Brucellosis

Technical information

By

DR.Farooq Ahmad Jan

Research Associat-ADMAS

Institute of Animal Health and B.P.

Zakura – Srinagar

Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonotic disease with great economic importance due to loss of calf, reduction in milk production, creating reproduction disorders, infertility and reduced conception rate. B.abortus (cattle), B. Melitensis, B.ovis ( Sheep and goats), B.suis (pigs), and rarely B.canis (dogs). Brucellosis has been effectively controlled in many developed countries thereby reducing the number of cases of brucellosis among humans.

Brucellosis is widespread and is of major economic importance in India. Cattle are susceptible once they have reached sexual maturity. Infection persists in the host once infected. Infection occurs by ingestion, penetration of the intact skin, conjuctiva and contamination of the udder during milking. The animal show no obvious clinical signs/ symptoms. After infection, the cattle may abort during late pregnancy, between 4th to 9th month. Metritis ( Pyometra) is frequently seen following abortion. Infertility ( services required per conception are high). Occassionally hygromas and swelling of knee is seen in males the epididymis and testicles are swollen and painful. Affected animals may remain sterile for the entire life. Therefore, there is need to control brucellosis in herds even in village due to economic and public health importance of this disease.

Bovine Brucellosis is endemic in all states of India and increase on higher percentage due to A.I. Since organism Brucella survives in LN2 with semen straw. Increased trade rapid transport dairy animals moving across the country and prevailing poverty, sanitary conditions Brucellosis incidences have been about 10% small and marginal herds but 50% in large organized herds. This is the basic reason that the Govt. of India has on going programme through Department of Animal Husbandry’s labs for screening the animals in the country. It needs critical system appraisal and monitoring evaluation for economic gain. Risk assessment OIE approach for the investing in the control programme which could by through demand driven livestock revolution in offering regard to food safety and health. WTO, SPS agreement, Zoo-sanitary measures in the country will certainly demand to ensure chemical pesticides residue in milk and pathogens with control strategies.

Today, India being world No. 1 producer of milk ( 82 MT 2002) inspite of leadership there is need of delivering health to the door step of the livestock owner and dairy industry sector. Bovine Brucellosis the most economically devastating reproductive disease in male and female is rapidly growing causing concern for the farmer, Veterinarains, livestock Supervisors and finally farmer’s risk of his own family health. This is the problem of village herd concept and clean milk production to be adopted in WTO scenario for value addition to the safe food chain through quality milk is the only source of protein and nutrition back-up for children and pregnant women in village community. In addition, farmer could not be able to generate “cash” per day through milk, due to misconception, loss of calf crops, varying periods of interrupted milk production, finally, infertility. The farmer has to sustain future economic burden for feeding, maintaining the animal due to socio- political problem. In buffaloes known for their low and delayed pregnancies, is a perpetual loss to the dairy farmer. It needs further economic data to be generated at National level but estimated to be Rs. 500 crores annually.

With ever increasing number of bull mother farms in the central and state sectors larger A.I. centers, service accredited labs to be opened up more in numbers. In back drop of above, Brucellosis assumes an important economic agenda. More greater economic importance and serious public health risk since the frozen semen from infected bulls can effectively and rapidly spread the disease like an explosive cluster time bomb @ click of time in area where properly being not understood.

Therefore it is double edged sword that can cut at the both sides” economic loss and public health risk” if it is not properly planned, used and monitored as systems, venereal infection like Brucellosis and infectious Bovine Rhinotracheititeis (IBR) are indeed fortunate as microbe ( Bacteria / Virus) to have the luxury of perfect preservation and rapid spread through frozen semen.

Bovine Brucellosis has been surveyed very significantly by ICAR-ADMAS- Banglore and Regional Research Unit of ADMAS- Zakura, Srinagar, and Cooperatives, NGO’s, Govt. Disease Investigation Labs. cleared showed high rise of infection in milk shed area. The sero surveillance conducted by RRU Srinagar of identified villages under ADMAS indicate above 20% of the cattle are infected with the disease, which is really a concern for the livestock sector in time to come.

This makes us to think and act in a midway to Brucellosis control strategic policy to be adopted. Brucella strain 19 vaccine has already proven a way out in controlling the disease. Since vaccinated antibodies persist upto 6 months post vaccinated and totally disappears by 8 months. There after, the animal may remain antibody free provided not re-vaccinated in order to once again test them for the field strain exposure, if there is any possibility whatsoever in field or organized farms.

