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Current Situation and Recent Advances of Prevention &Treatment of Degnala


Disease in Nepal

Dr. K.B. Karki Senior Veterinary officer

Central Veterinary Laboratory Tripureswor Kathmandu.

Background:

Degnala disease has been reported mainly in buffaloes in Pakistan, India and
Nepal. Although cause of Degnala disease has been already identified in
Pakistan and India, nothing has been done in this regard in Nepal. The Author
would like to share his field experience and research of Degnala disease which
is caused by Mycotoxins produced by Fusarium spp. in this article, which may
be beneficial for our colleagues working under fields conditions in endemic
Zones.

Introduction:

Degnala disease is a common infection affecting buffaloes and cattle in


Pakistan, India and Nepal. This disease seems to have a seasonal occurrence
under particular geographical region, i.e. lowland. The disease generally
encountered during month of November – January. It is believed that animal
contract this disease when they are exclusively fed on paddy straw which get
wet during the maturing stage of plant in field or during threshing period and
stored without proper drying.

Synonyms : Tail –rot , Fescue foot , Bucappo , Feed refusal syndrome

Incidence and distribution of Degnala disease

Degnala disease has been known to exit in western Pakistan for nearly half a
century. This disease got its name because cases in buffaloes were first seen in
the Deg nala river area. Shirlow (1939) reported the occurrence of the disease,
which affected a large numbers of buffaloes in villages of Shekhpura, Mudrika
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parts of Deg Nala area during the year 1929-30. Since then, cases of this
disease have been observed in order parts of Pakistan. Fusarium related
Degnala disease was described to have a seasonal incidence and sporadic cases
were seen in winter months which paddy straw was used as a fodder (Irfan,
1971). Today this disease is no longer confined to area around Deg Nala but is
also found where rice is cultivated.

Kwatra and Singh (1971) characterized the disease as one that caused necrosis
of tips of tail, ear tongue, swelling of extremities with subsequent peeling of
skin leaving exposed wound. The same type of disease has been reported in
some parts of state of Hyrayana and Punjab from 1969-1971. Singh and prasad
(1983) described this disease in district of Nalanda in buffaloes fed on paddy
straw. Field veterinarains in many parts of Nepal with obscure diagnosis and
treatment reported Degnala cases. In year 1986, Karki reported this disease in
Banke district of Nepal where buffaloes were mostly affected. Since last
decade, the disease has been continuously reported from different districts of
Nepal in particular month of year. This indicates that disease have some
relation with geographic agri-ecozone and season.

Many studies in this regard suggest such paddy straw get infected with
Fusarium spp. of saprophytic fungi. An attempt was made to isolate the fungus
and its toxin from paddy straw by Commonwealth Mycology Laboratory (U.K.)
which led to the identification of Fusarium spp. (Dhilion 1973). Irfan and
Maqbool (1986) isolated Fusarium species was isolated from samples of rice
seeds that were collected in 1997 on farms in the foothills of Nepal (Desjardins
et al., 2000). There is now compelling evidence implicating the Fusarium
mycotoxins in livestock disorders in different parts of the world.

Clinical features associated with Degnala disease


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Swollen leg.1
Cracked skin of foots
all f oot

affectedfeet.

affectedbuffaloherds
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Tail lesion. Lower foot lesion

The first indication of Degnala disease appears when buffaloes are fed on wet
paddy straw for few days. The first clinical symptom of the disease is the
oedematous swelling of lower extermities. As disease progresses, eye swells,
ulcerated wound appears on the leg, tip of ear and tail end. These lesions are
reportedly more marked on the fetlock around coronet, clefts of hoofs that
lead to necrosis of skin on lesion leaving open wound. The hairs on affected
parts get denuded and necrotic tissue gets sloughed off (Ifran 1971)
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Treatment of Degnala disease

So far, symptomatic and supportive therapy is commonly practiced in endemic


areas with different degree of success rate. After confirming its cause, Dhillon
(1973) attempted with 23.6% acetylarsan parenterally and 5% Arsenic sulphate
by oral route. In Pakistan, Pentasulfate was found effective (Irfan and Maqbool,
1986). The field report of Karki (1999) described the 2% oral and 5% parenteral
use of arsenic sulphate also termed as Anti- degnala liquor found to be
effective (Karki, 2003)

Affect after treatment

Buffaloes after treatment with


antidegnala liquor(Dr.Kedar)

References:

Dhillon,K.S. 1973 Preliminory observation on the treatment of degnala


disease in buffaloes.Indian Vet.J.50:5,482-484.

Ifran,M.1971 The clinical picture and pathology of Degnala disease in


buffaloes and cattle in West Pakistan.Vet.Rec.88:422-424.

Ifran, M. and A.Maqbool.1986.Studies on Degnala Diseases in cattle and


buffaloes.Pakistan.Vet.J.6:87-93.

Karki,K 1999. Degnala disease in Nepal District Livestock Services Banke


Nepal Annual Report. ( Unpublished).

RODRIGUEZ-ADRIAN,L.J.,M.L.GRAZZUIUTTI,J.H.REX and E.J ANAISSIE


1998 The potential role cytokine therapy for fungal infections in
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patients with cancer:Is recovery from neutropenia all that is


needed?CID.26 1270-1278

SHIRLOW,J.E 1939 Degnala disease of Buffaloes: an account of the


lesions and essential pathology.Indian Vet.Sci. Anim.Husb.9:853-864.

TURGEON,M.L. 1996 Precipitation Methods.In:Immunology and Serology


in Laboratory Medicine.2 nd ed.Mosby Missouri,USA PP.131-133

Acknowledgments:

I like to extend my heartfelt gratitudes to Dr.Nil Prakash Singh Karki


Then Director General of Department of Livestock Service Ministry of
Agriculture and Cooperative Government of Nepal,Dr.Dhan Raj Ratala
Programme Director of Animal health for incouraging me to persue my M.
V.St. in preventive veterinary medicine,Dr.Prabhakar Pathak Then Co-
director of SVSDC Project under EU for providing funds for my higher
study in Philippines.All members of advisory comiti and all teachers of
college of vet.med. in Central Luzon State university in Philippines for
their valuable guidance .Last but not least my gratitude goes to
Dr.Gyanendar Nath Gongol then chief of Central Epidemiology Unit
,Animal Health Directorate,Department of livestock Service Nepal for
helping me in write up of this manuscript.

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