NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1933.
25
(c) A number of tests were carried out with tuberculins made from
human and avian strains for the detection of Tuberculosis and Johne's
disease in the Muktesar Dairy Herd. One case of Johne's disease was
detected during the year.
IX.—EQUINE CONTAGIOUS ABORTION.
Vaccination of the stud owned by Colonel E. H. Cole has been
continued. The abortions in the current year were markedly reduced,
but there is no evidence to show to what extent, if any, this reduction
was due to vaccination. In two cases a salmonella resembling B.
abortus Equi was recovered, but in each case some cultural or serological
differences were noted between these strains and the types maintained
at the Institute, and it also appeared from the history of these two
animals that they had been vaccinated while heavily infected, the
administration of the vaccine precipitating the abortion.
Requests have been received for an extension of the work com-
menced at Coleyana to four other studs. Investigation in three of
these studs did not indicate that contagious equine abortion was respon-
sible for the losses. The abortions occurred in mares recently imported
from Australia or America and it is considered that dietetic or climatic
changes are responsible. In the fourth stud evidence of fairly wide-
spread infection with B. abortus Equi was obtained and vaccination of
part of this stud is being undertaken.
X.—GLANDERS.
The usual routine tests of mallein were carried out as occasion
required with satisfactory results.
It was noted that in several of the older infected test ponies the
reactions especially with the intradermal-palpebral test gradually tended
to become less until the reactions could only be regarded as suspicious.
The injection of a second dose of mallein at either 24 or 48 hours
induced a very marked positive reaction in these ponies although
controls treated in the same manner remained unaffected. A repetition
of this test upon the same ponies about two months later gave similar
results, although in this case the reactions were not so marked as in the
first instance. An opportunity to test the method upon doubtful or
suspicious reactors in the field is awaited.
XI.—SALMONELLA INFECTION IN CHICKS.
Some chicks hatched in the incubator from eggs supplied from a
neighbouring village died in one to seventeen days after hatching, and
an organism culturally similar to Salmonella anatum was recovered in
pure culture in nearly every case. It appears possible that the " Keel"
disease reported to occur in ducklings in America and Great Britain
may occur in chicks in India.
XII.—AVIAN DISTEMPER.
Since the above name was suggested two years ago for the poultry
disease usually referred to in this country as Ranikhet disease, as a
means of avoiding future confusion in published work on this disease,
26
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST. OF VETY. RESEARCH,
a further suggestion has been received that the most suitable name for
this condition would be Doyle's disease, and the matter still awaits a
decision.
Research on this disease has been directed to the preparation of a
vaccine. Formalinised tissues prepared in a manner similar to those
used for rinderpest in cattle have been tried, but the results were not
satisfactory. Tissues rapidly dried at 0°C. in vacuo were also tried
and although the first batch of vaccine appeared to be satisfactory these
results could not be repeated.
XIII.—ANIMAL NUTRITION.
Most of the work on this subject was done in connection with
" blindness in calves ".
The feeding experiment carried out in the Muktesar Dairy Herd,
which was reported last year, was continued but the results are not
yet available.
XIV.—MISCELLANEOUS.
1. General.—In addition to the items detailed above a large amount
of routine work was carried out in both the bacteriological and bioche-
mical laboratories in testing and standardising the products issued from
the laboratory and in the examination of specimens received for diag-
nosis or opinion. One hundred and two samples of rinderpest serum
were tested during the year. Of these 52 were routine tests of sera for
issue to the field, 46 were experimental samples, and 4 were received
from outside sources.
2. Routine Bacteriology :—
(a) Maintenance of over 200 stock cultures.
(b) Special vaccines supplied for issue :—
Equine abortion
....
Mixed Anti-streptococcic
....
Autogenous vaccines
....
Bovine lymphangitis vaccine
.
(c) Other examinations : —
Agglutination tests
Rinderpest virus sterility tests
Sera and vaccines (Bacterial counts) .
.
Water (Bacterial counts)
....
Milk
„
„
Smears from outside sources
.
.
