphological variation among local populations. To fill this gap, we used geometric morphometrics to analyze the facial features of three groups of pastoralists and three groups of sedentary farmers belonging to three language families (Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, and Afro-Asiatic) whose mitochondrial DNA sequences have been published previously. Our results show that pastoralists differ from farmers with several facial features. We also found that individuals who bear maternally inherited haplotypes of Eurasian ancestry do not significantly morphologically differ from individuals whose maternal ancestry is sub-Saharan. Our study follows up and builds upon population genetic and phylogeographic studies of Eurasian haplogroups in the Fulani pastoralists and sub-Saharan haplogroups in the Arab pastoralists, as well as studies on the spread of lactase persistence mutations and other genetic markers. Our results suggest that recent gene flows across the Sahel/Savannah belt were not strong enough to erase a genetic structure established by Paleolithic foragers and further shaped by the adoption of agropastoral food-producing strategies.

Geochronological systematics for the Chimoio-Macossa frontal nappe in central Mozambique: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the southern part of the Mozambique belt

This work aims to acquire a better understanding of the tectonic evolution of the Mozambique Belt, for the region located in the central-western part of Mozambique that corresponds to the southernmost part of the East African Orogen, in Africa. The main objective was to make a robust geochronological study, by means of a series of U-Pb zircon ages, in order to establish some precise magmatic crystallization and/or metamorphic recrystallization ages, as well as to estimate provenance and maximum ages for meta-sedimentary units. Limited zircon Lu-Hf analyses and some Sm-Nd ages on metamorphic garnets were also obtained.Two large nappes, Macossa-Chimoio and Mungari, are envisaged in the study area, tectonically juxtaposed to the Zimbabwe Craton. The Macossa-Chimoio nappe comprises the high-grade paragneisses, granulites and migmatites characteristic of the Macossa and Chimoio Groups, which occur in close association with the pre-existent mesoproterozoic granitic rocks of the Báruè Complex. The metamorphic P-T conditions, estimated between 4 and 6 kb and 700–800 °C, and the tectonic unit was exhumed at different crustal levels. A few granitoids of the Báruè Complex yielded mesoproterozoic U-Pb zircon cristallyzation ages near 1100 M, but detrital zircons of some paragneisses yielded neoproterozoic maximum ages of deposition of 700–800 Ma. In addition, the main age of the very young cambrian metamorphism event was set by means of U-Pb dating of zircon overgrowths and Sm-Nd garnet-whole rock isochron at 500 Ma.The boundary between the Macossa-Chimoio and Mungari nappes is a thrust zone with a NW trending tectonic transport. It disappears to the NE below a Karoo sedimentary cover, but most likely reappears at the NE side of the basin as a prolongation of a long-lived tectonic boundary, the Lurio mega-shear belt of northeastern Mozambique which separates the Nampula tectonic block in the south from a northern block comprising the Marrupa and Unango complexes. Therefore, the Macossa-Chimoio Nappe would correlate closely with the Nampula Block, which includes mesoproterozóic orthogneisses with about 1100 Ma age, reactivated in the Cambrian.On the light of the U-Pb ages of overgrowth rims on zircon crystals and corroborative Sm-Nd isochron ages, the southern end of the Mozambique Belt in Africa was affected by a strong orogenic episode in the Cambrian. This confirms that the amalgamation of Gondwana was diachronous along the EAO, starting earlier in the north and cease later in the south. In the south, the orogenic event was coeval to the Kuunga Orogeny between Australia and Antarctica, usually constrained between 530 and 490 Ma.

Phenyl alkanoid glycosides and steroidal saponins from Panicum turgidum

Panicum turgidum Forssk. (Poaceae) is a perennial desert grass from the Nile region of Egypt, Mediterranean coastal strip, Red sea coastal strip and oases. The geographical distribution of P. turgidum includes many arid sites within a belt of Africa and the Middle East extending between latitude 17 ° W and 88 ° E. The methanol extract of P. turgidum was evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity in a cell-based assay that determined the inhibition of iNOS. The crude extract inhibited iNOS with an IC50 of 56.5 µg/mL in comparison with parthenolide (IC50 of 0.76 µg/mL) as standard compound. The phytochemical investigation of ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions of methanolic extracts of P. turgidum resulted in the isolation of phenyl alkanoid glycosides and steroidal saponins. The structures of isolated compounds were elucidated on the basis of extensive analyses of spectroscopic data including 1D and 2D NMR and ESI-MS.

