146
Incidence of Helminth Infection in India
But, since the animals maintained their live
weights and general condition of health, this
slight diuresis seems of no consequence.
SUMMARY
An inadequate village ration for working bullocks
can be improved by supplementing with bago-
molasses without inducing any bad effect on the
health. The higher retention of nitrogen in the
supplemented feeding suggests that when the
energy-deficient typical village ration is fortified
by adequate amounts of energy-giving food like
bagomolasses, the necessity for the costly protein
concentrate can be considerably curtailed.
In an adequate ration of working bullocks
gram husk can be economically substituted with
bagomolasses without any ill-effects on the animals.
The health and working capacity of animals
receiving bagomolasses to the extent of 18 per
cent to 27 per cent dry matter in the ration com-
pared well with those of the control groups during
a short-term experiment.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This investigation was carried out under the
auspices of the Imperial Council of Agricultural
Research and the authors are grateful to the
Council for the financial grant. The authors
gratefully acknowledge the encouragement and
interest shown by Dr K. C. Sen, D. Sc., Officer-
in-charge, Animal Nutrition Section, Izatnagar,
in the course of the work.
REFERENCES
Morrison, F. B. (1937). Feeds and Feeding. The Morrison
Publishing Company, Ithaca, N. Y.
Henke, L. A. (1933). Bul. Hawaii agric. Exp. Sta. 69, 11
——
(1934). Bul. Hawaii agric. Exp. Sta. 73, 17
Snell, M. G. and Taggart W. G. (1931). Proc. Amer. Soc.
Anim. Prod., 3, 192
——
(1932). Proc. Amer. Soc.
Anim. Prod., p. 110
Singh, S. L. and Singh, S. G. (1934). Agric. Livestk. India,
4, 156
—(1935).
Agric. Livestk. India, 5, 34
—(1937).
Agric. Livestk. India, 7, 347
Ray, S. C. and Talapatra, S. K. (1945). Indian J. Vet. Sci. 15,
133.
A SURVEY OF THE INCIDENCE OF HELMINTH INFECTION IN INDIA AT
THE IMPERIAL VETERINARY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, IZATNAGAR
By H. D. SRIVASTAVA, D. Sc., Imperial Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar
(Received for Publication on 28 November 1944)
As a necessary prelude to subsequent experi-
mental work on the control of the more common
and important helminth parasites of sheep, goats,
cattle and buffaloes, the Imperial Council of Agri-
cultural Research sanctioned a scheme for a survey
of the incidence and nature of helminthic infections
of these animals in India. A part of the scheme
was carried out, from 1 November 1940
to 31 October 1942, at this Institute and a
general survey of the helminthic infections of
domestic ruminants in the Punjab, North-West
Frontier Province and Sind was made. For
the purpose of this survey, material was collected
from the slaughter houses for subsequent exa-
mination and collections of helminths at the veteri-
nary hospitals were also examined. Some speci-
mens of worms were also received for examination
through the courtesy of the veterinary field
staff. In the Punjab 21 districts were visited
in the summer months, while in the North-
West Frontier Province and Sind only Peshawar
and Karachi respectively were visited just after
the rainy season. None of these places could
be visited more than once.
Despite some serious limitations under which
the work was carried out, an extensive survey of
the incidence, intensity and nature of the hel¬
minthic infections of sheep, goats, cattle and
buffaloes was made. Over ten thousand specimens
of worms were examined and useful data collected.
In the Punjab a total of 191 sheep, 150 goats,
58 heads of cattle and 19 buffaloes were examined
Out of these 134 (i.e. 71 per cent) sheep, 93 (i.e.
62 per cent) goats, 36 (i.e. 62 per cent) heads of
cattle and 16 (i.e. 84 per cent) buffaloes were
found infected with worms. At Karachi out of
eight sheep, six goats and five heads of cattle
examined five sheep, four goats and three heads
of cattle were found infected while at Peshawar
12 out of 15 sheep and all the eight goats exa¬
mined were found harbouring helminths.
Table I are indicated the number of animals
each species examined, the number found infect
and the incidence of infection at the various
places visited. In Table II are given the names
of the more common parasites, their incidence of
infection in the various species of hosts and
some general remarks on their distribution.