M.
MAQSOOD
215
26 days. Most of the depressed areas on the
skin gradually disappeared.
COURSE OF THE DISEASE
In uncomplicated cases it seems that animals
usually recover within three to four weeks. In
some cases there have been observed secondary
complications such as mastitis, stenosis of the
milk ducts and formation of indolent ulcers on
the teats etc. and these of course prolong the
course of the disease.
DIAGNOSIS
The occurrence of eruptions on the teats,
udder and other parts of the integument, the
fact that they passed through the various classi-
cal stages of pox, viz. papule, vesicle, pustule
and scab, as well as the evidence mentioned in
the next section concerning the origin of the
infection, may be regarded as giving a clear
diagnosis. That being so, no experimental in-
oculations on a calf or rabbit were judged to be
necessary. A detailed work especially on the
characters of the virus is being carried out at
this institute.
EPIZOOTIOLOGY
In India it is probably exceptional for em-
ployees who are engaged part-time for milking
privately-owned animals to wash their hands
before milking each animal. Hence transmission
of any disease, such as pox, is easy. In an ordi-
nary outbreak of cow-pox the most common
source of infection is the importation of new
cows, either carrying lesions or in the incuba-
tion stage. Blaxall [1930] states that a number
of cow-pox outbreaks have occurred after recent
vaccination of a milker or attendant who
obviously acted as the source of the disease.
On the other hand, a common experience has
been that the source of outbreaks is not discover-
able Ceely [1840] who investigated numerous
outbreaks of cow-pox could not determine the
origin of infection and concluded that the out-
breaks were spontaneous.
The following facts were ascertained regard-
ing the cases under discussion. Cases Nos. 1,
2 and 3 were tethered side by side during the
day under a large shady tree and there was no
other cattle in the vicinity. The owner of case
No. 2 stated that his children and the servant
who looked after the buffalo had been vaccinat-
ed against small-pox on 24 April, 1943, i.e. four
days before lesions were noticed on the animal.
The owner of the case No. 1 had employed a
part-time milker, who had also milked buffalo
No. 2 which at the time was suffering from
generalised cow-pox. The infection in No. 1 is
thus readily explained. Case No. 3 evidently
contracted vaccinia by direct contact from the
diseased buffaloes. At the time of occurrence
of cases Nos. 4 and 5 there was an outbreak of
small-pox at Lahore and in consequence num-
bers of human beings were being vaccinated.
The milker who used to milk these two buffaloes
had a son who died of small-pox on 15th April,
1944. The milker himself
developed a few
pustules rather smaller than a split pea on the
dorsal surface of the hands between the thumb
and the fore-finger and about the wrists. These
dried up forming scabs which were removed by
him after about 10 days. The source of infec-
tion in these two buffaloes is thus also clear.
Finally it may be mentioned that other buffaloes
were examined in the same locality but none of
them was found to be suffering from vaccinia.
SUMMARY
1. Five cases of generalized vaccinia in milch
buffaloes are recorded, with eruptions develop-
ing practically all over the body surface.
2. The general symptoms were more severe
and prolonged than those of classical cow-pox,
in which the symptoms are benign and the
lesions localised.
3. All the cases occurred at a time when num-
bers of people were being vaccinated against
small-pox and at a time when this disease was
prevalent The source of infection in the
animals could thus be readily explained.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Valuable suggestions were received from Dr F.
C. Minett. D.Sc., M.R.C.V.S., I.V.S., Director.
Imperial Veterinary Research Institute. Muk-
teswar. and Prof. B. N. Handa. B.Sc.,
M.R.C.V.S., Professor of Pathology and Bac-
teriology Punjab Veterinary College. Lahore.
To Dr Minett, I am indebted for revising the
paper.
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