Awareness of meningococcal disease among travelers from the United Kingdom to the meningitis belt in Africa.

Meningococcal disease causes considerable morbidity and has a high case-fatality rate. In the United Kingdom, the meningococcal quadrivalent vaccine is recommended for travelers visiting the meningitis belt of Africa. We analyzed 302 responses to a cross-sectional study conducted in 2010 of travelers who had visited the meningitis belt recently or were shortly due to travel there. Using the results of an online questionnaire, we assessed knowledge and understanding of meningococcal disease and likelihood of uptake of meningococcal immunization before travel. Meningococcal vaccine uptake was 30.1%. Although global scores in the questionnaire did not correlate with vaccine uptake, knowledge of the meningitis belt and knowledge of certain key symptoms or signs were statistically associated with high vaccine uptake. We conclude that improved education of travelers may improve vaccine uptake before travel to the meningitis belt in Africa.

Meningitis and climate: from science to practice

Meningococcal meningitis is a climate sensitive infectious disease. The regional extent of the Meningitis Belt in Africa, where the majority of epidemics occur, was originally defined by Lapeysonnie in the 1960s. A combination of climatic and environmental conditions and biological and social factors have been associated to the spatial and temporal patterns of epidemics observed since the disease first emerged in West Africa over a century ago. However, there is still a lack of knowledge and data that would allow disentangling the relative effects of the diverse risk factors upon epidemics. The Meningitis Environmental Risk Information Technologies Initiative (MERIT), a collaborative research-to-practice consortium, seeks to inform national and regional prevention and control strategies across the African Meningitis Belt through the provision of new data and tools that better determine risk factors. In particular MERIT seeks to consolidate a body of knowledge that provides evidence of the contribution of climatic and environmental factors to seasonal and year-to-year variations in meningococcal meningitis incidence at both district and national scales. Here we review recent research and practice seeking to provide useful information for the epidemic response strategy of National Ministries of Health in the Meningitis Belt of Africa. In particular the research and derived tools described in this paper have focused at “getting science into policy and practice” by engaging with practitioner communities under the umbrella of MERIT to ensure the relevance of their work to operational decision-making. We limit our focus to that of reactive vaccination for meningococcal meningitis. Important but external to our discussion is the development and implementation of the new conjugate vaccine, which specifically targets meningococcus A.

Water yam (Dioscorea alata L.) diversity pattern in Brazil: an analysis with SSR and morphological markers

Substantial progress was made in the last decade in understanding the diversity in Dioscorea species. However, most of the studies so far concentrated in the ‘yam belt in Africa’. We present a genetic diversity and structure analysis among commercial and local varieties of water yam (Dioscorea alata L.) in Brazil using microsatellite and morphological markers. Twelve microsatellite primers were used to generate DNA profiles of 72 local varieties and 17 commercial accessions of water yam collected in four different regions in Brazil. Also, four morphological traits were evaluated on individual plants under field conditions. The morphological characterization showed considerable diversity. High polymorphism was found with 100 % polymorphism observed for 11 primers and a discriminating power value of 0.92, on average. We did not observe a strong population structure among sampling regions, while most of the genetic diversity was concentrated within regions (95.9 %). Analysis of the relationship between accessions did not clearly separate the local and commercial genotypes. However, the molecular analyses of D. alata showed high intraspecific diversity in local accessions from different regions in Brazil, with the highest Shannon index value (H′ = 0.41) for the Southeast region. These results confirmed an admixture of accessions in all sampling regions, consistent with the lack of a significant correlation between geographic and genetic distances, suggesting that farmers exchanged water yam materials extensively. The genetic diversity can be explained by the result of a continuous exchange of accessions by farmers throughout Brazil.

