NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
IDENTITY OF THE NEMATODE WORM
347
TECHNIQUE
The collection of worms from the lesion of hump sore presents certain diffi-
culties. The most convenient site for their recovery is the demarcation line
between the central core and the periphery of a quiescent lesion. A place over
this line is selected and the sore tissue scraped off with a slightly blunt scalpel.
On thus scraping away the whole cornified layer of the superficial epithelium
and a part of the rete malpighi, a thread like projection of what appears to be
one of the ends of the female worm is seen on the surface. This is then picked up
with a pair of finely pointed forceps and placed in a petri dish containing normal
saline. The scraped up material should be placed in another petri dish con-
taining normal saline, because not infrequently an entire female worm could be
found embedded in a lump of scraped up tissue. The male worms are very minute,
and for the purpose of their collection the scraped up tissue is thoroughly teased
with a fine pair of needles, and a search is made for the parasite under one-third
objective of the microscope. For the purpose of an immediate examination
the embryonated ova could be collected by teasing a gravid female on a slide
in a drop of normal saline. Plenty of ova are thus liberated either individually
or in lumps which represent parts of the uteri. The saline film on the slide is
then allowed to dry up so as to fix up the ova. The preparation is then stained
with Leishman or Giemsa stain.
Certain anatomical features such as the cuticular spines, the vulva and the
vagina could be seen best in a living specimen. Beechwood creosote has been
used as a clearing agent to see various other details, such as the nerve ganglia,
tubular oesophagus, and the spicules in the male.
A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PARASITE
Freshly recovered parasites from the sore have frequently been found covered
with fragments of sore tissue towards their anterior extremity. The female
parasites have always been found predominating over the male ones in number,
and in collections made from several cases the numerical ratio between the male
and the female has been 1 : 3. When placed in normal saline, the worms exhibit
sluggish movements. They are small, whitish and thread like worms, the females
being two to three times larger than the males. The anterior extremity of the
male and the female which carries the mouth is slightly attenuated. The mouth
opening (Plate XXIII, Fig. 4) is minute, circular and bordered with a notched
chitenous ring. Immediately behind the mouth is a prominent conical structure
(Plate XXII, Fig. 1, and Plate XXIII, Fig. 4) from which the mouth appears to
be protruding anteriorly. At the base of the oral protrusion the thick conical
structure is encircled with a single complete ring of cuticular spines (Plate XXIII,
Fig. 4) which in some specimens also shows group arrangement at places. The
cuticle is smooth over the conical structure, and commencing with a deep notch
348 THE INDIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY SCIENCE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY [VI, IV
behind the latter, it is transversely striated (Plate XXII, Fig. 1) throughout the
body. For a greater length of the anterior part of the body, the posterior
edges of the striae are directed posteriorly in the form of spines, but towards
the posterior extremity the striae become inconspicuous and their posterior edges
smooth. Lateral alae are present.
The terminal mouth leads into a tubular oesophagus (Plate XXII, Fig. 1)
which measures about from 124 to 180 microns from the mouth opening in both
the sexes. The nerve ring (Plate XXII, Fig. 1) in both the sexes is situated at
a distance of 72 microns from the mouth opening. Cloacal opening is distinct
in the male, (Plate XXII, Fig. 2) but it appears to be absent in the female.
The male worm.—The male parasite is 3 to 4.5 millimeters* long and 108 to
126 microns wide. The caudal extremity (Plate XXII, Fig. 2) is attenuated and
slightly bent towards its ventral aspect. The alimentary tract widens out
towards the posterior limit of the oesophagus in the form of a straight tube
which constitutes the intestines. The intestinal tube ends in a minute anus
opening into a cloaca which also receives the structures of the male genitalia
The latter consists of a single tubular testis, and two unequal spicules. The
testis begins about the anterior fifth of the body, and runs parallel to the
intestine. It is a compact structure consisting of cells which give rise to
spermatozoa. Of the two spicules (Plate XXII, Fig. 2) the left one is the larger and
measures about 150 to 180 microns in length. The right spicule being the smaller
of the two measures about 43 microns. Near the smaller spicule and dorsal to it
lies the small gubernaculum. The cloacal opening is situated at about 25 to 30
microns from the posterior extremity. There are two pairs of post-anal
papillae (Plate XXII, Fig. 2).
The female worm—The female parasite is stouter and longer than the male.
