66
Investigation on Contagious Abortion in Goats
Vol. XVIII Part II
The results tabulated below suggest clearly that goat strains belong to the abortus type anti-
genically.
TABLE V
Results of agglutination absorption test.
Standard antigens pre-
pared from strain
Br. meletensis (M1) .
Br. abortus (A1) .
Br. isolated from goat
753
Br. isolated from goat
918
Br. isolated from goat
985
Serum dilutions
Br. abortus type serum
1/40
+
+++
+++
+++
+++
1/80
—
+++
+++
+++
+++
1/100
—
+++
+++
+++
+++
1/320
—
+++
+++
+++
+++
1/640
—
+
+
+
+
Br. meletensis type serum
1/40
++ +
+
+
+
+
1/80
+ + +
—
—
—
—
1/160
+ + +
—
—
—
—
1/320
+ + +
—
—
—
—
1/640
+
—
—
—
—
6. Pathogenicity test in g. Pigs. A rough preliminary test for pathogenicity of the goat strains
of Brucella was made by inoculating subcutaneously 1 c.c. of washed cultures on liver infusion agar
slants to g. pigs which were autopsied six weeks post injectio. The gross lesions were observed in
the spleen, liver and kidneys. The spleen was enlarged 8 to 10 times than the normal and was studded
with small well-raised nodules with greyish white centre and haemorrhagic periphery. The liver
was congested and slightly enlarged. A few greyish white minute nodules were observed in the
cortex of the kidneys under the capsule. Br. abortus was isolated in pure culture from these lesions
DISCUSSION
A survey on Brucellosis amongst the domesticated animals in India, as carried out under the
auspices of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research [1940 to 1945] does not contain definite
statement regarding the causative organism of this disease in goats. Br. meletensis the commonly
known organism infecting goats was isolated only on one occasion from a goat in the Punjab, the
place of origin of the present strains of Br. abortus. Our own review of the disease position in this
country with particular reference to the Punjab is compatible with the statement made in this survey
in that a number of epidemics or endemics of abortion in goats have been reported from time to
time. Our observations, however, are at variance in that in our hands a large percentage of goats
in the Hissar farm had proved reactors to agglutination test.
In isolating organisms from mor-bid materials in the field in India, climatic factors have often
been stressed to account for failures in obtaining pure cultures or no growths at all, the latter parti-
cularly in such affections as abortion which occurs without any previous warning, and when bacterio-
logical equipments and personnel are late to arrive. These difficulties in our work were considerably
obviated by our knowledge of the kidding season in the Hissar farm, moving equipment (including
g.pigs) and personnel to the farm and staying there for a month during which period abortions or
normal kiddings were expected.
Vaginal swabs and washings from the reacting goats which had normally kidded yielded no
organism either on direct examination or via g. pigs. This might be explained on the basis of informa-
tion already available [Huddleson, 1943] that even in the most acutely infected goats when the height
of infection is passed, elimination becomes sporadic, and that a single negative culture can hardly