Inching Toward a Serogroup B Meningococcal Vaccine for Infants

IN THE PAST DECADE, THE INTRODUCTION OF MENINGOcoccal conjugate vaccines has led to substantial reductions in meningococcal disease. Monovalent serogroup C vaccines have virtually eliminated serogroup C disease from the United Kingdom and other countries, and serogroup A, C, W, and Y vaccines have reduced disease among adolescents in the United States. In 2010 and 2011, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and part of Nigeria introduced serogroup A conjugate vaccine, which may eliminate epidemic meningitis from the meningitis belt of Africa. These accomplishments have been dampened by the lack of effective serogroup B meningococcal vaccines. Serogroup B meningococcal disease causes substantial morbidity and mortality globally, especially in young infants. Serogroup B disease can be devastating; 5% to 10% of children with the disease do not survive and another 10% to 20% experience long-term sequelae such as hearing loss, limb loss, and neurologic deficits. Disease burden is lower in the United States than in other countries; incidence of serogroup B disease is 0.16 per 100 000 population but 3.08 per 100 000 population among infants younger than 12 months. In contrast, incidence of serogroup B disease in several countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom, is about 10-fold that in the United States. Serogroup B polysaccharide has not been a successful vaccine target because it is similar to human neural cell glycopeptide and therefore poorly immunogenic in humans. For a serogroup B vaccine to have a substantial effect on disease burden, it will need to be immunogenic and safe in young infants, protect against a high proportion of serogroup B strains, and provide long-term protection. In this issue of JAMA, the report by Gossger and colleagues represents a major step forward in developing a broadly protective serogroup B vaccine that is safe and immunogenic in young infants. By sequencing the meningococcal B genome and testing surface antigens for their ability to elicit an immunogenic response, 3 novel antigens were identified—factor-H binding protein (fHbp), Neisserial adhesin A (NadA), and Neisseria heparin binding antigen (NHBA)—and combined with outer membrane vesicle (OMV) from the New Zealand epidemic strain NZ98/254 in a multicomponent serogroup B meningococcal vaccine (4CMenB). This innovative technology identified noncapsular antigens that are surface expressed and can produce antibodies that kill the organism. The primary objective of the study was to assess the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of 4CMenB in 1885 infants who were given the vaccine in 2 different schedules (2, 4, and 6 months and 2, 3, and 4 months) and concomitantly or separately from routine vaccines. The immunologic end point was the percentage of participants with a human complement serum bactericidal activity (hSBA) titer of 5 or greater against 3 meningococcal serogroup B strains, measured 30 days after the third dose of 4CMenB. Three target strains were chosen to determine the immunogenicity against 3 vaccine components (fHbp, NadA, and OMV); each strain chosen expressed 1 target antigen but did not express the other antigens. There was no target strain available for NHBA at the time of the study, so testing using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to evaluate response to NHBA. In each of the different vaccination groups receiving 4CMenB, more than 99% of participants had hSBA titers of 1:5 or greater in response to the strains specific for the fHbp and NadA components of the vaccine; 79% to 81.7% of participants had responses to the strain specific for the OMV component, depending on the schedule used. As the authors indicated, these strains were not chosen to be representative of disease-causing strains, which vary by country. Studies evaluating antigen expression using isolates collected from surveillance suggest that 4CMenB vaccine could be protective against approximately 76% of strains circulating in Europe. However, because it is not fully understood how the multiple vaccine components will work together in vivo, antigen expression may be an underestimate or overestimate of the proportion of circulating strains that can be killed. Additionally, even though more than 99% of participants had an hSBA titer indicating

Membrane Protein as Novel Targets for Vaccine Production in Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitid

Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitis are gram negative, commensal bacteria naturally present in the nasopharynx. They are also naturally competent and suffer genetic mutations. H. influenzae causes diseases such as otitis media and pneumonia. While N. meningitis causes pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis. With the introduction of a vaccination program, a decrease in cases and deaths caused by these pathogens were observed over the following years. Especially, in countries where these vaccines were included in the vaccination schedule and in endemic regions, such as the meningitis belt in Africa. However, there are serotypes, biotypes and strains that these vaccines do not cover. Thus, these strains, biotypes and serotypes are emerging as pathogenic ones. Concerning the health authorities because the diagnosis of these diseases is most of the times unreliable and treatment needs to be immediate, due to the rapid evolution of the disease. For these emerging bacteria novel immunogenic targets are being researched as a way of trying to find and design new vaccines. These vaccines can be aimed in membrane proteins. Using these proteins as immunogenic targets with the help of adjuvants, to boost the immune system. The burden of a death or sequel to children and even adults that undergo meningitis infection and treatment is high. Therefore prevention is the best alternative. The aim of this review is to present this novel targets and their pros and cons. As a way of enlighten researches to view this new group of molecules and ligands as a possible target.