It measures from 7 to 9.5 millimeters in length, and from 190 to 208 microns in
width. The caudal extremity of the female is broader than the oral extremity,
(Plate XXII, Fig. 1, and Plate XXIII, Fig. 3) and is straight and stumpy. As in
the male, the intestine begins from the posterior limit of the oesophagus as a
straight tube like structure. For a certain distance in the anterior half of the
worm, the intestine runs parallel to the vagina and the uteri, (Plate XXII, Fig. 1)
but posteriorly (Plate XXIII, Fig. 3) it becomes indistinct in the loops of the
uteri and the ovaries. No distinct anus has been observed. The vulva (Plate
XXII, Fig. 1) which is a sack like structure measures about 72 microns in length,
and opens out in the form of a spout at a distance of 75 to 90 microns from the
mouth opening. Behind the vulva is the vagina which is a straight tubular organ
measuring from 252 to 288 microns in length. Behind the vagina begin the two
* Except for the length of the worms which is given in millimeters, all
other measurements are in microns.
Ind. Jour. Vety. Sci. & Anim. Husb., Vol. VI, Pt. IV.
PLATE XXIII
FIG. 3
400 ×
FIG. 3 The posterior extremity of the worm showing
the coils of the uteri.
FIG. 4
900 ×
FIG. 4. Showing the notched rim of the
mouth and the cuticular spines
behind it.
FIG. 5
400 ×
FIG. 6
900×
6 (a)
6 (b)
6 (c)
FIGS. 5 & 6. Showing microfilariae inside and outside the membrane.
IDENTITY OF THE NEMATODE WORM
349
uteri which run parallel for a certain distance, and then become indistinct in the
ovarian coil situated posteriorly. In a gravid female worm the uteri and the
vagina contain fully developed embryos (Plate XXII, Fig. 1) each enclosed in a
flexible vitelline membrane. The embryonated eggs (Plate XXIII, Figs. 6 (a)
and 6 (b)) measure from 39.6 × 28.8 to 43.2 × 36.0 with the membrane. The
microfilariae as seen outside the membrane in a stained smear measure from
126 to 144 microns.
DISCUSSION
Ihle and Ihle-Landenberg [1933] were the first to describe the filarial worm
recovered from " Cascado " of cattle in the Dutch East Indies, for which they
created a new generic name STEPHANOFILARIA, and named the parasite as
STEPHA-
--------- DEDOESI. W e h r [1935] in his revised classification of the superfamily
FILARIOIDEA has included a new family STEPHANOFILARIIDAE for the reception
of the genus STEPHANOFILARIA, Ihle and Ihle-Landenberg [1933]. Another
species of this genus has been described by Chitwood, [1934] as STEPHANOFILARIA
STILESI. Chitwood distinguishes his species from the original species by the
following two characters :—
1. The arrangements of the cephalic spines, and
2. The distance of the vulvar orifice of the female
from the mouth opening.
The cephalic spines as observed by Chitwood [ 1934 ] in his species are incom-
plete and asymmetric, whereas in the original species they are apparently complete
and symmetric. The writer while studying his new species has found the cephalic
spines completely encircling the base of the oral elevation in some of the speci-
mens, while in others, although the spines have been found in groups, their sym-
metric arrangement does not appear to be lost. Although Chitwood, for the
description of his species, considers the arrangement of the spines as a distinguish-
ing feature, he attaches no particular importance to it from the taxonomic stand-
point. Certain important factors are likely to be involved in consideration of
these spines as having any taxonomic value. It is to be remembered, however,
that the species of STEPHANOFILARIA have so far been found to be distinctly
pathogenic for the bovine skin where their presence induces a very extensive his-
tological changes. The causation of the lesion by these worms depends to a
certain degree on the irritation caused by the constant movements of these spines
in the tissue of the skin. The arrangement of the spines, therefore, cannot re-
main a constant feature when they, in their chronic attempt at destruction of the
skin tissue, are subjected to a severe strain of tissue reaction. In view of these
observations, however, it is to be presumed that under a pressure of excessive
tissue reaction the cephalic spines may either be pressed to lie in groups, or some
of them may so completely be detached as to give the remaining ones an asymmetric
350 THE INDIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY SCIENCE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY [VI, IV
arrangement. In the opinion of the writer, therefore, the arrangement of the
cephalic spines appears to have no value in the classification of the species of
STEPHANOFILARIA. The other character, i.e., the position of the vulvar orifice
from the mouth opening by which Chitwood distinguishes his species from STEPHA-
NOFILARIA DEDOESI appears to be an important feature in the taxonomy of the
worm. Before any opinion is given as regards the identity of the worm at the
disposal of the writer, it will be of interest to compare the salient features of the
two known species with those of the species under consideration.
