Ashish Srivastava

A rare clinical presentation of transplacental transmission and subsequent abortion by Babesia ( Theileria ) equi in a mare

The present article deals with the rare presentation of transplacental transmission and subsequent abortion by Babesia (Theileria) equi. A pregnant mare was brought with the history of fever and inappetence. Per rectal examination revealed absence of fremitus of the foetus. The foetus was removed using foetotomy. Blood smear examination of the dam and contact smear of the aborted foetus revealed characteristic Maltese cross appearance of B. equi. The possible routes of transmission of parasite, its pathogenesis and future strategies are described in the present article.

Bovine hypodermosis in indigenous cattle herd and its successful therapeutic management

Warble fly infestation in cattle is a serious problem throughout the world. In India, it is mainly reported from northern parts of the country and is caused by the larvae of Hypoderma lineatum. The disease causes huge economic losses to animal production like milk and leather industry. The present article reports the outbreak and subsequent successful treatment of Warble fly infestation from an indigenous cattle herd. The animals were clinally examined for the presence of warbles and the larvae were collected by pressing the swellings on the back. The larvae were brought to the laboratory and were morphologically examined and morphometry was done. The animals were administered specific therapy consisting of two doses of subcutaneous injection of Ivermectin at weekly intervals. The epidemiology of the disease, its patho physiological impact on the animal and various strategies for clinical management are being described in the article.

Evaluation of clinical, biochemical and haematological markers in natural infection of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis

Caanine monocytic ehrlichiosis caused by Ehrlichia canis has gained wider significance owing to its potential to inflict significant deleterious effect on the health of companion animals. In the present study, 46 confirmed ehrlichiosis positive dogs were evaluated for the alterations in clinical, haematological and biochemical attributes. Depression, anorexia, pyrexia, anaemia, weakness, jaundice, melana, vomition and diarrhoea were the main clinical symptoms onserved. Haematological alterations included pancytopenia especially thrombocytopenia. Significant changes were noticed in WBC, RBC, Hgb, McHc, Platelets, ALT values while rest all the studied haematological and biochemical parameters showed non-significant alterations within normal range in comparison to normal healthy controls. The findings substantiate that ehrlichiosis cause significant clinical, haematological and biochemical alterations of the varied intensity in dogs, even with lower grades of parasitaemia.

Ration Balancing: Promising Option for Doubling Income from Dairying

This paper has examined the extent of productivity increase and cost reduction on adoption of balanced animal ration. The study is based on the database extracted from Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health (INAPH) pertaining to the milk yield and feeding records of about 15000 cattle and buffaloes that were covered under Ration Balancing Program (RBP) of the National Dairy Plan I implemented in the states of Gujarat and Punjab. The econometric analysis of secondary data following before-after impact assessment approach has also been complemented using with-without approach applying Propensity Score Matching technique on the data from field survey collected from 40 villages during the year 2015–16. In Gujarat, the analysis has shown that the ration balancing intervention enhanced the productivity of cows by around 13 per cent and of buffaloes by nearly 5.5 per cent. The quantum of increase discernible from the with-without approach after controlling for the confounding factors was higher, 19.5 per cent for cows and 18 per cent for buffaloes. In Punjab, the estimates of productivity gain for cows was close to 13 per cent based on either approach. Ration balancing has been cost effective in terms of percentage reduction in feed cost and feed cost/litre Fat Corrected Milk (FCM) of both, cattle and buffalo, with the cost efficiency being more pronounced in cows. In cattle, the feed cost per litre FCM reduced in between 5.76 and 9.86 per cent in Gujarat and by 10.83–18.53 per cent in Punjab. The field level data have also indicated a clear impact in reducing the feed cost per litre of milk by about 18–19 per cent in case of cows in both the states and about 2.6 per cent in buffaloes in Gujarat. Given the potential of this intervention in enhancing the dairy income, the paper has also discussed various ways in which its adoption can be promoted among the dairy farmers.