8. Routine Biochemistry :—
pH adjustments of media
....
pH estimations of sera
....
Analysis of bone meal
....
Analysis of pasture .
.
.
.
.
Analysis of Urine
.....
Analysis of water
Partial analysis of blood
....
200 doses.
150 „
495 c.c.
1,600 c.c.
461
157
111
24
12
35
.
. 6
. 78
. 2
. 1
. 7
. 6
. 14
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1933.
27
REPORT OF THE PROTOZOOLOGY SECTION.
(MR. S. K. SEN, B.A., M.Sc., F.E.S., in charge.)
PROTOZOOLOGY.
I.— TRYPANOSOMIASIS,
(1) Equine Surra.—Mention was made in last year's Report of
the successful treatment of eight artificial cases of equine surra with
" Bayer 205", six of these having each received a single injection of
the drug intravenously and the other two having been treated by the
combined intravenous-intrathecal method. Two of these eight ani-
mals one treated by the simple intravenous injection and the other by
the combined method) have since died of causes other than surra and.
the remaining six have been under post-treatment observation for a
period of about 18 months, without any symptoms of relapse. The
animals have also been periodically tested for the presence of parasites
in the spinal fluid by the subinoculation of this material into small
animals and the results have been consistently negative.
An opportunity also occurred to test the efficacy of the simple
intravenous method of treatment upon a natural case of surra which
occurred during the year in one of the station transport ponies. It
received a single intravenous injection of 5 grammes of " Bayer 205 ''
and this was followed by a speedy sterilization of the blood and a
complete recovery from the clinical symptoms of the disease, although
in order to re-inforce the curative effects of the treatment, it was given
a second injection of the drug after an interval of 30 days. The
animal has been under post-treatment observation for a period of about
6 months, without any symptoms of relapse.
(2) Bovine Surra.— Reference was made in last year's Report to a
proposed investigation concerning the practicability of curing bovine
surra with certainty, so as to make these animals fit for export to
countries where the disease is not known to exist. This work has since
been taken in hand and a total of 12 animals comprising 6 bulls and
6 buffaloes have been placed under experimentation in this connection,
all these animals being housed in specially constructed fly proof stables.
The animals were all artificially infected with a virulent strain of
Trypanosoma evansi and a pr portion of them treated intravenously
with a single dose of " Bayer 205 " at the rate of 5 grammes per
1,000 lb. body-weight about 6 to 10 days after infection, and the rest
left untreated as controls. None of the treated animals showed
evidence of infection during a post-treatment observation period of
about 10½ months; whilst of the untreated animals, two proved positive
for surra when the infectivity of their blood was tested upon rabbits,
at the end of 3 months from the date of infection, but were found
negative when tested on later dates. It is proposed to continue these
observations for another two years and to publish in due course a full
report of the results of the investigation.
D
30
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST. OF VETY. RESEARCH,
(d) Drug Treatment.—A fairly large number of drugs—mostly
chosen on account of their known parasiticidal value - have been tested
as to their efficacy for this condition but the results have not been
encouraging, as will be seen from the following figures :—
Serial
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Drug.
Piroblue
......
Todorit
Trypaflavine
Antimosan
Plasmoquine
.....
S.U.P.36
Sulfarsenol
Number of
animals
treated.
5
6
5
6
8
3
9
Number of animals cured.
1 (or 20 per cent.).
2 (or 33.3 per cent.).
2 (or 40 per cent.).
Nil.
1 (or 12.5 per cent.).
Nil.
1 (or 11.1 percent.).
Work has been taken in hand to test the value of the so called
" premunition " against this disease, in view of the highly encouraging
results reported to have been obtained by Sergent and his collaborators
(1931) against T. dispar infection in North Africa by the adoption of
this method of prevention.
