CONTROL OF ACUTE THEILERIASIS IN CALVES IN THE PUNJAB
By K. RAGHAVACHARI, Research Assistant, Imperial Veterinary Research Institute, ABBAS ALI SHAH,
Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Multan, and H. N. RAY, Protozoologist, Imperial Veterinary Research
Institute, Mukteswar
(Received for publication on 1 November 1944)
(With Plate V)
IN May 1940, we were called to attend a severe
outbreak of acute theileriasis in calves of less
than three months in age on a farm in the Multan
district. On previous occasions the malady
was recognized to have caused heavy death among
calves on the farm. Locally the disease is known
as kanpher ki bimari, i.e. illness with marked swel-
ling of the parotid glands. It is produced by an
endoglobular parasite, provisionally identified as
Theileria annulata. The disease is prevalent from
March to September, and the rate of mortality
from 1936 to 1939 ranged between 13 and 23 per
cent. Up to June 1940, the rate had reached 10
per cent. Since the chemotherapy of theileriasis
has not yet been developed to a satisfactory stage,
it is merely intended in this article to deal with
the control measures adopted in endeavouring to
eradicate the disease. A brief description of
the symptoms as well as post-mortem lesions
is given so that methods of diagnosis may be more
widely known.
SYMPTOMS
The disease occurs in acute and in subacute
forms. In the former, the characteristic symptoms
are dullness, discharge from the eyes and nose,
raised body temperature (103ºF. to 106ºF.), marked
swelling of the parotid, suprascapular and pre-
crural lymphatic glands (Plate V, figs. 2 and 3),
frothy salivation, constipation followed by diar-
rhoea, ulcerated gums (as a result of which the
calves cannot suckle) and a subsequent shrouding
of the teeth (Plate V, fig. 1). About the third
week, most of the calves die and in the remainder
symptoms become subacute. In some fatal cases,
respiratory troubles, such as bronchitis and catarrh
of the lungs have been observed. In the sub-
acute form, the above symptoms are milder.
Ailing calves continue to suckle. The body tem-
perature usually remains below 104ºF. Faeces
are soft and yellowish in colour. Visible mucous
membranes are pale and anaemic. The eyelids
and the surrounding regions are oedematous.
Such cases, with proper care and nursing, are
likely to recover after four weeks from the onset
of the disease.
It may be mentioned that gingivitis and stoma-
titis are the most severe complications and render
the animals unable to suckle. This results in
loss of condition and progressive emaciation,
leading finally to death. Another and less common
complication is pneumonia.
LESIONS
The condition of the carcase is poor, mucous
membranes are pale and in the majority of cases
subcutaneous tissues, including fat, are stained
deep yellow. The gums are red and ulcerated
and show a light-grey gangrenous deposit. There
may be pneumonia. The pericardial fat is deep-
yellow and the heart muscle pale. The liver is
soft and icteric, petechiated and greatly enlarged
(Plate V, fig. 6). The gall bladder is usually
distended and contains coagulated bile of dark-
green colour. The spleen is soft and much en-
larged. The urinary bladder often contains yellow
coloured urine. The abomasum shows charac-
teristic ulcerations (Plate V, fig. 5). It may be
emphasized here that prognosis is favourable
only in cases where the mouth lesions are not
severe.
CONTROL MEASURES
Sen and Sreenivasan [1937] tried several drugs
for the treatment of experimental cases of the-
ileriasis in hill bulls. Of these, atebrin (Bayer)
was the only one which cured as many as 55 to
57 per cent of infected cases, but they also noted
that natural recovery took place to about the same
extent. Since so far no drug treatment has proved
satisfactory for this disease, an attempt was made
to control the arthropod vector, viz. Hyalomma
aegyptium, with which the farm was found to be
extensively infested. It has been proved to our
satisfaction by one of us (H. N. R.) that this tick
is responsible for transmitting acute theileriasis to
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