AN OUTBREAK OF GOAT-POX IN HISSAR DISTRICT (PUNJAB)
By H. K. LALL, B. Sc., M. R. C. V. S., GOPAL SINGH L.V.P, and JAGAT SINGH, L.V.P.,
Government Livestock Farm, Hissar
(Received for publication on 21 May 1947)
O UTBREAKS of goat-pox have been reported from time to time from various provinces and
States of India, but as compared to sheep-pox its occurrence has been less conspicuous. Three
cases of goat-pox were recorded in 1929-30 at the Government Livestock Farm, Hissar, but there
isno reliable evidence of its recurrence until 1944-45 when the disease spread to farm goats from
the experimental goats.
The present work arose out of an outbreak of this disease in Hissar district. In January, 1945,
the disease was reported from Dabwali but no material was available for investigation. A month
later, report of a fresh outbreak was received from Ratia, Sarsa and Fatehabad villages to the
east of Dabwali. The disease has been observed in the other parts of Punjab in winter or
early spring ; sheep-pox has a similar seasonal trend. Such a trend has not been mentioned in the
various Disease Investigation Officers' reports. Chadha [1942-43] has, however, stated in connection
with an outbreak in Bombay in 1942-43 that the disease prevailed throughout the year.
The goats affected in the outbreak in Ratia were of the ordinary desi type. The various flock
owners reported the mortality as 19 per cent in goats and 11.4 per cent in sheep, but whether all this
illness was due to goat-pox cannot be definitely said. Most of the animals examined by us were
recovering and showed pox nodules in the form of haemorrhagic scabs over the back and flanks. Two
examined post-mortem showed no internal lesions except for a single lung nodule in one of them.
One female kid had pox lesions all over the body including the udder, the size of discrete nodules
varying from that of a 4 anna to Sanna bit. To study the disease in detail, a kid having pox nodules
was brought to Hissar.
EXPERIMENTS AT HISSAR
Transmission work
Preliminary experiments were carried out in one of the farm blocks, about 1½ miles from the
main dairy flock. The disease was transmitted to two six-month old kids (Nos. 1 and 2), using a
suspension of scab material from the diseased kid. This suspension was scarified on the abdomen
and a drop of it was also injected intracutaneously. Two other kids, three months old (Nos. 3 and 4),
one of which was of hill breed, were then infected from material taken from kids 1 and 2. To main-
tain the virus for further study, yet another kid was infected with virus from Nos. 3 and 4, but it
failed to react and we presumed that the virus was lost. On previous occasions also some difficulty
has been experienced in establishing the disease under experimental conditions. A similar experi-
ence has been expressed by Henderson [1938].
None of the inoculated kids developed the disease in generalized form. Iyer [1939] has reported
successful experimental reproduction of goat pox in a generalized form by inoculating sub-cutaneous-
ly blood taken at the height of fever or by means of spleen suspension. However, these methods
were not tried by us. Following the cutaneous inoculations in our experimental kids, only a local
reaction was observed. Four or five days after the inoculation, there was a slight reddening of the
scarified area, corresponding with a rise of body temperature. After eleven days, Kid No. 1 showed
sharply defined vesicles. The vesicles were flattened and firm to the touch, and had little fluid in
them. In kid No. 2 there was a rather firm prominent swelling over the scarified area, up to the size
of the palm of the hand. Within the next few days the lesions in these two animals became very
hard and nodular and were covered with haemorrahagic scabs. The vesicular stage was very transient.
The temperature rose by nearly 2°—3°F. on the fifth day and maintained that level for 11 or 12 days.
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