TABLE 1
Statement showing the points of difference amongst the three known species of
Stephanofilaria
Morphological Characters
Male
Length
.
.
.
.
Maximum thickness . .
Size of the left spicule . .
Caudal end
.
.
.
.
Position of the cloaca from the
posterior end . . .
Female
Length
.
.
.
.
Maximum thickness . .
Position of the vulva from the
mouth opening . . .
Stephanofilaria
dedoesi, Ihle,
and Ihle-
Landenberg, 1933
2.3 to 3.2 .
70 to 90 . .
226 to 230 .
Straight . .
22 to 32 . .
6.1 to 8.5 .
156 to 172 .
49 to 57 . .
Stephanofilaria
stilesi, Chit-
wood, 1934
3.0 to 3.5 .
40 to 50 . .
276. . .
Slightly bent .
..
5.64 to 5.8
.
100 to 117 .
78 to 90 . .
Stephanofilaria
assamensis,
Pande,
1935
3.0 to 4.5
108 to 126
150 to 180
Slightly bent
25 to 30
7.0 to 9.5
190 to 208
75 to 90
It will be seen from the above table that both the male and the female of the
Indian species differ from the other two known species in being a stouter and
a comparatively bigger parasite. While there is not much difference in the length
of the male of the three species, they show marked variation in the measurement
of their thickness. The position of the cloaca in STEPHANOFILARIA DEDOESI
and STEPHANOFILARIA ASSAMENSIS in which this feature has been observed shows
no variation at all, but the left spicule of STEPHANOFILARIA ASSAMENSIS is much
smaller than the same structure of the other two known species.
While the female of the Indian species is only slightly greater in length than
the female of STEPHANOFILARIA DEDOESI, it is much greater in length when com-
pared with the female of STEPHANOFILARIA STILESI. The position of the vulvar
IDENTITY OF THE NEMATODE WORM
351
orifice is almost the same in STEPHANOFILARIA STILESI and STEPHANOFILARIA
ASSAMENSIS, and in this respect they both differ from STEPHANOFILARIA DEDOESI
in which the opening of the vulva is at a much lesser distance from the anterior
extremity. The Indian species can, therefore, be distinguished from the other
two known species by the following features :—
1. The measurement of length and thickness.
2. The size of the left spicule, and
3. The position of the vulvar orifice from the mouth opening.
SPECIFIC DIAGNOSIS
Stephanofilaria :
Male.—Length 3.0 to 4.5, thickness 108 to 126, size of the left spicule 150
to 180, and the caudal extremity slightly bent.
Female.— Length 7.0 to 9.5, thickness 190 to 208, anus indistinct, position
of the vulvar orifice at a distance of 75 to 90 microns from the anterior extremity.
Host.—Cattle.
Location.—Skin, beneath the rete malpighi.
Locality.—Assam (India).
The writer desires to express his thanks to Dr. F. L. Huber, Director, State
Veterinary Institute, Buitenzorg, Java, for supplying to him few specimens
of STEPHANOFILARIA DEDOESI, to the Director, Imperial Veterinary Research
Institute, Muktesar, for lending him certain reference books on Stephano¬
filariasis, and to the Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, Assam, for
his keen interest in the study of this parasite.
REFERENCES
Pande, P. G. (1935). Ind. J. Vet. Sc. & Anim. Husb., 5, 4, pp. 332-342.
Datta, C. (1935). Proceedings of the Indian Science Congress held in Calcutta.
Yorke, W. and Maplestone, P. A. (1926). The Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates.
London.
Bubberman, C. and Kraneveld, F. C. (1933). Nederlandsch Indisch Bladen Voor
Diergenees Kunde, Deel XLV, Afl 4, pp. 45-84.
Ihle, J. E. W. and Ihle-Landenberg, M. E. (1933). Ibid, pp. 85-90.
Chitwood, B. G. (1934). The North American Veterinarian, 15, 6, pp. 25-27.
Wehr, E. E. (1935). Proceedings of the Helminthological Society of Washington, 2,
2, pp. 84-88.
DETOXICATED URINE TREATMENT FOR IMPOTENCY
IN STUD BULLS AND STERILITY IN COWS
BY
WYNNE SAYER, B.A., DIP. AGRI. (CANTAB.),
Imperial Agriculturist
AND
L. S. JOSEPH, G.B.V.C.,
Cattle Superintendent, Imperial Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.