Vaccinated antibodies come in the way of different serologic response, to natural infection. Indeed this situation will further help as “indicator system” and it has been observed that regular and timely vaccination will further help to maintain “carrier status” of the animal and will not have reproductive problem and shedding of infection in farms further and prevent infertility and abortions.

Therefore looking into problem and finding the solution for the Brucellosis Control Programme , needs serious attention by policy makers livestock owners, industry and public as hazard of health aspects to be looked into and the only answer now is knowledge driven food safety measures, upgraded diagnositic services in private sectors, cooperatives, NGO’s, Universities etc. to give immediate diagnosis.

Vaccination strategy is to be followed to prevent further spread of the disease in village as herd and villagers as community. In addition to exisiting vaccine Brucella S-19 which is being being used in RVC farms in the country. Presently another strain of Brucella abortus future vaccine RB 51 parent strain (S2308) is under trial and could be developed for adult animals. It was demonstrated that WboA gene encoding a glysyltransferse, an enzyme essential for the synthesis of ‘O antigen is disrupted by an 1S711 element in B. abortus vaccine strain RB 51. Exploiting this feature agglutination abs will not affect even test protocol serologically and PCR assay could also detect and differentiate from all other strains prevalent. This will help us even for adult vaccination programme. This has been used and tried in USA successfully in male and female. India should take up the challenge at all levels to have this as one of many control strategies against infectious disease.

At present mass immunization with recommended doses of approved vaccine is the only way to bring down the incidence of Bruccellosis in this country like ours where test and segregate, feed maintain them is not practically viable and economically sustainable. Slaughter of cows are banned animal welfare activities are being activated by social workers.

Thus mass vaccination and regular follow-up at village level, milk sampling, testing and maintaining vaccinated village herd and preventing non infected village herd through vaccination will be the feasible and economic way to deal with the situation in hand effectively once the bio-economic feasiblity is examined, it could be of great support to farmers in the country and valley as well.

Independent agency evaluation, cost benefit ratio, economic gain monitoring wil give us proven path of progressive Brucellosis control programme for livestock sectors in country like India .

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CATASTROPHIC D ECLINE OF SOME VULTURE SPECIES O N I NDIAN SUBCONTINENT, W ITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO J&K STATE

( Dr. Mir M. Mansoor, Wildlife Veterinarian , J&K State Wildlife Protection Department, Srinagar )

ABSTRACT

So far nine species of vultures are recorded from the Indian subcontinent and all are known to be residents (Ali and Ripley 1983). These include Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus), Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) , Egyptian (Neophron percnopterus) , King Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) , Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) , Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus) , The White-backed (Gyps bengalensis), Long-billed (Gyps indicus) and Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) .

Sporadic deaths of these raptors due to consumption of organophosphate and carbonate insecticides poisoned prey base has been reported previously throughout the Indian subcontinent. Unfortunately, the clinical signs exhibited by such intoxicated birds are not so manifest as in other mammals intoxicated with similar toxicants. The signs may resemble those of sick birds from other causes, as well.

However, this time the cause of puzzling vulture declines of genus Gyps , over a huge geographic area, was discovered as veterinary use of a pharmaceutical called Diclofenac. Out of the five species of Gyps vultures, recorded from the Indian subcontinent, three namely: White-backed (Gyps bengalensis), Long-billed (Gyps indicus) and Slender-billed (Gyps tenuirostris) vultures are going to be extinct within the next three years, if the veterinary use of the said drug is not abandoned. The study carried out by USA based NGO the Peregrine Fund and Ornithological Society of Pakistan confirmed that most vultures died after consuming carcasses of animals dosed with Dicloflenac, which seemed to damage the birds' kidneys.

The current paper titled as “Catastrophic decline of some vulture species in Indian Subcontinent, with special reference to J&K STATE” is aimed at reviewing the general scenario regarding vulture mortalities in Indian subcontinent with the reporting of some similar cases from Jammu and Kashmir State.

