Hello readers. I came across a new case today. It was diagnosed Deg Nala. Deg-nala Disease and Ringworm is most common complication seen in Pakistan in dairy animals caused due to mycotoxins. Different molds produce variety of Mycotoxins which are characterized as secondary metabolites. FAO has stated that every year about 25% crops are affected by mycotoxins and make it harmful to utilize it as eatable safe food. Molds can be found throughout the planet earth so that theycan affect crops at any stage to produce mycotoxins while they are in the field, or at harvesting stage even crops are in storage or being processed they can be caught by molds. Dairy animals got caught by them when they consume the affected feed.
As molds produce toxins to cause acute toxicity in animals they can also cause chronic conditions in them as well like secondary infectious conditions and decreased milk production. Usually the responsible fungal agents of mycotoxicosis are Aspergillus niger, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium avenaceum, Mucor heimalis,Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium fusarioides, Cladosporium cladosporoides,Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium notatum. Generally most concerning molds and mycotoxins are Aspergillus, which produce mostly aflatoxin, Fusarium which produce a large variety of mycotoxinslike T-2 toxin, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol while Fumonisin and Penicilliummolds which produce ochratoxin and PRtoxin. In addition to this ergot is also an example of several other mycotoxins which are consideredas detrimental to cattle and buffalo due to their prevalence in many feedstuffs.
The disease rate is higher in the buffaloes. The infection gets more severity when other micro-organisms like bacteria attacks on the immunodeficient buffaloes infected with Degnala disease so secondary bacterial infection is also partly responsible for degree of disease in animal. The dark black spots in the Rice straw are considered as an indication of growth of fungus in it.
Signs and Symptoms
 |
| necrosis start in the tail |
The signs and symptoms seen in buffaloes are lameness, edema, gangrenous ulceration of limbs, hooves, ears or tail that are cold to the touch so that it is also called gangrenous syndrome. Sometimes the muzzle and tip of the tongue become gangrenous; there is emaciation, recumbency and eventually death. Sometimes gangrenous portions of the body drop off; in the case of hooves, bones can be exposed.
Treatment
 |
| necrosis start in the ear pinna |
It is mostly seen that in Degnala disease due to specific and symptomatic treatment of acute cases the lesions heal within a few weeks, but in chronic and older cases the treatment lasts for 1 to 32 months. To detect the exact fungi species, the feedsample should be tested and isolated in the agar or liquid media and it should be especially deferentially diagnosed with ergot poisoning by observing increase in body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, epidemic hyper thermia and hyper salivation. Lesions should be washed and dressed withn it glycerine 2 percent ointment. In order to achieve the fast recovery, a therapeutic regimen can consist in oxytetracycline at 20 mg/kg BW in a single intramuscular injection or, better, in oral administration of penta-sulphate at 30 g daily for ten days. The best way to control the disease by improving feedquality and by using of hydrated sodium calcium alumosilicate (HSCAS) or othersorbents to bind aflatoxins in the gastrointestinal tract.
