This document discusses Deg-nala disease, a mycotoxicosis commonly seen in dairy animals in South Asia caused by toxins produced by fungi growing on moist rice straw. Buffalo are more susceptible than cattle. Clinical signs include lameness, edema, and gangrenous lesions on limbs, ears and tails. The disease occurs during winter months when contaminated rice straw is fed. Several fungi species can produce the toxins. Proper drying and treatment of rice straw before feeding can help prevent the disease.

1. Manoj karki
BVSC&AH
Nepal

2.  Deg-nala disease is most common complication seen in
Nepal, India, Pakistan in dairy animal caused due to
mycotoxin.
 Mycotoxin is a toxin produced by a fungus under
special condition of moisture and temperature that
produce toxic result in another organism and the
resulting condition is known as mycotoxicosis.

3.  Buffalo are more frequently affected than cattle and
younger animal appear to be more susceptible.
 The disease occurs in winter month when fungal
infested rice straw is fed to cattle and buffalo.

4.  - The disease affects cattle and buffaloes fed mouldy
paddy straw (Sikdar et al., 2000).
 In buffaloes the disease is more severe than in cattle,
due to the higher susceptibility of this species.
 Secondary bacterial infection of the lesions are partly
responsible for the severity of the disease.

5.  Paddy harvesting, threshing and its storage are major
agricultural activities in south Asia during the
November, such rice straw is the major fodder for cattle
and buffalo during winter season (karki.,2008)
 The rice straw should be properly dried before feeding
otherwise the undried straw might desiccate and such
straw feeding would cause adverse effect in health of
cattle and buffalo.

6.  In Nepal, degnala disease was first reported in 1988 in
Banke district but epidemic outbreak was in 2000 AD
in Jhapa, Morang, Siraha, Saptari, Banke, Bardiya
district.

7.  During the earlier era, of 1930 in present punjab
province of pakistan, the health of buffaloes feed with
rice straw from adjacent area and territory of Deg river
showed the quiet different symptoms in dairy buffaloes.
 The British animal health technician shir law serving
their at that time investigated about those symptoms
and tried to find the reason with all those sign and
named it as DEGNALA. But he was unable to pin
point the exact cause of that disease.

8. 1. It may be due to excessive ingestion of toxic amount
of selenium contaminated fodder grown on selenium
rich soil. Feeding of rice straw for long period is
associated with it.
2. It may be due to mycotoxin produced in rice straw.
Whenever stored in moist condition. There may be
chance of fungal growth and ultimately there will be
production of mycotoxin. (Maqbool et al.,1994).

9.  The fungi affected rice straw are:
1.Aspergillus niger
2. Aspergillus flavus
3. Fusarium equiseti
4. Fusarium amuioides
5. Trichothecium
6. Penecillin notatum

10.  Also called gangrenous syndrome, affected buffaloes
show lameness, edema, gangrenous ulceration of limbs,
hooves, ears or tail that are cold to the touch.
 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 (Maqbool
et al. 1994; Hokonohara et al. 2003).

11.  Reduction in feed consumption, reduced fertility,
abortion, weight loss, increased occurrence of ketosis,
retention of placenta, metritis, mastitis, and other
disease due to lowered immunity.

15.  The mycotoxin produced by the metabolism of
fusarium fungus dissolves the collagen and elastin into
collagenase and elastinase respectively.
 As a blood supply is obstructed and ultimately tissue
die of anoxia.
 In addition to this toxin severely affect liver, lung, heart
and kidney.

16. 1. Clinical sign
2. Isolation of fungus from infected material
3. Hematology: increase of band neutrophil giant
platelet, hypoalbuminemia and hyperglobulinemia.

17. 1. Ergot poisoning occurs mostly In cattle
2. Chronic selenium toxicity
3. Foot rot

18.  Wash the lesion with lukewarm water and dress with
Nitroglycerine 2% ointment.
 Pentasulphate orally @60 gm first day followed by 30
gm daily for 10 day with sufficient quantity of linseed
and molasses
 I/M inj. of long acting OTC 20 mg/kg body weight, if
lesion proceed after use of pentasulphate.
 Anti- degnala liquid @ 10 ml orally for 10 days.

19.  If possible avoid feeding of desiccate straw.
 Sodium hydroxide (NaoH) treated rice straw (4%
solution of NaOH; means 1 gm / 400 ml of water for 20
kg rice straw)
 Feed properly dried straw and feed half quality give
adequate supplementation of green fodder and tree
fodder.
 Advice farmer to use copper and zinc in rice growing
area.

20. 1. The basic reason for its importance is its differential
diagnosis with other disease.
2. Local farmer still think that its buffalo having wound
on its mouth and foot is suffering from FMD, so the
specific treatment get delayed.
3. Wound on the udder lead to mastitis and local farmer
start to treat it with antibiotic and market available
drugs.

21. 4. Alopecia reported in animal not treated specifically as
a symptom of degnala but treated as other condition like
ringworm.

22.  Sikdar, A., Chakraborty, G.C., Bhattacharya, D.,
Bakshi, S., Basak, D.K., Chatterjee, A. and Halder,
S.K. (2000). An outbreak of gangrenous syndrome
among buffaloes and cattle in west Bengal:
clinicopathological studies. Trop.Anim.Health Prod.,
Jun., 32: 165-171.
 Maqbool, A., Mohammad, G., Irfan, M. and Mahmood,
F. (1994). Prevalence, aetiology, chemotherapy and
control of Deg Nala disease in buffaloes and cattle.
Proc. Fourth World Buffalo Congress, 27-30 June, Sao
Paulo, Brazil, Vol II: 313 315.

23.  Hokonohara, S., Singh, U.M., Jha, V.C., Pradhan, A.,
Dev, S. and Mandar, R.K. (2003). Clinical and
hematological findings on "Degnala", a disease of
buffalo in Eastern Nepal. J.Vet.Med.Sci. Jun. 65: 719-
722.
 Karki, K. (2008). A Laboratory outbreak investigation
of Post-Monsoon Endemic Moist Eczematous
Syndrome in cattle in Jhapa District of Nepal.
Veterinary World, Vol.1(8): 233-236

24. Thank you