Can a 25-year trend in Soudano-Sahelian vegetation dynamics be interpreted in terms of land use change? A remote sensing approach

This study is based on the premise that, in the Sahel/Sudanian belt of Africa, the main determinants of interannual variation in vegetation dynamics are rainfall and land cover type. We analyzed the spatio-temporal sensitivity of the NOAA–AVHRR 8 km-resolution vegetation index (NDVI) to (i) annual rainfall variability (0.5° × 0.5° resolution) acquired over a 25-year period (1982–2006); and (ii) land use changes in the different eco-climatic regions of the Bani catchment in Mali (130 000 km 2). During the period 1982–2006, there was no clear trend in rainfall over the catchment, whereas there was a strong positive trend in the NDVI, both when the NDVI values were corrected using annual rainfall variability and when they were not. We divided the catchment into three eco-climatic regions based on the relationship between the annual NDVI and rainfall. In each region, we analyzed the observed greening in relation to changes in land use after correcting for the effect of annual rainfall on the NDVI. Results show that there is a mixed level of agreement between the land cover changes at the grid cell scale and the spatial pattern of the NDVI trend. Increased cropping does not explain the increase in the annual NDVI, except in the Sahelian part of the catchment. We hypothesize that the natural vegetation dynamics related to the non-linear rainfall patterns during the 25-year study period were responsible for these results.

African Neoproterozoic Mineral Deposits and Pan African Metallogenesis

Amalgamation of a number of continental fragments during the Late Neoproterozoic resulted in a united Gondwana continent. The time period in question, at the end of the Precambrian, spans about 250 million years between ∼800 and 550 Ma. Geological activity focused along orogenic belts in Africa during that time period is generally referred to as ‘Pan African’. We identify three age-related classes of tectonic terranes within these orogenic belts, differentiated on the basis of the formation-age of their crust: juvenile (e.g. mantle derived at or near the time of the orogenesis, ∼0.5–0.8 Ga), Paleoproterozoic (∼1.8–2.5 Ga), Archean (>2.5 Ga). We combine African mineral deposits data of these terranes on a new Neoproterozoic tectonic map of Africa. The spatial correlation between geological terranes in the belts and mineral occurrences are determined in order to define the metallogenic character of each terrane, which we refer to as their ‘metallogenic fingerprint’. We use these fingerprints to evaluate the effectiveness of mobilisation (‘recycling’) of mineral deposits within old crustal fragments during Pan African orogenesis. This analysis involves normalization factors derived from the average metallogenic fingerprints of pristine older crust (e.g. Palaeoproterozoic shields and Archean cratons not affected by Pan African orogenesis) and of juvenile Pan African crust (e.g. the Nubian Shield). We find that mineral deposit patterns are distinctly different in older crust that has been remobilized in the Pan African belts compared to those in juvenile crust of Neoproterozoic age, and that the concentration of deposits in remobilised older crust is in all cases significantly depleted relative to that in their pristine age-equivalents. Lower crustal sections (granulite domains) within the Pan African belts are also strongly depleted in mineral deposits relative to the upper crustal sections of juvenile Neoproterozoic terranes. A depletion factor for all terranes in Pan African orogens is derived with which to evaluate the role of mineral deposit recycling during orogenesis. We conclude that recycling of old mineral deposits in younger orogenic belts contributes, on average, to secular decrease of the total mineral endowment of continental crust. This could be of value when formulating exploration strategies.

Meningococcal vaccine in travelers

New vaccines to prevent meningococcal disease have been licensed in recent years. It is therefore timely to discuss current vaccine strategies pertinent to international travelers in relation to the changing epidemiology. Serogroup W135 achieved epidemic status in Africa in 2002, and then largely disappeared over a short time period. The year 2006 saw a marked epidemic rise in meningitis attack rates across the meningitis belt in Africa. This rise was mainly due to a new serogroup A strain, indicating that a new meningitis epidemic wave is beginning in Africa. Epidemics are also spreading south of the meningitis belt, including the Greater Lakes Area (Burundi, Rwanda, Republic of Tanzania). The new quadrivalent conjugate meningococcal vaccine is now licensed in North America but not elsewhere. In most other industrialized countries, the serogroup C conjugate vaccine is licensed. Plain polysaccharide quadrivalent vaccines are available almost worldwide. Quadrivalent meningococcal vaccination is a visa requirement for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. Travelers to the meningitis belt during the dry season should be advised to receive meningococcal vaccine that covers all four serogroups. This recommendation should be extended to the Greater Lake Area, because of recent epidemics. Vaccine choices depend on availability.

