This division is engaged in production of different viral and bacterial vaccines e.g. Ranikhet Disease Vaccine (R2B & F1) Black Quarter, Hemorrhagic Septicemia, Fowl Duck Cholera and Anthrax to protect the animals and poultry against these dreadful diseases. The potency of these vaccines is un challengeable. The institute of Animal Health & Biological Products has produced the various vaccines of livestock and poultry worth to the tune of Rs. 26.48 lacs during the year 20032-04.

QUALITY CONTROL DIVISION.

This division is engaged to exercise strict Quality Control check and standardization of biological products, produced by production division besides evaluating the various factors which effect the immuno-gensity, potency, shelf-life and keeping quality of various vaccines.

DISEASE DIAGNOSIS & RESEARCH DIVISION

This division is engaged in studying the etiological agents of various diseases prevalent in livestock with a view to evolve proper methods and techniques for the control of such diseases. Identification and isolation of causative agents and suggesting the preventive or curative methods in the control and eradication of disease of livestock and poultry.

 This institute is also being recognized as collaborating unit of “Animal Disease Monitoring & Surveillance” (ADMAS) with its project directorate at Hebbal, Bangalore in the year 2000 and National Project on Rinderpest Eradication (NPRE) a centrally sponsored scheme from Govt. of India Ministry of Agriculture Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

The Institute of Animal Health & Biological Products Zakura, undertakes investigations, incidence of various livestock and poultry, disease that are referred to this institute.

 Whenever the outbreaks are reported to the Disease Investigation Section of this institute such outbreaks are thoroughly investigated.  The Research staff is visiting off and on to the villages affected with the disease outbreaks and collects all the relevant epidemiological data pertaining to the outbreaks.  Whenever possible, on spot diagnosis is provided, otherwise possible, on spot diagnosis is provided, otherwise suitable morbid material are collected from affected animals for laboratory analysis and then a detailed analysis of these samples is conducted in different laboratories of different institute thus the disease is diagnosis and suitable measures are communicated to the concerned field institutions.

In addition the disease investigation section this institute is also receiving number of different samples sent by field veterinarians for diagnosis. These samples include blood samples for detection of etiological agents, faecal samples for presence of parasitic ova or cyst, tissue impression smears and heart blood smears from necropsed animals and serum samples for detection of anti bodies of  bacteria and virus pathogens these samples are analyzed by suitable tests and results or communicated to the concerned centers.

The disease like FMD, HS, BQ, Anthrax remain endemic in Kashmir Division.  During the current year only two outbreaks of Haemorrahagic Septiceamia and Black Quarter were recorded in village Mashwar, Pulwama of Pulwama District and Gopal Pora of Anantnag District.  In these outbreaks in all about 50 animals were affected and the disease was brought under control by mass vaccination with oil adjuvant HS vaccine manufactured at this Institute.

Besides this Institute is screening livestock against economically important reproductive diseases of ruminants like infection bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR & Brucellosis).  More than 500 sera samples from randomly selected villages of various district in Kashmir Division have been collected and subjected to ELISA testing.  The results so far revealed that above 30% of livestock population is infected with the disease IBR and 19% of the livestock population is affected with the brucellosis.  The Department has already started the mass vaccination of cross bred animals against these two diseases.

Animal Disease Monitoring and Surveillance (ADMAS)

Objective: The main objective of ADMAS is to develop an effective system to obtain data regarding prevalence and pattern of contagious diseases and to enable monitoring and forecasting of important livestock diseases including that of small animals and poultry as well.

Work plan for the year 2002-2003.

• To coordinate research and field based livestock diseases monitoring and surveillance activities with PD-ADMAS.

• Investigation and laboratory validation of the disease out breaks with special reference to IBR and Brucellosis in randomly selected villages.

• Recording real time disease and meteorological data in all disease out breaks.

• Validation of diagnostic kits developed by PD-ADMAS in the field.

• Collection and communication, to PD-ADMAS, of information regarding all diseases of and poultry.

Progress of Work & Achievements

Meetings were organized with Chief Animal Husbandry Officers (Distt. Heads) Distt. Disease Investigation Officers and other veterinary and para-veterinary staff of  different districts involving them to the programme for its complete success.

Visits to the enlisted villages were conduced under the supervision of Co-Principal Investigator and interaction with the villagers involving village heads and conducting interviews for gathering first hand information on different disease status in the villages was carried out.

