102
Tuberculosis in Buffaloes
therefore, undertaken to provide such data.
Since the data obtained from one province alone
might not be applicable to the whole of India,
the investigation was centred at three widely
separated places, viz., Izatnagar (U. P.),
Bombay City and Calcutta and included the
examination of buffaloes from both rural and
urban areas. In all, 500 buffaloes were
examined, viz., 250 at Izatnagar in 1940, 120
at Kurla in Bombay City in 1941, and 130
buffaloes at Calcutta in 1942. The animals pre-
sented for slaughter at these places had no
doubt been brought up under different living
conditions and were thus to some extent repre-
sentative of both town and village animals.
TECHNIQUE
Material from an abattoir near Izatnagar was
brought to the laboratory and examined by
culture and animal inoculation; at Bombay
and Culcutta material was straightaway inocula-
ted into guineapigs which were subsequently
examined at the Institute. Since primary cul-
tures from tuberculous lesions were not obtain-
ed on Dorset egg medium in the first attempts
at Izatnagar, the original material was in all
further cases inoculated into guineapigs from
which cultures on Dorset egg were successfully
raised.
INCIDENCE OF INFECTION
At Izatnagar abattoir, about 30 to 40 buffaloes
are slaughtered daily, the animals being brought
from villages within a 50 mile radius. Buffaloes
of both sexes, usually 6-10 years, are slaughter-
ed and are mostly in good condition. The post-
mortem examination was necessarily confined
to the lungs and to the thoracic, pharyngeal, sub-
maxillary and mesenteric glands.
In Bombay, about 20 female buffaloes are
slaughtered daily. These animals are in good
condition and are disposed of by city dairies
when dry or nearly so. The unfavourable condi-
tions of maintenance render them more liable
to tuberculosis. In Calcutta the buffaloes
slaughtered are in fairly good condition and they
are probably of mixed rural and urban origin.
The incidence of the disease among the
animals examined was as follows:
Izatnagar . . .
Kurla . . .
Calcutta . . .
Number
250
120
130
Tuberculous
6
16
3
Percentage
2.4
13.3
2.3
In stall-fed buffaloes of Bombay City, the inci-
dence was high compared with that of pasture-
fed animals bred in the rural districts around
Izatnagar. This percentage does not, perhaps,
represent the average incidence of tuberculosis
in buffaloes in India, as many of these animals
may have been sent for slaughter because they
were obviously diseased,
and disposal by
slaughter proved a convenient means of removal.
Table 1 shows the age, sex, and details of
infection of the 25 tuberculous buffaloes:
TABLE I
Num-
ber
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Place
Izatnagar
...
...
...
...
...
Bombay .
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Calcutta .
...
...
Sex
F.
M.
F.
F.
M.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
F.
Age
(years)
8
8
6
10
8
6
9
7
5
8
6
8
7
8
10
10
8
8
9
7
6
10
7
8
10
Site of lesions
Broil. Calcified
Post. Med
Bron. Calcified
Bron. Calcified tubercles
Post. Med. tubereules
Ante.-Med. Calcified tuber-
cles
Med. & Bron
Bron., caseating tubercles
Post. Med. & Rt. lung,
numerous tubercles
Bron. & Post. Med.,
calcified tubercles
Rt. Bron. & Rt. lung, nume-
rous caseating tubercles
Post. Med. & Rt. Bron.,
calcified tubercles
All thoracic glands & both
lungs
Lt. Bron. calcified
Lt. Bron. calcified
Post. Med.
All thoracic glands & Rt.
main lobe lung
Lt. Bron. Caseating tuber-
cles
Post. Med. gland., calciified
tubercles
Lt. Bron., calcified tubercles
Lt. Bron., calcified tubercles
All thoracic glands. Lungs
free. Calcified tubercles
All thoracic glands and left
lung., caseating tubercles
Both Bron., Calcified tuber-
cles
Lt. Bron., Calcified tubercles
Bron. = bronchial glands
Med. = mediastinal
As may be seen, lesions were confined to the
thoracic cavity either in the glands alone or in
the lung tissue, suggesting that the method of
infection is by the respiratory tract. The only
record in this country of infection arising by any
other route is that of Naik where infection was