Review of the Cost Effectiveness of Immunisation Strategies for the Control of Epidemic Meningococcal Meningitis

Outbreaks of meningococcal disease have caused devastation worldwide. Effective vaccines have not been used routinely, due to perceived limitations of the duration of effectiveness as well as immunogenicity when administered during infancy. Given the sporadic nature of outbreaks, the optimal use of these vaccines to control both short-term epidemic and endemic meningococcal disease has been the subject of much debate. Seven economic studies on the use of polysaccharide vaccination strategies help to highlight the relevant epidemiological and economic issues surrounding the decisions for their use. Five of these studies were based in Africa, the region where annual incidence rates can be several orders of magnitude greater than the rest of the world. These studies demonstrated that vaccination against meningococcal disease during outbreak situations is suboptimal given the inability to rapidly immunise populations in a timely fashion in resource-poor areas. However, depending on the disease incidence and the ability to deliver vaccines, the polysaccharide vaccine can be cost effective for preventive strategies when given prior to the start of outbreaks, either through presumptive vaccination or through a modified routine delivery strategy. Economic analyses of mass immunisation campaigns and modelled routine vaccination suggest that routine use of meningococcal vaccines for preventive strategies could be within the range of cost-effective public health interventions in those regions of the world where meningococcal disease is endemic. This includes the meningococcal belt of Africa, the Sahelian region.

Discrimination of cassava‐associatedBemisia tabaciin Africa from polyphagous populations, by PCR–RFLP of the internal transcribed spacer regions of ribosomal DNA

Abstract:Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer regions ofBemisia tabaciwas used to distinguish cassava‐associated populations from other host‐associated populations. Endonuclease restriction profile analysis indicated that cassava‐associated populations from Africa represent a distinct group, with a significant level of separation into subgroups that were not linked to geographical origin. Analysis of molecular variance (amova) revealed that a high proportion of the total genetic variation (47%) was attributable to among‐population differences within the host‐associated groups. Principal coordinate analysis supported the differentiation between the cassava and the non‐cassava group, a result which was in agreement with the cluster analysis of the restriction fragment profile. Internal transcribed spacer RFLP markers, especiallySmaI, identified in this study can be used to monitor the spread ofB. tabacibiotypes, especially of the more virulent biotype B that has so far not been reported in the cassava‐growing belt of Africa.

W135 Meningococcal Disease in Africa1

W135 Meningococcal Disease in Africa1

Geochronological constraints for a two-stage history of the Albany–Fraser Orogen, Western Australia

Based on structural, petrographic and geochronological work (SHRIMP zircon, monazite and rutile), the Mesoproterozoic Albany–Fraser Orogeny is divided into two discrete thermo-tectonic stages, between c. 1345 and 1260 Ma (Stage I) and c. 1214 and 1140 Ma (Stage II). The existence of a two-stage history is confirmed by the discovery of 1321±24 Ma detrital zircons and 1154±15 Ma metamorphic rutiles in metasedimentary rocks from Mount Ragged. The detrital zircons demonstrate that the Mount Ragged metasedimentary rocks unconformably overly, and were derived from, Stage I basement. Metamorphic rutile formed as a consequence of overthrusting by high-grade early-Stage II rocks along an inferred NE-SW striking structure (the Rodona Fault). This interpretation is supported by zircon geochronology, which demonstrates that granulite facies metamorphism on the northwestern side of the structure predates that on the southeastern side by ∼100 Ma. Rocks to the northwest record a low-grade imprint relating to the younger (Stage II) event. The two-stage thermo-tectonic history of the Albany–Fraser Orogen correlates with adjacent Grenville-age orogenic belts in Australia and East Antarctica, implying that Mesoproterozoic Australia assembled in two stages subsequent to the amalgamation of the North Australian and West Australian cratons. Initial collision between the combined West Australian–North Australian craton and the South Australian–East Antarctic continent at c. 1300 Ma was followed by intracratonic reactivation affecting basement and cover at c. 1200 Ma. Two comparable and contemporaneous compressional orogenies controlled the formation of the Kibaran Belt in Africa and the Grenville Belt in Canada, suggesting that tectonic events in Mesoproterozoic Australia follow a similar pattern to that recognised for Rodinia amalgamation world-wide.