(e) Natural Immunity.—As has already been stated, about 46 per
cent. of the animals subinoculated with blood derived from acute cases
of theileriasis failed to develop the infection. It would seem hard to
explain this on the assumption that these animals had developed an
immunity against theileriasis as a result of having had previous
attacks of the disease, for such an explanation obviously would not
admit of being reconciled with the fact that, as already mentioned,
in by far the largest number of cases the disease progresses to a fatal
issue. It is noteworthy that, with a few exceptions, all the animals in
this investigation had been previously utilized in rinderpest work, and
whether this fact in any way determined the development of the
theileriasis reaction in these animals is a matter that would seem to
demand attention.
III.—ANAPLASMOSIS.
Some further observations were carried out upon the resuscitation
of anaplasmata by the repeated injections of Trypanblue in "carrier"
animals. Out of the eleven bulls experimented upon, seven developed
varying degrees of the infection after receiving from 5 to 62 grammes
of the drug. Three died of Trypanblue poisoning without showing
the parasites in the blood and in the case of one animal that had
received 11½ grammes of the drug, the infection did not develop at
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1933. 31
all. In this last case, the injections had to be discontinued on account
of falling away in the condition of the animal. It is of interest that
only rare anaplasmata, but frequent Theileria mutans, with the cross-
forms of this parasite, appeared in the blood of one animal that had
received 41 grammes of Trypanblue in 19 injections and these persisted
for three weeks till it died.
An opportunity occurred to observe the effect of drug treatment
upon an acute natural case of anaplasmosis complicated with Redwater
in a bull aged about 2½ years. In the absence of any drug of known
efficacy (except sodium cocodylate of doubtful value) for this condition,
it was decided to subject the animal to a course of treatment with
Sulfarsenol, after the circulation had been cleared of Babesia bigemina
by means of Trypanblue. The animal received a total of 2.26 grammes
of the drug in two injections, but it died in spite of the treatment.
IV.—BUFFALO MALARIA.
In previous years, the parasites of this disease had proved non-ino¬
culable into apparently healthy buffaloes, and a possible explanation for
this seemed to be that the average buffalo at Muktesar was a " carrier "
of the disease. In order to put this hypothesis to test, an attempt was
made to resuscitate the dormant parasites (if any), by massive bleeding,
in the case of two buffaloes that bad recovered from a definite attack of
the disease about one year previously. One of these animals was bled
thrice a week for a period of three weeks, a total of 42 litres of blood
being drawn in 13 bleedings, but the animal died without showing the
parasites in the blood. Death, without the appearance of the parasites,
also occurred in the case of the other animal from which a total of 19
litres of blood had been drawn in 5 bleedings, within the space of 10
days.
The question of the host-speciation and polymorphism in malaria
parasites has recently been brought into prominence as a result of certain
striking observations made by Knowles and Das Gupta (1932) upon
the morphological variation undergone by one and the same species of
monkey Plasmodium when introduced into simian hosts of different
genera and species and in man. An investigation was undertaken to
ascertain how far the observations of these authors would apply in the
case of the parasites of the buffalo malaria (Plasmodium bubalis) when
introduced into animals other than the buffalo. The animals experimen-
ted upon comprised 2 monkeys, 2 fowls, 2 pigeons and 2 sparrows, the
three species of birds being among the usual hosts of Plasmodium praecox
and being therefore suitable subjects in which to study the question as
to whether P. bubalis when introduced into these hosts, would retain
the bubalis type of morphology or would tend to assume the praecox
type of morphology. All the birds, however, died of causes other than
malaria shortly after they had been placed under observation. As to
the monkeys, neither of these developed the infection during a post-
treatment observation period of about 2½ months.
32
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST. OF VETY. RESEARCH,
V.—COCCIDIOSIS.
Six cases of clinical coceidiosis occurred in experimental cattle
during the year under report, but in the absence of a remedy of defini-
tely proved efficacy for this condition, no experimental work upon the
treatment of the disease was undertaken. Quite recently, an article
has appeared in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical
Association wherein very satisfactory results are claimed to have been
obtained in the treatment of this disease from the use of the proprietary
drug "Anzamine", and a quantity of this drug has now been obtained
for trial.
In view of a request from an Army Veterinary officer in India for
permanently mounted specimens of coccidia, Mr. Srinivasan has been
engaged in developing a suitable method of staining and preserving
these parasites, for hitherto the practice has been to examine them in
wet fæcal smears.
