60
Some New Records of Nematode Worms from Indian Ruminants
clear acid layer was pipetted in a silica basin, acid
evaporated and the residue ashed in a muffle fur-
nace at low red heat. After cooling, 1 ml. of
Fortini's reagent was put over the ash and the
development of colour noted. The silica dish was
covered and left for 24 hours to note any develop-
ment of the characteristic pink colour.
Fortini's reagent as used in the above tests was
made by adding an equal volume of liquor ammonia
to a saturated solution of dimethylglyoxine in
absolute alcohol.
All the samples of vanaspati tested by this
method gave a negative result for nickel.
BELLIER-KRIES TEST
This test was carried out with fat samples of
different origins to see if there was a clear demarca-
tion between ghee and other fats.
The test was carried out by shaking 5 ml. of the
liquid fat with 5 ml. of concentrated, colourless,
nitric acid (sp. gr. 1.4) and 5 ml. of a 0.1 per cent
solution of phloroglucinol in ether. The mixture
was shaken and allowed to separate in two layers.
Results for ghee and vanaspati samples are given
in Table I.
These results show that there is no sharp de.
marcation between the colour shown by ghee and
vanaspati. Hence, the possibility of devising a
test for differentiating between vanaspati and ghee
on the basis of the Bellier-Kries reaction seems
very remote.
CONCLUSIONS
The ' Tile' test, Dimethylglyoxine test for
nickel and Bellier-Kries reaction do not make a
sharp differentiation between ghee and vanaspati.
Hence, they cannot be employed for detecting
adulteration in ghee.
REFERENCE
Atack, F. W. (1913). Analyst 38, 316
SOME NEW RECORDS OF NEMATODE WORMS FROM INDIAN RUMINANTS
By M. M. SARWAR, L.V.P., Research Assistant, Imperial Veterinary Research Institute
Izatnagar
(Received for publication, on 28 June 1943)
THE worms under record were collected on
post mortem from a four-months-old local dairy
calf of Hriana breed, a one-year old buffalo calf
recently purchased from a village in the Bareilly
district and a sheep that died naturally at Izat-
nagar. The dairy calf harboured more than
5,000 worms of the species, Mecistocirrus digitatus,
Cooperia punctata and Cooperia pectinata. Mecis-
tocirrus digitatus is by far the most common worm
infesting cattle in India and is considered to be
responsible for parasitic gastritis in calves.
Sheather [1919] described what was evidently this
species and considered it responsible for deaths
among calves in a dairy herd. The calf under
consideration had been dosed thrice with copper
sulphate and iron sulphate during its illness which
lasted about a month. The worms when fresh
were dark-brown in colour, and under the micros-
cope their intestines were found tinged greenish-
blue, the worms on the whole presenting an un-
usual appearance. This was probably due to the
drugs administered to the calf.
Cooperia pectinata and Cooperia punctata were
reported for the first time by Rao [1940] from
south India. Bhalerao [1942] reported them from
a hill-bull at Mukteswar. The present findings
are recorded from plains cattle in northern India.
The high infestation in the locally-bred calf and
the presence of C. punctata in the buffalo calf,
from the same district suggest the possibility
of considerable infestations of cattle with these
worms.
C. punctata, Paracooperia nodulosa, Bunosto-
mum phlebotomum and a Capillaria sp. were
obtained from the buffalo calf, and none of them
has previously been recorded from buffaloes.
Oesophagostomum indicum was collected from the
sheep referred to above.
Paracooperia nodulosa [Schwartz 1929]
Schwartz [1929] described a parasite from the
intestines of a carabao (Bubalus bubalis) which
he called Cooperia nodulosa. The material was
sent to him from the Philippines by Dr Gomez with
the information that the animal was extremely
emaciated and had died of inanition. On post
mortem, the small intestines were found to con-
tain nodules throughout its length and the teased
preparations revealed round worms.