Acute Fasioliasis in Flocks of District Srinagar
Dr. Syed Moin ul haq
The susceptibility to the diseases is always higher in exotic or improved breeds than the native or local ones, and ever since the exotic blood was introduced in the sheep flocks of J&K, prevalence of the diseases also increased. The department of sheep husbandry responded well and a very good mechanism of flock health care with more emphasis on preventive medication and disease control was set in position. The department has been laying more stress on control of parasitic diseases and more than half of the budget allotted for drugs and therapeutic agents is utilized on anthelminthic drenching and rightly so as these infestations not only sometimes cause heavy mortality among the flocks but also cause great economic losses due to reduction in production.
Srinagar district though more than eighty percent urbanised
has a substantial and good quality crossbred sheep
population reared in around 110 peripheral villages or
suburbs. Topographically, the district can be divided
grossly into three sheep rearing zones.
Hilly areas in east and south east of
Srinagar like Dara, Faqirgujree, Brane, Nishat, Khimber,
Khanmoh, Zewan and Zawoora etc.
*
Plain and marshy areas in the west and north west like
Mujgund, Panzinara, Malroo, Laweypora, Palpora and Sangam
etc.
* Plain and orchard areas of central
Srinagar like Zakura, Gulabbagh, Batpora Saedpora, Telbal,
Noubugh and Umerhair etc.
In the marshy lands of west and
northwest of the city, with about sixteen thousand sheep
population, some big flocks of sheep are reared and during
spring and autumn maintained by grazing on the banks of the
river Jehlum. Acute Fascioliasis associated with Black
Disease has been affecting and causing deaths in these
flocks for many years.
TABLE SHOWING VILLAGE WISE MORTALITY DUE TO ACUTE FASIOLIASIS
Year 2009 | |||
Name of the Village | Total Sheep Population | No. of Deaths Recorded | Percentage Mortality |
Palpora | 1650 | 18 | 1.0 |
Goripora | 1200 | 25 | 2.0 |
Cochun | 500 | 5 | 1.0 |
Bakshipora | 350 | 3 | 0.85 |
Mujgund | 700 | 8 | 1.1 |
Panzinara | 600 | 7 | 1.1 |
Total | 5000 | 66 | 1.32 |
Year 2010 | |||
Name of the Village | Total Sheep Population | No. of Deaths Recorded | Percentage Mortality |
Guzarbal | 400 | 8 | 2.0 |
Shungllipora | 1800 | 30 | 1.6 |
Palpora | 1800 | 7 | 0.3 |
Goripora | 1700 | 34 | 2.0 |
Chochun | 575 | 18 | 3.1 |
Bakshipora | 420 | 4 | 0.9 |
Sangam, Bajiwudri | 1750 | 21 | 1.2 |
Malroo | 850 | 8 | 0.9 |
Total | 9295 | 130 | 1.3 |
Year 2011 | |||
Name of the Village | Total Sheep Population | No. of Deaths Recorded | Percentage Mortality |
Chochun | 530 | 2 | 0.3 |
Sangam | 730 | 8 | 1.0 |
Bajiwudri | 1000 | 12 | 0.5 |
Total | 2250 | 12 | 0.5 |
Acute fascioliasis is caused by Fasciola hepatica which has liver as its site of predilection. The intermediate stage involves snails. The two primary requirements for establishment of the liverflukes are snails and an environment that suits fluke eggs, the snails and the larval flukes such as slow moving streams with marshy banks, irrigation channels and seepages. The affected areas in Srinagar present optimal conditions and in the months of late autumn, November and December, mortality was recorded during the years in question. Deaths in almost all the cases were peracute. Post mortem examination conducted in most of the cases by experts of Disease Investigation Laboratory revealed liver damage caused by migrating young flukes and severe haemorrhage with blood in abdomen. The condition was associated in almost in all cases with Black disease as the damage by young flukes provides suitable environment for germination of spores of Clostridium novyi type B.
