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Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur

The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively. Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively. On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs. In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc. During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.

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2001 - 20034
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Subject: Veterinary Parasitology × End date: 2004 × Start date: 2001 × Type: Thesis ×
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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Evaluation of different techniques for the diagnosis of bovine babesiosis
    (Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2003) Renjitha, T S; KAU; Deveda, K
    Different techniques to diagnose bovine babesiosis were evaluated by screening 71 cattle presented at the various Veterinary Hospitals of Thrissur and Ernakulam districts and those maintained at the University Livestock Farm, Mannuthy and the Cattle Breeding Farm, Thumburmuzhi with symptoms suggestive of the disease. The techniques employed were examination ofGiemsa stained blood smears, examination of ticks collected from suspected animals and serological tests like the Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test (IF AT) and Slide- Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (Slide-ELISA). Among the 71 cattle, 11 were suffering from an acute illness whereas 60 showed only subclinical symptoms. Examination of Giemsa stained blood smear could detect Babesia bigemina organisms in 9 (12.68 per cent) of the total samples, which were mainly from the acutely infected cattle, except for one, that was obtained from a subclinically infected calf. The principal vector of babesiosis was identified as Boophilus annulatus in the present study. Parasitic masses indicative of the organisms were identified from the various tick tissues dissected and stained with methyl green pyronine. Considering the ticks as positive on detection of developmental stages of the parasite in any of the tissues, ticks from 27 (54 per cent) out of total 50 animals were interpreted as positive. The IFAT detected B. bigemina antibodies in 37 (52.11 per cent) and Slide-ELISA in 39 (54.93 per cent) sera out of 71 samples that were screened. These two serological techniques were found to be equally efficient, with Slide- ELISA proving more suitable for use as a field diagnostic test. Most of the animals that were detected positive for the organisms by all the tests, were above one year of age. As the number of male and female animals was too uneven, a sex related comparison could not be appropriately done. Similarly, a comparison on the performance of the different tests between the breeds was also not feasible owing to the wide variation between the numbers of breeds studied. On evaluation of the different diagnostic techniques, serology and examination. of ticks were found equally effective in detecting both the clinical and subclinical forms of the disease over and above the conventional method i.e., the blood smear examination. However, examination of Giemsa stained blood smears continues to be the method of choice to detect acute infections.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Immunodiagnosis of canine dirofilariosis using microfilarial antigen
    (Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2003) Priya, M N; KAU; Subramanian, H
    A detailed study was conducted on the prevalence on canine dirofilariosis in Thrissur from June 2002 to May 2003, feasibility of microfilarial antibody detection by ELISA and comparison of sensitivity of Indirect ELISA and dot- ELISA in the detection of dirofilariosis. Microfilariae encountered were identified as those of Dirofilaria repens. Out of the total number of2435 blood samples from dogs screened by wet film examination 172 (7.06 per cent) dogs were found positive for microfilariae. It has been found that canine dirofilariosis was prevalent throughout the year with more incidence during summer. An Indirect ELISA and dot-ELISA were also conducted in three groups of animals using microfilarial antigen prepared from known microfilaria positive serum samples. Out of the total number of 50 samples of known microfilaria positive dogs 49 (98 per cent) and 47 (94 per cent) were found positive by Indirect ELISA and dot-ELISA respectively. The corresponding figures in 36 dogs with other helminths were 15 (41.67 per cent) and 19 (52.77 per cent) and that of32 totally helminth free dogs were 10 (31.25 per cent) and 12 (37.5 per cent) respectively. The results indicate that both Indirect ELISA and dot-ELISA are feasible for the detection of the microfilarial antibodies though they are less specific.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Prevalence, pathology and treatment of coccidiosis in rabbits
    (Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2002) Shameem, H; KAU; Devada, K
    A detailed study on the prevalence, pathology and treatment of coccidial infections in rabbits belonging to all age groups, breeds and sex was undertaken at the Rabbit Research Station, Mannuthy and at six local rabbi tries in and around Thrissur during the period from October 2001 to September 2002. The overall prevalence was observed as 18.54 per cent. The prevalence of , coccidiosis was found to be high in young rabbits below three months and in female rabbits ofNew Zealand Whiteduring the months of heavy rainfall. The infection was diagnosed by the microscopical examination of faecal samples and clinical signs which included diarrhoea, soiled fur, anorexia and loss of condition. Subclinically affected rabbits showed no apparent signs except growth retardation and reduced feed intake. Six eimerian species causing coccidial infections in rabbits were I identified. Mixed infections were common and the commonly encountered species were E. magna, E. perforans and E. media. They were found as Eimeria media (80 per cent), E. magna (86 per cent), E. perforans (86 per cent), E. coecicola (50 per cent), E. jlavescens (15 per cent) and E. piriformis (8 per cent). Gross lesions found in the dead rabbits brought for postmortem at the Centre of Excellence in Pathology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy comprised of oedematous, thickened intestine with circumscribed greyish white foci on the mucosa. Histopathological examination of the intestine revealed characteristic lesions of intestinal coccidiosis with schizonts and gametogonic stages in the / epithelium of the intestine. Active inflammatory reaction with mononuclear infiltration was noted. The tips of villi showed necrotic changes and desquamation of epithelial cells resulted in villous atrophy. Haematological studies of infected animals revealed reduction in the values of PCV, Hb and erythrocyte count and a slight increase in leucocyte count when compared to the apparently healthy animals. Therapeutic trials against rabbit coccidiosis usmg drugs like sulphadimidine sodium (200 mg per kg body weight for three days), furazolidone (10 mg per kg body weight for five days) and metronidazole (40 mg per kg body weight for three days) orally, showed sulphadimidine sodium as the drug of choice. The other two drugs did not give satisfactory results. The mean clearance values of the three drugs were 99.68 per cent, 85.48 per cent and 69.92 per cent respectively.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Development of a precocious strain of Eimeria tenella
    (Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2001) Sangeetha, R; KAU; Devada, K
    Studies on the prevalence of caecal coccidiosis in chicken, by referring to the postmortem registers maintained at the centre of Excellence in Pathology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences~ Mannuthy revealed that 48.4 per cent of 550 coccidia positive viscera was due to Eimeria tenella. A pure line of E. tenella was established in the laboratory by single oocyst isolation technique from a virulent field case of caecal coccidiosis in chicken. A stabilised strain of E. tenella was developed by administering a dose of 1.5x103 sporulated pure line E. tenella oocysts per bird orally to six three to five day old coccidia free White Leghorn chicks and harvesting the caecal contents at 168 hr pi for 15 cyclic~l passages. For the development of a precocious strain of E. tenella a dose of 1.5x103 sporulated E. tenella oocysts per bird was administered orally to six, three to five day old White Leghorn chicks. The caecal contents were harvested at 136 hr pi and the oocysts were allowed to sporulate and subsequently repassaged by applying selection pressure in increments of one hour reduction at each passage. At the end of 18 cyclical passages, oocysts obtained at 125 hr pi were designated E. tenella. as the precocious strain of. A comparative study between the precocious and stabilised strain of E. tenella revealed the following observations~ The prepatent period of the precocious strain was 125 hr while that of the stabilised strain was 135 hr. The oocyst morphology did not reveal any significant difference between the two strains. The precocious strain was less pathogenic and produced milder clinical signs than the stabilised strain. The gross lesions of caeca were less morbid in the precocious strain infected group. Weight gain was more in the precocious strain infected group than in the stabilised strain infected group. The precocious strain produced less mortality and showed a drop in oocyst production. Endogenous study revealed an accelerated growth in the early stages of the asexual life cycle in the precocious strain infected group.