(a) Histology of endocrine and exocrine pancreas (10 marks) (b) Monday morning sickness in equines and its management (10…

(a) Histology of Endocrine and Exocrine Pancreas The pancreas is a lobulated, mixed gland with a thin connective-tissue capsule, septa that divide it into lobules, and a rich blood supply.

Exocrine pancreas (about 98% of the gland): compound tubuloacinar serous glands. Pyramidal acinar cells have a basal basophilic cytoplasm, rich in rough endoplasmic reticulum, and apical eosinophilic zymogen granules, which secrete amylase, lipase and proteolytic proenzymes. The duct begins in the acinus as pale centroacinar cells, continues as intercalated ducts (simple squamous or low cuboidal), then intralobular and interlobular ducts, and finally the main pancreatic duct (columnar epithelium). There are no striated ducts.

Endocrine pancreas: islets of Langerhans, pale-staining clusters scattered through the lobules, with fenestrated capillaries, no ducts, and sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve fibres. Cell types: beta (B) cells, central and most numerous, secrete insulin; alpha (A) cells, peripheral, secrete glucagon; delta (D) cells secrete somatostatin; PP cells secrete pancreatic polypeptide. Types are separated by immunostaining or Gomori's aldehyde-fuchsin.

(b) Monday Morning Sickness in Equines Monday morning sickness, also called azoturia, tying-up or exertional rhabdomyolysis, is an acute muscle necrosis in horses that follows exercise after a period of rest while still on a full grain ration.

Cause: stored glycogen builds up during rest and is catabolised to lactic acid in work, causing muscle damage; predisposing factors are carbohydrate-rich feed, sudden hard exercise, vitamin E and selenium deficiency, and inherited defects such as polysaccharide storage myopathy (GYS1 mutation) in Quarter horses and draught breeds, or recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis in Thoroughbreds.

Signs: stiff gait, sweating, pain, firm painful croup and thigh muscles, trembling, rapid pulse and breathing, dark brown urine from myoglobinuria, and recumbency in severe cases; serum CK and AST are raised.

Management: stop work at once and avoid moving the horse; give analgesics, NSAIDs and muscle relaxants such as methocarbamol; intravenous fluids to protect kidneys; and keep warm and comfortable. Prevention: reduce grain on rest days, give fat-based energy and good hay, regular daily exercise, and vitamin E and selenium.

(c) Socio-Economic Impact of Zoonotic Diseases Zoonoses are diseases transmitted between animals and humans. Roughly 60% of human pathogens and most emerging infections are zoonotic.

Health burden: rabies causes an estimated 20,000 human deaths a year in India, mostly in poor rural communities; brucellosis, anthrax, bovine tuberculosis, leptospirosis, Japanese encephalitis, Kyasanur Forest disease and avian influenza also cause illness and death, and treatment is costly.

Economic losses: fall in milk, meat and draught output; abortion and infertility (brucellosis); animal deaths; culling and compensation (avian influenza); trade bans; quarantine and surveillance costs; food spoilage and condemnation of carcasses; and loss of tourism and markets during outbreaks such as Nipah.

Social impact: stigma, lost workdays and school absence, and impoverishment, especially for poor smallholders and women who care for animals. Occupational groups like farmers, veterinarians and abattoir workers are most at risk.

Control: One Health with joint human-animal surveillance, vaccination (National Rabies Control Programme, brucellosis control in the National Animal Disease Control Programme), safe food practice, and awareness.

(d) Collection and Transportation of Raw Milk Milk is an ideal medium for bacteria, so collection must be hygienic and quick.

Collection: healthy animals, clean udders, washed and dried teats, discard of the first few streams (checked in a strip cup), clean hands, and milking in clean surroundings. Use stainless steel or food-grade containers cleaned and sanitised after each use. Filter milk through muslin, and keep it cool and covered.

Cooling: cool to 4°C or below soon after milking, ideally within two to four hours, at bulk milk coolers or chilling centres. Dairy cooperatives collect through village societies.

Platform tests at the reception dock: temperature, smell, clot-on-boiling or alcohol test, acidity, fat and SNF, adulterants such as water, starch and neutraliser, and antibiotic residue; milk is then weighed and recorded.

Transport: insulated tankers or cans, filled full to avoid churning, kept shaded at low temperature and moved without delay to the dairy; the tank is washed with detergent and sanitiser after every trip. Follow FSSAI standards and cold-chain records.

(e) Grading and Fabrication of Sheep Carcass Grading classes carcasses by quality and yield to give fair price and uniform marketing.

Grading criteria: carcass weight, conformation (shape, muscle fullness), fat cover and distribution, and maturity (age, from bone ossification and teeth). The EU EUROP system rates conformation as E, U, R, O or P and fat cover from 1 to 5. The USDA system uses quality grades (Prime, Choice, Good, Utility) and yield grades 1–5. Indian marketing relies mostly on live weight and visual appraisal, so formal grading is limited.

Fabrication means cutting the chilled carcass into primal cuts: leg, loin (saddle), rack (rib), shoulder, breast and flank, neck, and foreshank. These are divided into sub-primals, for example chump, chops and cutlets, and then trimmed and packed as bone-in or boneless retail cuts.

Dressing percentage is carcass weight over live weight, about 45–55% in sheep, and depends on breed, age and feeding. Cuts are chilled quickly to improve tenderness and keeping quality.