VI.—CANINE PIROPLASMOSIS.
It was mentioned in last year's Report that for the first time in the
course of our experience with artificial cases of Piroplasma gibsoni
infection at Muktesar, clinical symptoms characterized by fever were
observed in all the cases that occurred during the latter part of that
year. The occurrence of febrile symptoms as a constant feature of the
disease was also noticed during the year under report, this being
associated with varying degrees of anæmia which usually persisted until
the disappearance of the parasites from the circulation. The total
number of sub-inoculations performed during the year amounted to 14,
and in two of the animals the disease progressed to a fatal issue.
Some trials were carried out to test the efficacy of the proprietary
drug "S. U. P. 36" in the treatment of this condition. Six dogs
artificially infected with the disease were treated by incramuscular
injections of the drug as follows :— (1) 2 dogs were each given 1 c. c.
of the drug simultaneously with the infective inoculation, the injection
of the drug being repeated on the following day; (2) 2 dogs were each
given 1 c. c. of the drug on the day the parasites appeared in the blood
and also on the following day and again after an interval of 6 days,
using this time a dose of 2 c. c.; (3) 2 dogs were treated with repeated
doses of the drug in the advanced stage of the disease, but in none of the
six cases could the disease be prevented from running its normal course.
VII.—MISCELLANEOUS.
(1) Hœmogregarines in Dogs.—These parasites were encountered
by Mr. Srinivasan in four dogs that were being utilized in work upon
P. gibsoni infection. Both intra-and extra-corpuscular parasites were
seen and the extent of infection varied from 1 to 6 per field. No
cultural work with these parasites could be undertaken, but a search was
made for their developmental forms in spleen pulp, with negative results.
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1933.
33
(2) Anaplasmata in Goats.—In the course of the routine examina-
tion of blood smears, the occurrence of bodies indistinguishable from
anaplasmata has been repeatedly encountered in the blood of goats at
Muktesar, the extent of infection, as observed in the smears, ranging
from 1 to 10 per field. The precise significance of the occurrence of these
bodies must remain a matter for speculation until the experiments that
are in progress upon the nature of cattle anaplasmata have been brought
to a conclusion.
VIII.—ROUTINE EXAMINATIONS.
24,862 blood smears from animals within the Institute were exa-
minined during the year, or 7,728 smears more than the number re-
ported last year. This number included 15,317 from cattle, includ-
ing buffaloes, and Babesia bigemina was found present in 723 or nearly
47 per cent. and Theileria parasites in 3,012 or nearly 19.7 per cent.
259 samples of fæces were examined during the year for the presence
of coccidia and the parasites were found in 68 or nearly 2.6 per cent.
34
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE IMPL. INST. OF VETY. RESEARCH,
ENTOMOLOGY.
I.—TRANSMISSION OF DISEASES BY ARTHROPODS.
(1) Surra.— Through the courtesy of the Principal of the Punjab
Veterinary College, a large consignment of ticks of the species Orni-
thodorus crossi was made available to us for use in connection with a
series of experiments designed to obtain confirmation of Cross's find-
ings in regard to the capacity of this species of tick to transmit surra
under experimental conditions, for this worker had found that these
ticks transmitted the disease to healthy rabbits from 17 to 101 days
after feeding on a surra-infected animal. In the trials at Muktesar,
the ticks were fed on healthy rabbits at intervals of 2, 7, 21, 35
and 49 days after feeding on surra-infected guinea-pigs showing
the trypanosomes at the rate of 12 to 20 per field. The results ob-
tained, however, were of an entirely negative order and would there-
fore appear to be in accord with those recorded by York and Macfie
(1924) and by Wenyon (1926). It is, however, proposed to repeat
these experiments, as the subject is of sufficient practical importance,
to demand the fullest attention on the part of Entomological workers
in this country.