[Received for publication on the 16th September, 1936]
(With Plates XXIV & XXV)
When the senior author investigated in 1931 the causes of the gradually
increasing number of cases of impotency in bulls and sterility in cows in the Pusa
Sahiwal herd, he found that most of them were due to the faulty feeding policy
pursued in the past. The rationing was, therefore, entirely changed [Sayer, 1934]
and its excellent effect on both bulls and cows was soon apparent.
The few cases of impotency in bulls and sterility in cows that were not, how-
ever, amenable to the changed rationing were put under the hormone treatment
[Phillip, 1929].
A number of cases of impotency and sterility were given the above treat-
ment quite successfully, out of which two cases are quoted below for illustra-
tion. The method followed here is given below :
DETOXICATION OF URINE FOR INJECTION
Collect in a sterile enamel mug about 100 c.c. of urine from a cow over seven
months in calf. Early morning urine is preferable.
Detoxicate at once.
To each 100 c.c. of urine add 5 c.c. of a 20 per cent solution of sulpho-salicylic
acid.
Shake well for ten minutes to precipitate all proteins.
Allow to stand and pass through a coarse filter paper.
Neutralise or render faintly alkaline to litmus by the addition of bicarbonate
of soda.
Dosage.—10 c.c. of urine per 100 lbs. body-weight injected subcutaneously
behind shoulder daily on four consecutive days. Repeat in three weeks time, if
necessary.
( 352 )
Ind. Jour. Vety. Sci. & Anim. Husb., Vol. VI, Pt. VI.
PLATE XXIV
A rejuvenated Sahiwal bull of the Pusa pedigree herd with his female progeny.
Left to right :—
1. Choki (25-9-35)
2. 745 (Lachrama)
3. 735 (Chandrama)
4. 716 (Sampati)
5. Bripla (2-12-35)
6. Maharaj.
7. 706 (Lachrama)
8. 738 (Bripari)
9. 743 (Birbutia)
10. Noshni (16-8-35)
Ind. Jour. Vety. Sci. & Anim. Husb., Vol. VI, Pt. IV.
PLATE XXV
A case of temporary sterility treated with detoxicated urine from pregnant cows.
Lachmohni No. 644
(Born 10-9-31.)
Her Cow Calf
(Born 15-2-36).
URINE TREATMENT FOR IMPOTENCY IN STUD BULLS AND STERILITY IN COWS
353
SAHIWAL BULL ' MAHARAJ ' NO. 300 (PLATE XXIV)
This bull was born on the 27th January, 1920, of Raseeli No. 132, one of
our foundation cows, by Sahiwal bull Mansoor. His dam was a typical Sahiwal
cow with a natural disease-resistant constitution, who gave fourteen calves and
30,000 lb. of milk during her life time on the Farm. She lived twenty-two
years without any serious ailment and was a regular calver. It was decided to
keep this bull for stud purposes.
When Maharaj was three years old, he was tried with a number of cows for
service and failed utterly ; consequently he was sent uncastrated to the Agri-
cultural Section for draught purposes.
In 1932, he was brought back from the Farm and given the " detoxicated
urine treatment" and since then he is serving satisfactorily and so far he has
sired twenty-two calves, out of which eleven are heifer calves. His disease-
resistant faculty was tested this year during the outbreak of Foot and Mouth
disease. He was artificially infected with the infective saliva thrice, but he proved
absolutely immune and similar tests with his progeny also showed them naturally
resistant to the disease to a great extent.
His first heifer which was born on the 23rd December 1933, received bull
when she was one year, six months and thirteen days old. She has since calved,
developed a very good shape bag, and has given 2,122 lb. of milk in 107 days and
is giving about 16 lb. daily.
The average birth weight of his calves is 43.3 lb. and this shows that the
progeny he is producing is quite normal and there is not the least trace of lack
of stamina or reduction in size and conformation.
SAHIWAL COW ' LACHMOHNI ' NO. 644 (PLATE XXV)
She calved for the first time on the 7th July, 1934, and did not come in oestrus
(heat) after the usual period of 150 days—time allowed for heavy milkers on this
farm for bulling. She was examined and finding the reproductive organs normal;
she was given the above treatment on the 2nd April 1935, and she came on heat
and received bull on the 2nd May, 1935. She completed her first lactation on
the 16th May 1935, with 5,191 lb. of milk in 306 days.
She calved again on the 15th February, 1936, has given 5,238 lb. of
milk in 172 days and is giving about 24 lb. per day.
Several similar cases have been successfully treated on this farm with the
detoxicated urine from pregnant cows.
