SEPTEMBER, 1948]
JOHN
B.
POLDING
157
SECTION VII—THE CONTROL OF BRUCELLOSIS IN INDIA
Control by hygiene
For very many years, the usual systems of controlling Brucellosis have been based on the serum
agglutination test; whole herds were tested at short intervals, and reacting animals discarded. But,
because of the defects of the test (p. 152), control on such a basis, whilst often resulting in a reduction
of the number of abortions, only succeeded in eradicating the disease entirely, when the tests were
very frequent and the system very conscientiously enforced. Furthermore, the question of the
disposal of reactors was a matter of considerable difficulty. Some adopted the policy of selling to
the butchers, a procedure often entailing the sacrifice of very valuable animals. Others merely sold
on the open market, which resulted in the spread of Brucellosis, whilst a third school attempted
whole-time segregation. This last system, though possibly the most praiseworthy morally, was,
in practice, uneconomical, for it not only demanded separate farm buildings, separate labour and
separate feeding-arrangements, but, quite often, separate herds were required for animals suffering
from other diseases as well. The writer has seen on one farm a disease-free herd, a Brucellosis herd,
a Tuberculosis herd, a Johne's disease herd and even herds suffering from combinations of these
diseases, manifestly an absurd situation.
In India, the test and slaughter system for cattle is almost ruled out because of religious sentiment
and the poorness of the beef market ; but it has occasionally been used with success in goat-herds,
wherever the sale of infected animals to the butcher was possible and the drain of infected animals
was slight. The test and sale method is, in India, as elsewhere epidemiologically bad practice.
There remains, therefore, the system of test and segregation, and, as in India labour is cheap, exten-
sive grazing is often available, and the climate permits the simplest of housing for animals, the method
is probably more feasible here, than elsewhere. It is, nevertheless, irksome and in view of the slight
degree of infection often encountered in indigenous herds, the high natural resistance of the zebu
and the sterilizing power of Indian sunshine, a modified form of segregation has been evolved for
use in this country. Furthermore, as routine half-yearly, let alone two-monthly, tests are rarely
possible, testing is largely disregarded and the system centres round hygiene and segregation, during
the dangerous periods.
The system of hygienic segregation has already been described [Polding 1943]; but, as some
modifications have since been introduced, a short restatement seems necessary here. Firstly, it
has clearly to be understood that the method can be most suitably applied in the following special,
but frequently encountered, circumstances: (1) when the frequency of abortion is less than 5 per
cent of the breeding herd per annum ; (2) when the disposition of the farm lends itself to cleanliness ;
(3) when frequent purchases of in-calf animals from endemic centres are not contemplated ; (4) when
for the greater part of the day the stock can be dispersed for grazing over a wide area and (5) when
climatic conditions are good. These are the ideal circumstances ; but they apply to many farms,
such as the Punjab Grantee Estates and private and government farms situated in north and central
India. Moreover, it is probable that, provided extra care be taken, the system would be serviceable
in almost any clean grazing farm not subject to a major epidemic or abnormal cattle movements.
Contra-indications are : (i) when a major epidemic has taken a good hold on the farm ; (ii) where
the monsoon is prolonged and severe ; (iii) where animals are confined to dirty and crowded compounds;
(iv) when cattle purchases from Bombay and Calcutta, or other endemic areas are unavoidable.
The first step in the procedure is the provision of segregation quarters, and where the climate
permits, it is better to dispense with any form of building whatever. Depending on the size of the
herd, one or more fenced paddocks should be made, well away from the main farm buildings, but
convenient of access (say some 2 to 3 hundred yards from the cattle yards). Each paddock may
contain a simple thatched roof on poles for shelter and should preferably be enclosed by a double
fence with 2 yards of neutral ground between. A paddock should be on a site which will not become
waterlogged. When cold or excessive rainfall prohibits the use of paddocks, one or more simple
calving boxes should be erected on sites similar to those chosen for paddocks. Boxes should consist
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