NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31 ST MARCH, 1931.
17
bulls used in the potency tests of anti-Rinderpest serum at Muktesar
is only 262 lbs. it means that these potency tests err on the side of
being too severe a test of the serum.
During the past year work has been taken up to put this theory
into practice in the testing of anti-Rinderpest serum, and it is hoped
that the results obtained will be available for publication in due
course.
II.—FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE.
(1) Viability of stored guinea pig virus.—In the Annual Report of
this Institute for the year ending 31st March 1929, a reference was
included to certain work done upon the maintenance of foot and mouth
disease virus in guinea pigs. This work was not proceeded with, but
Mr. Menon tested the virulence of a number of samples of the virus that
had been stored in a refrigerator for long periods, and it was found
that samples 425 days old had still retained their virulence, but that
all older samples were inert.
(2) Drug treatment.—During the year three outbreaks of foot and
mouth disease occurred from natural sources of infection among healthy
cattle maintained in the Institute Outkraals, and 19 hill bulls died from
the disease. In two of the outbreaks the opportunity was taken to carry
out further trials upon the use of Iodine given intravenously which was
reported on favourably by Walker and Taylor in the Punjab in 1926.
In these outbreaks the plan of the experiment was arranged so as
to give the fullest possible advantage to the drug treatment, but,
as previously reported in the Annual Report of this Institute for the
year ending 31st March 1927, no beneficial effects could be demons-
trated, either in preventing the appearance of lesions or of cutting
short the period required for healing. It is possible that the "strain"
of the virus in the Kumaon Hills may be different from that which
occurs in the Punjab, since it has been reported that the work of
Walker and Taylor has been confirmed by workers elsewhere.
III.—ANTHRAX.
Arsenic in treatment.—Mr. W. Harris, Superintendent, Civil
Veterinary Department, Assam, asked us to carry out an experiment
in the treatment of anthrax in cattle by injecting white arsenic intra-
venously at the stage of high fever, since the application of this treat-
ment in the field had given remarkably beneficial results in saving the
lives of affected animals. A preliminary test confirmed his statement,
and it is proposed to continue the work upon a larger scale.
IV.—BLACKQUARTER.
(1) Research.—As reported in last year's report research work is
urgently required to elucidate a number of problems relating to
anaerobic infections of cattle, but again, owing to the lack of a whole-
time bacteriologist, trained in this particular branch of the work, it was
not possible to undertake any new work in this connection. A collec-
tion of field strains of virus, consisting of strips of dried muscle taken
from animals dead of the disease, has been made since the year 1922
18
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST. OF VETY. RESEARCH,
These samples were examined and put in order during the year under
report and after discarding useless specimens, the collection now
consists of 55 samples. Since this material has been collected from a
large number of different districts all over India it forms an extremely
valuable basis upon which to start research work.
V.—HAEMORRHAGIC
SEPTICAEMIA.
During the year under review, a report was received from the
Director, Civil Veterinary Department, Bengal, that, in spite of
repeated inoculations, using both vaccine and serum obtained from
this Institute, deaths, which were ascribed to Haemorrhagic Septi-
caemia, were occuring and increasing yearly to a somewhat alarming
extent at the Rangpur Cattle Farm in Bengal. As a result of
an investigation carried out by me on this farm in December 1930, it
was concluded that, although Haemorrhagic Septicaemia is undoubted-
ly present upon the farm, it is almost certainly not the whole, if even
the main, cause of the mortality. Principally, local environment plays
a large part, for the extreme dampness of the pastures facilitates the
propagation of a number of disease conditions, including, and of first
importance, worm infestation. It is believed that if a number of
suggestions made are put into force, concerning accuracy in diagnosis
and better arrangements for the control of disease conditions other
than Haemorrhagic Septicaemia, it will be found that the mortality at
the farm can very largely be overcome.
VI.—PNEUMONIA.
A reference to studies made upon pneumonia in animals has been
included in the Annual Report of this Institute for the past two years.
During the year under report the mortality in "healthy" experimental
animals from all causes again shows an appreciable reduction as indica-
ted below: —
Hill bulls. • •
Goats
•
•
•
1930-31.
Purchased 1,596 ; died
66 or 4.1%
Purchased 503 ; died
48 or 9.5%
1929-30.
Purchased 2,033 ; died
100 or 4.9%
Purchased 666 ; died
121 or 18.1%
Pneumonia was found as the primary cause of death, or as a com-
plicating disease condition, in as many as 495 out of 2,078 animals
submitted to routine post-mortem examination during the year at Muk¬
tesar, or in nearly 24% of all animals examined. A bacteriological
study is being continued by Mr. Mobbs, particularly upon certain
strains of Pasteurella organisms isolated by him, with reference to the
recent work of Tweed and Edington (Jl. Comp. Path. & Therap.,
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1931.