Mass awareness camps were organized in enlisted villages in which villagers were educated about the contagious and infectious diseases and their control. Such awareness camps were given due coverage through various means of media including Radio, Doordarshan and local News papers as well.

Serum samples were collected randomly from the livestock population of 26 enlisted villages and dispatched to PD-ADMAS for Elisa testing. Results are awaited for about 450 sera samples.

Foot & Mouth Disease

In India the Foot & Mouth disease is endemic and occurs in all parts of the country throughout the year and inflict heavy lost to the farming industry.  In Kashmir the FMD cases were mostly encountered in spring and autumn.  During the year 2002-03 about 63 outbreaks of FMD disease were recorded in Kashmir Valley and three major outbreaks of FMD disease were recorded in District Kupwara, Baramulla and Pulwama.  However sporadic cases of FMD have been recorded from Pulwama and Srinagar Districts.  The samples collected from FMD outbreaks were dispatched to CADRAD, IVRI, Mukteshwar and RDDL, Jallandhar.  The results received so far indicate the samples were confirmed positive for sero type “O” of FMD virus.

Haemorrhagic Septicemia

H.S is an important bacterial disease causing huge industrial loss in the state. The disease incidence is recorded in bovines and rarely in sheep and goat. The causative is natural inhabitant of tonsils, nasopharynx and when animals were exposed to stress due to various factors, immunity gets reduced which will predispose to this disease. Usually out break of HS in cattle were recorded during April to May and September to October. During the year under report two outbreaks of HS were recorded in village Mushwara Pulwama district and Gopalpora of Anantnag district. In these outbreaks about 50 animals were effected out of which nine animals died.

The investigating of RRU unit Srinagar, collected the materials from the affected animals for laboratory analysis and etiological agent Pasturella multocida was isolated. Mass vaccination with oil adjuvant HS vaccine manufactured by this institute was conducted in Pulwama and Anantnag districts to prevent further spread of the disease.

Black Quarter

BQ is an acute contagious disease primarily of cattle caused by clostridia organisms. It is another bacterial disease of bovines causing major cattle loss in Kashmir division. This disease is being recorded through out the year, however maximum number of outbreaks were recorded in July, August, September, October and November.

Anthrax

The sporadic cases of Anthrax disease were recorded in Gundi pora and Parnuva villages of Budgam district and Mamar village of Srinagar district which are considered to be endemic zones for Anthrax disease in Kashmir valley. The disease is more or less under control in Kashmir division by way of mass awareness camps, which were organized by the institute, and the farmers were educated about the disease and its control measures.

The confirmation of the Anthrax disease is being carried out on the basis of epidemiological studies\, smear examination, culture, bio chemical and bacteriological tests.

 Rinderpest 

The Rinderpest or cattle plague, one of the dreadful diseases of large as well as small ruminants is under control and has provisionally eradicated from Jammu and Kashmir state along with the rest of the country w.e.f. 01-03-1998. During the year under report about 150 sera samples were collected randomly and despatched to Elisa lab at IVRI for detection of morbilli virus antigen and bearly none of the samples were positive for RPV antigen in whole Kashmir division.

  Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR)

The reproductive diseases like IBR and Brucellosis have to be prioritized for effective control to sustain the status of India as the highest milk produces in the world.

  Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) is the most wide spread viral disease of bovines caused by Herpes virus – 1 (BHV – 1) and is characterized by respiratory and genital tract infections. The disease mostly occurs in animals over six months of age and causes Bronchopneumonia and abortion, loss of new born calves, reductions in milk field. The disease usually spread through aerosol route and semen of infected bulls. The BHV-1 remains latent indefinitely following natural infections and recrudescence, reactivations and shedding of the virus occurs under stress conditions.

The first hand information about the animal disease reveal no symptoms in livestock population resembling to IBR. However, the sero surveillance conducted in the identified villages of Kashmir valley and the results received from PD-ADMAS indicate the presence of significant proportion of anti bodies against IBR disease. 

Brucellosis

Bovine Brucellosis is an economically important reproductive disease caused by Brucella abortus which is a major abortion causing factor in large and small ruminants. The RRU Sringar is regularly screening the livestock of different organized and Govt. farms including breeding bull stations of Kashmir valley. Sporadic cases of Brucellosis were noticed in all the districts of Kashmir valley.