TNPSC Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science (Degree Standard), Code 396 · India · Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersThe lesions of specific infectious diseases and poisonings, how to perform a post-mortem and dispatch samples, and the basics of clinical pathology.
In the exams: ICAR AICE-JRF core group 06; ICAR AIEEA-PG 13 (Pathology); ECFVG / NEB CPE necropsy section
How our questions for TNPSC Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Code 396 spread across the units of Special Pathology, Necropsy & Clinical Pathology. Difficulty: 20 easy, 12 medium, 1 hard.
| Post-mortem technique | 4 | |
| Collection and dispatch of samples | 4 | |
| Pathology of bacterial diseases | 4 | |
| Pathology of viral diseases | 3 | |
| Pathology of toxicoses | 3 | |
| Clinical haematology | 3 | |
| Diseases of laboratory animals | 3 | |
| Diseases of wild animals | 3 | |
| Histopathology | 2 | |
| Cytology | 2 | |
| Urinalysis | 2 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
Green-black discoloration of the intestinal serosa in a carcass examined two days after death in hot weather is most likely:
C. Pseudomelanosis from iron sulphide
Pseudomelanosis forms when hydrogen sulphide from bacterial putrefaction reacts with iron from haemoglobin. True melanosis is a congenital pigment deposit, not a post-mortem change. Bile imbibition is yellow-green and confined to tissue next to the gall bladder.
Further reading: King JM et al., The Necropsy Book
Samples for toxicological analysis should be sent:
C. Frozen in separate clean containers without preservative
Preservatives interfere with analysis and pooling allows cross-contamination. Freezing stops decomposition of many toxins; whole blood is refrigerated rather than frozen.
Further reading: WOAH Terrestrial Manual; King JM et al., The Necropsy Book
A well-fed 14-month-old bullock dies suddenly. The thigh muscle is swollen, crepitant, dark red-black and dry and spongy on cut surface, with a rancid butter odour. The most likely cause is:
A. Clostridium chauvoei
This is blackquarter: crepitant emphysematous myositis in young, well-grown cattle. Anthrax gives unclotted blood and splenomegaly without crepitant muscle; HS gives throat and brisket oedema; type D causes enterotoxaemia in sheep and goats.
Further reading: Zachary JF, Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease, 7th ed.; Jubb, Kennedy and Palmer's Pathology of Domestic Animals, 6th ed.
Nodules and ulcers on the nasal septum that heal as star-shaped scars in a horse are characteristic of:
D. Glanders
Burkholderia mallei produces nasal ulcers that heal as stellate scars, with 'farcy buds' along skin lymphatics. Strangles produces lymph node abscesses. Epizootic lymphangitis (Histoplasma capsulatum var. farciminosum) affects skin lymphatics but not typically the nasal septum in this way.
Further reading: Zachary JF, Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease, 7th ed.; Jubb, Kennedy and Palmer's Pathology of Domestic Animals, 6th ed.
'Tiger heart' seen at necropsy of young calves or lambs is associated with:
D. Foot-and-mouth disease
In young animals the FMD virus causes myocardial necrosis visible as pale grey-yellow streaks. Bluetongue produces haemorrhage in the pulmonary artery wall, not tiger striping.
Further reading: Zachary JF, Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease, 7th ed.; Jubb, Kennedy and Palmer's Pathology of Domestic Animals, 6th ed.
Small dense dots at the margin of bovine red cells on a Giemsa-stained smear are most consistent with:
B. Anaplasma marginale
A. marginale sits at the red cell margin. Babesia bigemina forms paired pear-shaped piroplasms, and Heinz bodies are denatured haemoglobin seen with new methylene blue.
Further reading: Weiss DJ, Wardrop KJ, Schalm's Veterinary Hematology, 6th ed.
A stress (corticosteroid) leukogram in a dog typically shows:
A. Mature neutrophilia, lymphopenia, eosinopenia and monocytosis
Corticosteroids release mature neutrophils, redistribute lymphocytes and eosinophils, and in dogs raise monocytes. Neutrophilia with lymphocytosis is the adrenaline (physiological) response seen in excited cats and horses.
Further reading: Weiss DJ, Wardrop KJ, Schalm's Veterinary Hematology, 6th ed.
Vaginal cytology from a bitch shows nearly all epithelial cells as superficial, cornified cells with no neutrophils. This indicates:
B. Oestrus
Cornification peaks in oestrus. At the onset of dioestrus, intermediate and parabasal cells and neutrophils return abruptly; anoestrus shows mainly parabasal and intermediate cells.
Further reading: Raskin RE, Meyer DJ, Canine and Feline Cytology, 3rd ed.
Dilated bile ducts with hyperplastic epithelium full of coccidial oocysts in a rabbit liver indicate infection with:
D. Eimeria stiedae
E. stiedae is the hepatic coccidium of rabbits. E. tenella is a caecal coccidium of chickens.
Further reading: Fox JG et al., Laboratory Animal Medicine, 3rd ed.
Chronic respiratory disease of laboratory rats with bronchiectasis and lung abscesses is most commonly caused by:
D. Mycoplasma pulmonis
Murine respiratory mycoplasmosis causes rhinitis, otitis media and chronic bronchopneumonia with bronchiectasis. Viruses such as Sendai may worsen it. S. moniliformis is carried by rats and causes rat-bite fever in people.
Further reading: Fox JG et al., Laboratory Animal Medicine, 3rd ed.
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