Selenomethionine in the Aetiology of Degnala Disease in Buffaloes

Chronic selenium toxicity, as a cause of Degnala disease in buffaloes, was further investigated by attempting to induce the disease symptoms by parenteral administration of organic selenium compounds, viz., selenomethionine (SeM) and selenocystine (SeCy) in 7 trials conducted in different months. The appearance of syndromes was more in evidence during October to December rather than during February to May and coincided with the natural incidence of the disease in field cases. In trial 7, local or systemic influence of SeM injection was tested by injecting the compound subcutaneously at the root of the tail in the month of December on 2 buffalo calves. Severe disease lesions appeared in 9-11 days. These observations suggest that SeM could be one of the etiological factors in the causation of the disease.