(2) Three day Sickness.—A small preliminary experiment was
carried out to test the possibility of this disease being conveyed through
the agency of Ocrossi. Eighty-nine ticks of this species were fed
on a bull artificially infected with three-day sickness and were fed on
two healthy bulls after an interval of about 7 weeks, but neither of
these two bulls developed the infection during a post-treatment observa-
tion period of about one month.
(3) Piroplasma gibsoni infection.—In connection with work upon
the transmission of this infection through the agency of the tick
Rhipicephalus sanguineus, attention was confined to the possibility
of effecting further improvement in the method of feeding these ticks
on dogs. This part of the work has now been brought to a satis-
factory conclusion, for a method of feeding has now been devised which
ensures the recovery of every singl tick on the completion of its feed
upon its host, and it is claimed that a way has now been found out
of the difficulty that has hitherto hampered progress in the prosecu-
tion of work upon the transmission of diseases by ticks. A detailed
and illustrated account of the method will be shortly submitted for
publication.
Some preliminary trials were carried out to test the possibility of
P. gibsoni infection being conveyed through the agency of the flea
Ctenocephalus felis bred out in captivity, but the results were negative.
II.—BIONOMICS AND LIFE-HISTORY OF INSECTS.
(1) Tabanidæ.—In collaboration with Mr. M. G. Sekharan, a
post-graduate student from Mysore, observations were undertaken
upon the life-history of certain species of Tabanidæ which are of fairly
common occurrence ar Muktesar. Egg-clusters of these flies collected
from vegetation overhanging running streams were made to hatch
MUKTESAR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE 31ST MARCH, 1933.
35
in captivity and a number of trials were carried out to determine the
optimum conditions requisite at the altitude of Muktesar for the
development of the young stages of these flies in captivity. Curio-
usly, none of the larvae had attained the pupal stage at the close of
the year under report, although they had been under observation for
a period of about one year and had readily fed upon earth-worms
provided them from time to time. In compliance with a request
from Lt.-Colonel Argyle, D. S. O., R. A. V. C. (retired), for a supply
of Tabanid larvæ, a consignment of these was forwarded to him to
his address in London.
(2) Phoridœ.—In the course of work upon the life history of
Tabanidæ, as mentioned above, it was frequently noticed that the
earth-worms provided to the larvæ were attacked by three undeter-
mined species of Phoridæ. In collaboration with Mr. Sekharan, the
life-history of these species has now been worked out and examples
of their young stages, as well as specimens of the adults themselves
have been mounted and preserved for future study. Under laboratory
conditions during October and November, the complete life-cycle of
these flies, from the egg to the adult stage, occupied an average period
of about one month.
(3) Siphonaptera (Fleas).—In connection with work upon the
transmission of Piroplasma gibsoni infection through the agency of
Ctenocephalus felis, several broods of these fleas were raised in capti-
vity, by providing the larvæ with dry sifted sand and feeding them,
as usual, on fæces of rabbits mixed with bits of dried blood. It is
noteworthy that the optimum conditions requisite for the development
of these insects at Muktesar were found to include the provision of an
almost negligible amount of moisture.
III.—MYIASIS.
Observations were continued upon the extent of variation occurring
in certain morphological characters usually utilized in the classification
of Calliphorid flies. As the value of any conclusions arrived at in this
connection will depend entirely upon the actual number of individual
specimens examined, it is proposed to continue these observations for
some length of time. Several broods of the Calliphorid fly, Calliphora
erythrocephala, were reared out in connection with this work and a note
on the life-history of this fly, prepared in collaboration with Mr. Moho¬
med Yaqub (a post-graduate student from the Punjab), was submitted
to the Twentieth Indian Science Congress held at Patna, in January
1933.
IV.—WARBLES.
A small collection of warble grubs reported to have been extracted
from Hissar cows at Abbot Farm, Jhansi, were received from the
Director, Civil Veterinary Department, United Provinces, and these on
examination proved to be Hypoderma lineatum. This record is of interest,
for, if the infection in the case of these cows was contracted at Jhansi
and not at Hissar, then the fly would appear to be much more widely
distributed within the Indian limits than has hitherto been supposed.