ORNITHOSIS- A Public Health Concern

By Dr. S. Muhammad Salim Khan

Post Graduate Research Scholar

Social & Preventive Medicine

(Community Medicine)

Government Medical College, Srinagar

Abstract: Zoonosis and communicable diseases common to man and animals continue to have incidence rates and to cause significant morbidity and and mortality.Infections and parasitosis of live-stock especially poultry, on one hand, can reduce meat production and can lead to the death or destruction of the fowls, all of which diminishes the supply and availability of white meat for man. On the other hand hand, these infected birds are constant threats to human health as diseases of varied consequences can be transmitted from the poultry or poultry-product to humans, thereby affecting DALY (Disability Adjusted Life Years) adversely. The outbreaks caused by most of these infective diseases can have wide repercussions for a society's health. Moreover these diseases are also an obstacle for international trade, as well as a serious financial drain for poultry farmers, H5N1Avian Influeza (Bird Flu) being the latest example.

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“Foodhandlers & Food - Health & Disease Perspectives”

Dr. Manzoor Thankur (MD)

Sr. Consultant Cl. Microbiology & Infection Control,

Sheri-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences,

Soura- Srinagar

Contamination of feed by various pathogens and the carrier state of food handlers plays animportant part in transmitting a number of bacterial, parasitic and viral diseases. Staingent Microbiological Surveillance of different food items and the food handlers is the need of hour in tertiary care setups. Proliferation of multidrug resistant polymicrobial infections is playing a havoc with patients admitted in these hospitals contributing to lot of morbidity and mortality contaminated food having lot of bacteria present in it or because of their toxins immediately can manifest as food poisoning. Clinical manifestations can be either due to infection or intoxication. Bascillus, Cereus, C.Perfringens, salmonella & schigella manifest as watery diarrhoea or dysentery. Food items which help in propagating these Micro-Organism are meat, poultry, vegetables and eggs. Rewarmed fried rice, canned food, meat, custards, salads & shellfish can harbour pathogens like B.Cereus, C.botulinum, S.aureus, V.parahaemolyticus & E.coli causing intoxication.

Contamination of food occurs either at source or during preparation, Nonbacterial infective disorders with viruses & protozoan parasites are usually of faeco-oral aetilogy. Rotavirus, Astro & Calci-viruses & Adenoviruses originate from the human faeces. Amongest protozoan parasites Entaemoeba histolytica Giardia lambia & Balandium coli again have human faeces as source except cryptosporidium where usual source is faeces of domestic animals.

The carrier state of food handlers also plays an important role in transmitting a number of bacterial, parastic & viral diseases. Microbiological surveillance of food handlers with regard to the carrier state of C.diptheriae, salmonella, schigella, Neisseria gonorrhoe syphhilis, Malaria, Hepatitis A&B and HIV, Tuberculosis & Parestic diseases should be done routinely in all tertiary care setups. Similarly all types of foods supplied to the critically ill patients should be also subjected to Microbiological testing. Professional workers working with meat and meat products should similarly be tested for the carrier states of diseases like Brucellosis, Toxoplasmosis & other diseases.

The sumtotal of two years research work done at Sheri-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar will be discussed during the conference along with the control measures taken thereof.

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Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA Polymorphism among different salmonella serovars for it genetic characterization.

Neha Sharma and Neeraj Dilbaghi

Department of Food Technology

Guru Jambheshwar University

Hissar

Global surveillance data indicate that there has been a massive increase in human infections due to salmonella and these are mainly associated with the consumption of raw or under cooked eggs and poultry products. A rapid, simple and precise technique is required for detecting and differentiating various salmonella serovars in food and food products for their effective control. The present study characterizes the four salmonella serovars i.e. S.Typhimurium, S.Enteritidis, S.Virchow and S. Anatum by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay. A total of 12 random primers were tested and 10 out of them were able to detect polymorphism among these 4 Salmonella serovars. The number of bands amplified from different primers ranged from 3 to 13 in the size range of 350 bp to 3700 bp. The average number of bands per primer ranged from 3.9 to 4.6 among different Salmonella serovars. The band sharing (BS) estimates ppoled over the primers ranged from 0.31 to 0.76 among the different salmonella serovars. While the maximum genetic similarity was observed between S.Anatum and S. Enteritidis, least genetic similarity was seen between S.E and S.Virchow. In general, S.Virchow. In general, S.Virchow showed lower genetic similarity was seen between S.E and S.Virchow. In general, S.Virchow showed lower genetic similarity with other salmonella serovars. The genetic distances between the Salmonella serovars ranged from 0.28 to 1.16 and revealed the similar trend. The S.virchow showed higher genetic distances with other Salmonella serovars, while the genetic distances was minimum between S.anatum and S.Enteritidis. The results revealed the efficiency of RAPD markers in detecting polymorphism among the different Salmonella Serovars.