19
1930). It is of interest to record that in two calves under two months
old, which died recently after 24 hours illness in the dairy herd at
Muktersar, the organisms responsible for pneumonia causing death
was found in each case to be a diphtheroid organism Bacillus pyogenes.
VIII.—JOHNE'S DISEASE.
(1) Establishment of an Infected Herd.—It was possible during
the year to give effect to a plan which was conceived some years ago,
of establishing a Johne's Disease Herd at Muktesar and a special chuppar
was erected for the purpose in a suitably isolated situation on the Estate.
The herd was started with a batch of animals sent to us, after diagnosis
had been made by means of the Double Intradermal Avian Tuberculin
test, from a dairy herd in Bihar, to which were added a cow and a calf
remaining from another lot of animals obtained in the same way in the
previous year. A further addition was made of three calves already at
Muktesar, which were detected to be suffering from Johne's disease.
The herd, therefore, consisted at the outset of ten country-bred cows
and five calves, and six calves were born from infected dams during the
year. An infected bull has not yet been obtained, but a healthy one
has been allowed to run with the cows in the meantime.
Two of the calves were injected subcutaneously with a vaccine con-
sisting of living culture of the bacillus of Johne's disease within a few
hours of birth, and four have been left unvaccinated as controls.
It is expected that many observations of interest will become avail-
able from time to time from work carried out in connection with this
herd, but final results, particularly as regards vaccination, cannot be
expected until after the lapse of a number of years.
(2) Diagnosis.—
(a) A considerable amount of work was again carried out upon
diagnostic agents employed for this disease. A sample of a
Johnine made from the Johne bacillus was received from
England for test, and a Johnine was made at Muktesar by
Mr. Mobbs, using a strain of the Johne bacillus obtained
from England and sent to us for trial. Comparative tests
with the product issued from this Institute, namely Avian
Tuberculin, for the diagnosis of Johne's disease again failed
to show that the two samples of Johnine were superior in
any way to the Muktesar product.
(b) A number of careful examinations upon living animals for the
detection of Johne bacillii per rectum were carried out by
Mr. Srinivasan, and it was concluded that when organisms
are present in the lower bowel then diagnosis is most easily
made by the use of the direct rectal smear method of exami-
nation. On the other hand, where a nagative result is
20
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST. OF VETY. RESEARCH,
obtained by this method, a positive one can in a large pro-
portion of cases still be obtained by the use of a "bowel-
washing" method of examination that has been described
by Krishnamurti, working in Madras.
(c) Further evidence of the hitherto unsuspected wide distribution
of Johne's disease in dairy herds in India, which has
already been referred to in early reports from this Institute,
was obtained during the year, by the detection of its pre-
sence in four more herds where examinations were made.
(3) Relationship between the bacillus of Johne's disease and the
Avian Tubercle bacillus.—An attempt was made to conduct another
large-scale experiment for ascertaining the vaccinating relationship
between the bacillus of Johne's disease and the Avian type of tubercle
bacillus in continuation of the work, which has been reported upon in
previous Annual Reports from this Institute. In this experiment the
plan was to vaccinate cattle by means of large doses of living culture of
Johne's disease bacillus subcutaneously, in accordance with the work
of Vallee and Rinjard (1926), and not intravenously as was
done in the previous experiment. The test of immunity was again to
consist of an injection of the " Muktesar " strain of the avian tubercle
bacillus, which has hitherto proved to be highly virulent for cattle, but
unfortunately, this strain has lost virulence to such an extent that even
massive doses of it given intravenously failed to result in the death of
healthy control cattle. The experiments have accordingly had to be
abandoned for the present.
A new strain of the Avian type of the tubercle bacillus has recently
been isolated in culture by Mr. Menon from a natural case of the
disease in a fowl. Tests upon the virulence of this organism were about
to be taken in hand at the close of the year.
(4) Susceptibility of small animals.—In last year's report it was
stated that the bacillus of Johne's disease had been recovered from
rabbits injected with culture, although similar experiments in guinea
pigs had failed. In 1928 the organism was recovered from two such
rabbits, but a number of further attempts made during the past year,
using both guinea pigs and rabbits, have definitely failed and the work
has therefore been stopped.
VIII.—BOVINE PIROPLASMOSIS.
(1) Theileriasis in Imported Cattle.—The study referred to in the
last two Annual Reports issued from this Institute upon Holstein bulls
imported into India by the Army Department was continued during the
year. Our observations, however, have been confined to a study of
records, which we were able to obtain from the authorities concerned,
and examination of the blood smears sent to us by them.
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1931.
21
Of the batch of bulls imported in 1929 our records to date indicate
the following position in continuation of the table published in last
year's report :-
Acute heileriasis affection.
South African bulls ..
Dutch bulls
....
Affected.