![]() Liver of ram showing acute fascioliasis and juandice |
![]() Liver of an ewe showing damage due to acute fascioliasis |
![]() Liver damage due to Black Disease associated with |
Control measures adopted:
The department being sensitive to the losses that occurred during the previous year's took appropriate measures during 2011 and the flocks in the risk areas were given strategic drenching of oxyclozanide and closantal during the months of September and October and then Triclabandazole @ 10mg/kg body wt. every three weeks during November and December in the high risk villages where deaths due to the disease had previously occurred. Flocks in the area were also given MCC vaccine. Farmers were also sensitised and advised to improve the plan of nutrition during winter months and both morbidity and mortality drastically reduced during the season.ASSESSMENT OF GROWTH IN PURCHASED RAMS OF DISTRICT SRINAGAR
Dr. Andleeb Rafiq
Technical Officer
District Sheep Husbandry Office, Srinagar
District Srinagar, which is spread over an area of 293 sq.
kms is about 80% urbanized with very little agriculture and
allied activities. Out of a total of 136 villages in the
peripheries, sheep rearing is practiced in about 110
villages with farmers having average holding of 30-40 sheep.
Sheep have multi-faceted utility including meat, wool, skin,
manure, and to some extent milk & transport and thus helps
it to play an important role in the agrarian economy.
District Srinagar has an important history as the cross
breeding programme in the state has started from the Zakura
area of Srinagar and this area has always been rich in sheep
farming and some prominent sheep farmers have been from this
area. The cross breed sheep population in the district is
almost 100% percent and the Departmental activities
including further upgradation of the flocks in terms of
mutton and wool growth are continuing. Since the flocks in
Srinagar are quite superior in terms of productivity than
the rams from the Departmental farms, the Department as its
one of the most important programmes provides the flocks
with good quality rams for genetic improvement and up
gradation of the flocks. The Department has in absence of
any foreign importation of rams in the recent past and least
likely to be in near future, developed a policy of
introducing "elite" or the best amongst the best Rams
obtained from the local gene pool into the flocks. These
elite rams with phenotypic characteristics of quick growth
without compromising on the wool quality are identified,
selected and purchased from local sheep farmers on
encouraging and good remunerative prices and kept under
local conditions with the flocks.
In District Srinagar, the purchase and use of such rams
started during December, 2009 when 12 rams were purchased
upto March, 2010 under Centrally Sponsored scheme RKVY. Out
of the 12 Rams, 8 were Milk tooth (age group of 11-14
months) and 4 Ram were two teeth (age group of 18-21
months).
The body weight statistics of the Rams
at the time of purchase was:
Mean body weight of MT Rams =40.8 kgs
Maximum body weight =49 kgs
Minimum body weight =36 kgs
Mean body weight of 2T Rams =46.66 kgs
Maximum body weight =49 kgs
Minimum body weight =43 Kgs
During the month of November 2010, 26 more rams were
purchased under another Centrally Sponsored Scheme, SWIS and
were put in the field for breeding. 12 rams purchased were
milk tooth (MT) and rest 14 rams were two teeth (2T), age
group of 18-22 months.
The body weight statistics of the Rams at the time of
purchase:
Mean body weight of 12 MT Rams =36.8 kgs
Maximum body weight = 43 kgs
Minimum body weight = 33 kgs
Mean body weight of 14 2T Rams = 47.90 kgs
Maximum body weight = 64 kgs
Minimum body weight = 41 kgs
Furthermore, during the month of October 2011, 15 more rams
were purchased under RKVY and 5 rams under SWIS and again
put in the field for the purpose of breeding. 6 rams
purchased were MT, 5 rams were 2T, and out of the remaining
4 rams, 2 were 4T and 1 ram was 6T.
The body weight statistics of the Rams at the time of
purchase:
Mean body weight of 6 MT Rams =55.25 kgs
Maximum body weight =67 kgs
Minimum body weight =40 kgs
Mean body weight of 14 2T Rams =60 kgs
Maximum body weight =63 kgs
Minimum body weight =58 kgs
In September 2012, 9 rams were purchased again under RKVY;
out of which 1 ram was MT and rest 8 rams were 2T.
The body weight statistics of the Rams at the time of
purchase:
Body weight of one MT Ram =50 kgs
Mean body weight of 8 2T Rams =51.75 kgs
Maximum body weight =57 kgs
Minimum body weight =50 kgs
All the purchased animals were kept with the local flocks in
field conditions doing unrestricted breeding, shifted to
high land pastures mostly in the Sonamarg sector during
summer months and adjusted with breeders during winter
months of 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12. The farmers during
winter months feed the livestock with fodder mostly straws
and hay, tree toppings and concentrates mostly wheat bran
and rice bran in very little quantities.
