228
Clinical Aspects of Kherwan Disease
with proliferation of fixed connective tissue elements, and acute congestion of capillaries with purely
monocytic infiltration, i.e., leptomeningitis.
'The mucous coat of the gastro-ontestinal tract was normal in cases examined, although capi-
llaries in sub-mucous coat were highly injected and in one case there was considerable sub-mucous
oedema with loosening and necrosis of the overlying mucous coat.'
Efforts were made to transmit the disease by
(i) subcutaneous injection of blood from the diseased animals in the acute
stages to healthy ones ;
(ii) injecting subcutaneously an emulsion of intestines on fourth stomach ;
(iii) drenching with the emulsion of intestines and fourth stomach ;
(iv) intranasal insuffulation
(v) Injection of brain emulsion into temporal fossa and anterior chamber of the eye.
The disease could not be transmitted.
As all the animals in which the disease appeared particularly in 1944 outbreak were thin, it was
thought that it might be due to some nutritional cause. A very significant fact which has been
mentioned before has to be repeated here, i.e., the grazing was very poor in 1940 as well as in 1944
and due to this the animals had to be fed solely on ensilage and Kurbi jowar of the crop of the previous
year and the one before that. Some of this had become mouldy. Samples of the feed were sent to
the Imperial Veterinary Research Institute for analysis, etc., but no conculsions could be derived.
Vitamin A and serum calcium were also determined in the last outbreak and were found to be normal
but the vitamin A content of some of the livers sent during 1944 was subnormal. 'It may also be
mentioned here parenthetically that there were 48 deaths in 1945 and that 20 (16 per cent) calves out
of these were weaned between 3 to 4 months as they were from tuberculous mothers and were
thus weaker than those weaned normally at 9 months of age.'
When the disease appeared the quantity of the green feed given to all the animals was
increased but it did not seem to alter the course of the disease to any great extent. Whether it was
the accumulative effect of the absence of certain food substances which reduced the absorption of
food is not certain. The ration fed to the animals at Chaoni and Thaska for the four months during
which disease occurred is tabulated in Appendix II.
With a view to determining the effect of prolonged feeding of Kurbi jowar and its ensilage, four
animals were purchased from villages and were fed on Kurbi jowar and ensilage only. One animal
was destroyed after 3½ months, but it did not show any typical lesions of Kherwan disease. One
which died eight months afterwards showed some doubtful lesions only. Serum protein estimation
in 10 animals was made but no definite conclusions could be drawn from the results obtained.
Only some of the animals which were being fed on green fodder and grains died, but, none
of the prime young bulls being fed on a special grain ration was affected.
Effect of magnesium sulphate drench. Some animals were given a drench consisting of magne-
sium sulphate with a view to eliminate toxins from the intestines. It did not have any profound
effect in the course of the disease. Out of eight animals which were given this treatment, three reco-
vered and five died (see Table IV).
TABLE IV
Effect of magnesium sulphate drench
No. of animal
1. 424/3.2
.
.
.
.
2. 35/3.2
.
.
.
.
3. 470/3.2
.
.
.
.
Date on
which fell
siok
28-3-44
28-3-44
17-4-44
Date of
recovery
8-4-44
9-4-44
..
Date of
relapse
2-5-44
2-5-44
..
When
drench
given
5-5-44
5-5-44
5-5-44
Final remarks
Recovered
Recovered
Recovered