P. G.
PANDE
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in general degeneration, stunted growth, defective nutrition and susceptibility
to various diseases, the reverse possibility appears more plausible.
5. Nutrition.—Our observations on this factor in its relation to Johne's
disease have been prompted by those of workers in the United Kingdom where
the incidence of this disease is found correlated with the practice of injudicious
and harmful methods of general farming and animal husbandry [ Spicer,
1932 ] leading to land exhaustion and mineral depletion of the animal's system.
The rôle of calcium and other essential mineral deficiency in diet in the spread
and the progress of Johne's disease cannot be overlooked in view of Spicer's
observations on a number of farms in England in which the incidence of this
disease was markedly reduced by liberal administration of bone-flour to the
animals and treatment of the pastures with lime.
The effects of a well-balanced ration on the incidence of Johne's disease
have been determined under laboratory conditions at Mukteswar [ 1934 ]
where animals included in the experiment were divided into two groups,
viz. the mineral-fed and the non-mineral-fed groups, and exposed to infection
with the bacilli of Johne's disease. After a lapse of a few years, cases of the
disease amongst the non-mineral-fed group continued to appear, whereas
the contrary was the case amongst animals in the mineral-fed group.
In a certain herd in the north of Scotland where during one spring 15
animals died of Johne's disease, its presence was associated [ Dryerre, 1934 ]
with the deficiency of iron in the animals' system. In the affected animals
the blood was found 30 to 60 per cent hæmoglobin deficient and in the
non-affected ones the deficiency was 10 to 20 per cent. Since hæmoglobin
deficiency was found in all the animals of the herd, a proper course of treat-
ment with iron oxide had brought about considerable improvement in general
condition of the animals.
On account of rank and coarse types of grasses and the practice of stall-
feeding not being popular with the people, the cattle of this province have
to maintain life in a low nutritional environment which acts as a limiting factor
for their growth, productivity, and normal resistance to infectious diseases.
The effects of general nutritional deficiency on the development of Johne's
disease have been observed in some of the Government farm bulls issued to
certain villages (as shown in Table VII) and amongst the indigenous stock kept
in association with the farm animals. These Government bulls had already
acquired infection before issue to villages, but since under farm conditions
they were kept on nutritious diet supplemented with a liberal daily allowance
of Churn Brand Complete Mineral Feeding Flour, their good bodily condition
had given no indication that they were infected. After about four to six
months of stay under village conditions where diet consisted mainly of grass
obtained by grazing and broken rice supplied during certain part of the year,
these animals showed a gradual loss of condition with all attendant symptoms
of Johne's disease. Natural death was reported in eight such animals, and a
good number of them on appearance of symptoms were brought back to the
Government farms to which they originally belonged.
At two private farms where the incidence of the disease amongst the
indigenous stock exposed to infection from the farm animals was observed
to be high (as shown in Table VII), defective nutrition, either due to parasitic