The body
weight (in kgs) of all these rams was recorded in the
following intervals for the assessment of growth and the
statistics as under:
Observations on growth of Rams for a period of 36 months | ||||||||
S.No | Age group at the time of purchase | Mean B Wt. at the time of purchase | Max B Weight | Min B Weight | Mean B Wt. after 3 years | Max B Weight | Min B Weight | GAIN |
1. | MT | 40.8 | 49 | 36 | 49 | 55 | 44 | +8.2 kgs |
2. | 2T | 46.66 | 49 | 43 | 48 | 50 | 47 | +1.34 kgs |
Observations on growth of Rams for a period of 24 months |
||||||||
S.No |
Age group at the time of purchase | Mean B Wt. at the time of purchase | Max B Weight | Min B Weight | Mean B Wt. after 3 years | Max B Weight | Min B Weight | GAIN |
1. | MT | 38.13 | 49 | 33 | 45.20 | 51 | 42 | +7.07 kgs |
2. | 2T | 47.64 | 64 | 41 | 49.92 | 70 | 43 | +2.28 kgs |
Observations on growth of Rams for a period of 12 months |
||||||||
S.No |
Age group at the time of purchase | Mean B Wt. at the time of purchase | Max B Weight | Min B Weight | Mean B Wt. after 3 years | Max B Weight | Min B Weight | GAIN |
1. | MT | 41.73 | 67 | 33 | 42.9 | 53 | 35 | +1.17 kgs |
2. | 2T | 49.82 | 64 | 41 | 48.47 | 55 | 44 | -1.35 kgs |
OVERALL OBSERVATIONS
The data reveals that the overall body weight has shown an
increasing trend in both the categories of rams i.e. rams
purchased as milk tooth as well as those purchased as two
teeth. The body weight recording in Milk tooth rams for a
period of 36 months has shown an overall gain of +8.2 kgs
and with substantial increase of 6 kgs in maximum body
weight and a 8 kgs gain in the minimum body weight.
Similarly, recordings of 23-24 months period have shown an
overall gain of +7.07 kgs in the body weight in Milk tooth
rams with maximum body weight showing a gain of 2 kgs and
the minimum body weight showing an increase of 6 kgs,
indicating a satisfactory growth pattern of these rams. In
case of 11-12 months recording of body weight, there was a
growth of 1.17 kgs in Milk tooth rams with a negative gain
in the maximum body weight and an increase of 2 kgs in the
minimum body weight.
In case of 2T rams, over the period of 36 months, there has
been a growth of 1.34 kgs with maximum body weight showing
an increase of 1 kg and minimum body weight showing an
increase of 4 kgs in weight. In a period of 23-24 months, a
growth of 2.28 kgs was recorded with a gain of 6 kgs in
maximum body weight and a gain of 2 kgs in the minimum body
weight. However, in 11-12 month period, there was a negative
growth of 1.35 kgs with a decrease of 9 kgs in the maximum
body weight and an increase of 3 kgs in the minimum body
weight. The decreases could possibly be attributed to
breeding stress as these mature rams were continuously in
the flocks during breeding season.
Period | Milk tooth | Two teeth |
Gain in avg. b. wt. | Gain in avg. b .wt. | |
36 Months | +8.2 kgs | +1.34 kgs |
24 Months | +7.07 kgs | +2.28 kgs |
12 Months | +1.17 kgs | -1.35 kgs |
Further, the raw data also revealed that the mortality was more in two teeth rams as compared to the milk tooth rams.
CONCLUSION:
It appears from the study that the animals purchased as MT
have grown better during 1st, 2nd and the 3rd year of their
purchase as compared to those purchased as 2T during these
years. It also appears from the study that animals purchased
with less body weight have shown more increase in body
weight during the 1st, 2nd and the 3rd year of their
purchase probably due to reason that heavier rams might have
undergone stress due to more breeding.
Efficacy and Acceptance of commonly used Anthelmintic for control and treatment of Sheep Parasites in District Bandipora