CORRESPONDENCE.

AN UNUSUAL CASE OF CHRONIC RINDERPEST WITH
    SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE CARRIER PROBLEM IN
    THIS DISEASE.

To

    The EDITOR,

           The Indian Journal of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry.

DEAR SIR,

1.  The allegation in this article* that chronic cases of Rinderpest can and do
occur is of such far-reaching importance that I have been led to peruse the article
most closely to see if all the cases quoted can be accepted in the way they were
read by the authors or if they can be explained on the basis of other suppositions.

2.  Taking the article in its references to cattle : from page 365 to the top of
page 368 no evidence of the existence of carriers is adduced. Evidence is produced,
merely, that Indian cattle can suffer from Rinderpest, practically without exhibition
of clinical symptoms.

3.  Coming next (P. 368) to the introduction of Rinderpest to Belgium and
Brazil by the agency of Indian cattle there is no evidence that excludes the
existence of a series of cases on boardship, particularly when we know that these
cattle were, or were said to be, highly resistant to the disease and that such Indian
cattle can suffer from the disease practically without showing symptoms.

4.  Coming (P. 368) to Delpi's 1930 record it would appear that the calves in
question were A. infected en route through food or water,

                       B. spent the incubation period and course (in series possibly) on
                            board the canoes and arrived in the recovery stage or

                       C. the infection was not due to them at all but occurred subsequent-
                            to their arrival.

                  B is the most likely explanation and necessitates no carriers.

* An Unusual case of Chronic Rinderpest with special reference to the Carrier Problem in this Disease,
by Capt S. C. A. Datta, B. Sc., M. R. C. V. S., and V. R. Rajagopalan, G. M. V. C., Published in the
Ind. Jour : Vety. Sci. and An. Hus. Vol. II, Pt. 4, pp 357—382.

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