REFERENCES
1. Phillip, E. (1929). Zentralb F. Gynk, 2386.
2. Sayer, W. (1934). Agri. and Live-stock in Ind., 4, 105-126.
SELECTED ARTICLE
STUDIES ON BOVINE MASTITIS
XI.—FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON THE CONTROL OF
CHRONIC STREPTOCOCCUS MASTITIS
BY
A. W. STABLEFORTH, S. J. EDWARDS AND F. C. MINETT,
Research Institute in Animal Pathology, Royal Veterinary College, London.
[Reprinted from " The Journal of Comparative Pathology and Therapeutics,"
Vol. XLVIII. Part 4. December, 1935.]
IN 1933 we gave an account of a herd from which chronic streptococcus mastitis
due to Str. agalactiæ had been eradicated by the segregation and eventual sale
of infected cows. This confirmed the generally accepted belief that this disease
is strictly contagious and that, therefore, it should be possible to control it by the
simple procedure of avoiding direct transmission during milking. At that time
similar control measures were also being carried out in six other herds, viz., Herds
A, C, I, J, K and L and the purpose of this report is to detail the results of
this work.
It is evident from the literature on the subject that laboratories concerned
with mastitis are now giving more attention to control of the disease by segregation,
with or without treatment of infected cows. Vaccines, autogenous or other, have
gradually fallen into disrepute because, although some authors believe they re-
duce the more obvious manifestations of the disease, they do little or nothing to
diminish the number of infected udders or to prevent the spread of the disease.
In accordance with this view, many workers who have tried vaccination, e.g.,
Seelemann, Plastridge, Anderson, White and Rettger, have replaced it by segre-
gation methods, whilst in Germany a voluntary state-assisted scheme of control
based on segregation of infected cows and their treatment with " entozon " was
initiated in April, 1934.
Among the more recent efforts at vaccination or eradication reference maybe
made to the following.
Seddon and Rose [1934] employed killed vaccines in a herd of about 100 cows
over a period of five years. No controls were kept. The amount of obvious mastitis
was reduced both in respect of numbers of cases and severity, but the incidence of
streptococcus infection was unaltered. Similar findings were reported by Krage
and Gipmann in 1931.
( 354)
STUDIES ON BOVINE MASTITIS
355
Plastridge, Anderson, White and Rettger [1934], working in five herds contain-
ing from 25 to 50 cows each, concluded that heat-killed vaccines did not adequately
control streptococcus mastitis, while, on the other hand, hygienic measures and segre-
gation of infected cows were found to be effective. From one herd the disease was
said to have been eradicated and full details are promised later.
In 1933 we referred to attempts by other workers to control mastitis by segrega-
tion. Thus, Seelemann [1932] described the promising results obtained in two herds
in which, purely by segregation of infected cows, infection was reduced respectively
from 40 to about 10 per cent in fifteen months, and from 70 to 20 per cent in two years.
In the latter herd it was reported [1933] that by combining entozon treatment with
segregation the infection had been reduced to 4.2 per cent. Seelemann and Hadenfeldt
[1933] reported on eleven other herds in which control of the disease had been attempted
by segregation of cows found to be infected by three-monthly cultural examination
of the milk, with or without subsequent treatment of infected cows with entozon.
Their results are best given in the form of a table.
Herd
S
Ko
D
J
L
R
Do
H
G
F
Q
No. of
Cows
177
180
65
50
138
134
88
81
80
22
200
Original Incidence
(per cent)
42
54
60
20
43
70
42
52
13
100
45
Final Incidence
(per cent)
29
23
47
10
30
8.6
5.4
10
5
0
7
Period
2 years
4
„
2
„
2
„
3 „
4
„
2
„
2
„
2
„
5
„
2
„
Control
attempted by
Segregation
}
alone
Segregation
}
and
' entozon '
treatment
In all herds new infections continued to appear. It is seen that where entozon
was used infection was considerably reduced and in one herd (F) was eradicated,
whereas in herds in which segregation alone was adopted eradication was not achieved
in any case and the incidence was only moderately reduced.
According to yet other reports from Germany, eradication or a striking reduc-
tion in the proportion of infected cows may be brought about by a combination of
hygienic precautions in milking, with segregation and treatment of infected cows
with entozon. The reports, however, do not show how often new infections arose,
and, therefore, to what extent the reduction in the number of infected animals was
due to continued treatment of old and newly infected cows or to the other measures
used. The literature regarding the efficacy of entozon treatment will be dealt with
in a subsequent report.
Methods used for the examination of milk samples
The methods used were similar to those given by Minett, Stableforth and
Edwards [1933], to which reference should be made for details. They consisted
essentially of : (1) The use of fore milk, after rejecting one or two streams.