Died.
2
0
Recovered.
5
3
Doubtfully
affected.
2
1
Not
affected.
3*
2
* NOTE :—One bull died of Rinderpest.
In the course of further attempts to discover a specific drug treat-
ment for this disease, the use of the preparation Plasmoquine was
recommended to the Military authorities, after safety tests had been
carried out at this Institute. Although it has not been proved to exert
a directly specific action upon the parasite, Theileria mutans, in ex-
periments conducted at Muktesar in chronic affections, yet when used
in the acute form of the disease in the bulls referred to above it appears
to have had a distinctly beneficial action in reducing the fever.
A new batch of nine Holstein bulls were imported from Holland
during the year. They arrived at Bombay in November 1930 and
were this time detained at Kirkee. Serum-simultaneous anti-rinderpest
inoculations were successfully carried out upon them shortly after
arrival without any complications resulting, and they remained at this
farm for a further period for observation before distribution to other
farms in India. During the period of observation at Kirkee compara-
tively mild attacks of fever occurred in nearly if not all of them. In
most cases the fever could be attributable to Theileriasis and treatment
with Plasmoquine assisted apparently in effecting a return to the
normal. It is of considerable interest to note, however, that several
of the bulls of this consignment also definitely became affected with
the other common form of Bovine piroplasmosis, or Tropical Redwater,
due to Babesia bigemina. The interest lies in the fact that previous
batches have consisted of animals imported from South Africa, where
not only is this form of the disease indigenous, but the bulls had also
been immunised in South Africa against the parasite before export. In
only about one case has a South African bull, so far as our records
show, been definitely affected after arrival in India by this form of the
disease, whereas practically all have suffered from Theileriasis. Since
piroplasmosis is not a disease present in either form in Holland and the
Dutch bulls of the last batch have shown affection with both forms of
22
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST. OF VETY. RESEARCH,
the disease after arrival in India, it appears that further evidence is
accumulating to indicate that, although Babesia bigemina of Africa
and India are probably identical, the forms of Theileriasis in the two
countries are different, as no immunity is set up by the African parasite
T. mutans, to the Indian form of Theileriasis.
(2) Drug treatment—
(a) In addition to the use of Plasmoquine in acute Bovine Theiler-
iasis reported above, two " Bayer " preparations, namely,
Asuntol and Trypaflavine, have been tried for this condition
during the year, but it was not possible to demonstrate
that either of these drugs had any specific action upon the
parasite.
(b) The drug Trypaflavine on the other hand was shown to have
an immediate and undoubtedly specific curative action in
preliminary trials in Tropical Redwater due to Babesia
bigemina, and it appeared in our hands to be a distinctly
superior drug to Trypanblue for the treatment of this
disease. As, however, evidence of its toxicity for cattle
was also obtained, further work in this connection is being
undertaken.
(3) Acute Theileriasis at Muktesar.—The first published record of
the occurrence of this disease in India is that contained in the combined
Annual Report of this Institute for the year ending 31st March 1924.
It is a surprising fact that during each of the years 1922 and 1923 a
number of cases of Acute Theileriasis were detected post mortem in
hill bulls at Muktesar, yet, in spite of careful routine examination
having been continued, not a single further case has been detected
since 1923 until October 1930 ; a period of seven years. In that
month a case, exactly resembling those which occurred previously, was
detected by Mr. Krishna Iyer in a hill bull dying in the course of
routine work 17 days after receiving an injection of Rinderpest goat
virus. Sub-inoculations of blood and organ emulsions were made into
a number of healthy hill bulls, but up to the present time the acute
form of the disease has not been exhibited by them. In view, however,
of the work of Brumpt (1923) in France using a strain of Theileria
brought over from Northern Africa, it has been decided to keep these
bulls under observation for considerable time.
(4) Tick transmission.—Although it has not yet been possible to,
take up research work into this most interesting and important subject
owing to the lack of a trained Veterinary Protozoologist, an observa-
tion of some interest in this connection is worthy of record. During
the course of a visit to the Military Dairy Farm at Jubbulpore in 1930
I was shown two imported Holstein bulls, which had been upon that
farm for a comparatively long period of time and neither bad, as far
as was known, been affected with Theileriasis, whereas it was known
that two other imported bulls had died of the acute form of this disease
after a short sojourn at a similar farm at Mhow.
A collection of ticks made from a number of animals upon the
Jubbulpore farm showed that every one of them was Boophilus australis,
24
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST OF VETY. RESEARCH,
at present at Muktesar under observation. It is intended to try the
less irritant compounds of antimony as prepared by the Bayer Company,
and used with success in the treatment of Kala Azar of the human
subject, and a supply of two products Antimosan and Neostibosan, has
been kindly placed at our disposal by this firm for this purpose. Work
has already been taken in hand and the preliminary indications are that
the curative dose of these drugs is likely to be so large as to exclude
their use in veterinary practice on account of the high cost.
