The Centre for Study and Research on Obscure Diseases in Cattle on Wednesday commenced functioning at the College of Veterinary Sciences here.
The obscure disease is endemic to Western Ghat region of the district. An average of 50 heads of cattle die every year in the district owing to the obscure disease. The death rate is high at the Sharavathi river backwater region. It is suspected that feeding on toxic plants when the cattle are sent to the forest for grazing is the reason for the fatalities. However, veterinary experts are yet to come to a conclusion on this.
Bhaskar Naik, Deputy Director of Department of Animal Husbandry, said escalation in body temperature, intense bleeding in the gums and rectal portion, and release of yellowish froth from the mouth are some of the symptoms. The affected cattle die in a short while, he said.
The centre is functioning out of the college’s teaching block. The State government had released ₹1 crore to purchase equipment for the centre. At present, the centre has a tabletop centrifuge, deep freezer, a rapid polymerase chain reaction testing unit and contrasting microscopes. Tenders have been floated for the purchase of an ultra-low temperature freezer, bio-safety cabin, photo meter, ultraviolet visible spectrophotometry, a clinical haematology analyser and other equipment.
K.C. Veeranna, dean of the college, said a team of experts serving with the college, including a pharmacologist, a pathologist, a microbiologist and a toxicologist, has been deputed for the centre. Two lab assistants too have been provided. The experts will visit the villages affected and extend treatment to the cattle there. They will collect blood and urine samples of the infected cattle and analyse them. In case of dead cattle, their viscera would be collected.
The objective is to study and research on the factors that trigger the disease. The college plans to construct a new building for the centre and has sought ₹50 crore from the State for this, Mr. Veeranna said.
The centre was inaugurated by Minister for Animal Husbandry and Sericulture A. Manju. Shivamogga MLA K.B. Prasanna Kumar was present.