According to the work of Krishnamurti, and his conclusion is
arrived at largely from a histological study, the disease is caused by a
streptothrix, and this finding has been confirmed during the past year
by Mr. Rajagopalan, who has recovered repeatedly streptothrix organ-
isms from each of the six affected animals. Other organisms grown
commonly consist of diphtheroids, staphylococci, bacillii of the B.
subtilis group, and a few yeast-like organisms. Since the disease is
definitely amenable to treatment with tartar emetic, and this drug is of
great value also in the treatment of some protozoan affections, such as
Kala Azar and Surra, it is reasonable to suppose that bovine nasal
granuloma may be due in reality to a protozoan organism. In 1927
Krishnamurti detected cases of nasal granuloma in cattle which
were definitely due to Rhinosporidium, regarded by some as a member
of the Protozoa, and certain facts have recently been collected by us
indicating that it may yet be possible to correlate all the lesions found
in cattle, including those at present believed to be due to streptothrix
organisms, with Rhinosporidia as their cause.
X.—BOVINE ENDEMIC HAEMATURIA.
(1) Observations at Muktesar.—Mr. Datta took over investigation of
this disease at Muktesar after the departure of Mr. Malkani, and a total
number of twelve naturally affected cases in hill bulls were available for
study during the year. From detailed post-mortem and histological
examinations it appears clear that the original lesion occurs in the
bladder, but the cause of it still remains undetermined. An interesting
theory has been put forward by Mr. Datta concerning the causation,
developed from a careful study of the available information in published
literature, and work is in progress with a view to obtaining confirma-
tion of this.
(2) Occurrence at Wellington.—The existence of this disease among
cattle at the Imperial Agricultural Dairy Farm at Wellington in the
Nilgiri Hills of South India was brought to our notice by the Imperial
Dairy Expert during the year. Mr. Menon visited the farm and col-
lected interesting material for study.
XI.—OTHER BOVINE DISEASES.
(1) Bacterial diseases.
(a) Abortion.—Work was continued by Mr. Naik as in previous
years, consisting of the carrying out of agglutination tests and the
collection of statistics. In addition an attempt was made to study the
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1931. 25
relationship between sterility in cows and organisms of the Brucella
group, but no definite results are available for publication at the present
time. An incidental finding of some interest was the isolation in culture
by Mr. Naik of an organism almost identical with B. viscosum equi
from uterine washings of a sterile cow.
(b) Streptococcic mastitis.—A case of suppurative mastitis in a cow
belonging to the Muktesar Dairy Herd was examined bacteriologically
by Mr. Naik, who isolated in culture Streptococcus mastiditis. He pre-
pared an autogenous vaccine from the organism, but repeated injections
of the vaccine failed to have any beneficial effects upon the diseased
udder.
(2) Protozoan infections.
(a) Surra.—Two buffaloes were infected artificially with T. evansi in
the course of routine work, and it was decided to treat one of them with
the drug Bayer 205 given intravenously, and to leave the other untreat-
ed. Trypanosomes disappeared from the circulation of the treated
animal at once, and in a short time also in the untreated animal. The
buffaloes have been under observation for over a year, and whereas the
treated animal appears definitely to have been cured, and has gained
regularly in body weight and condition, the untreated buffalo has re-
lapsed on three occasions during the period, and remains in relatively
much poorer condition with a definitely fluctuating body weight.
The importance of obtaining definite information concerning the
practicability of curing bovine Surra with certainty has recently been
raised in connection with the export of cattle from India to countries
that are free from this disease, and it is intended to continue this work
upon a larger scale.
(b) Intestinal flagellates.—Mr. Krishna Iyer isolated a new species
of Embadomonas from the faeces of cattle at Muktesar. The material
was forwarded to Lt. Colonel R. Knowles, I.M.S., at the Calcutta
School of Tropical Medicine, and has since formed the subject of a paper
published by him in the Indian Journal of Medical Research.
(3) Parasitic infections.
(a) Parasitic gastritis.—In addition to continued work upon the
disease at Muktesar, referred to in last year's report, the existence of
serious disease among cattle elsewhere in India due to Mecistocirrus
digitatus has been brought to our notice during the year. Preliminary
work has been carried out by Mr. Bhalerao on the life history of the
parasite which has formed the subject of a note submitted by him to the
Indian Science Congress, Nagpur, 1931.
(b) Warble Fly Pest.—In continuation of the work done last year
by Messrs. Malkani and Sen, Mr. Sen carried out a systematic survey
to determine approximately the percentage of warbled cattle at Muktesar.
Between 7th January and 26th February 1931 a total of about 400 hill
bulls were examined and out of these about 40 or 10 per cent. were