226 DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. 



seqiiently i^roven by auinial inoculations, and a report is now being 

 prepared covering this investigation. 



Caseous Ij^mphadenitis in sheep has been found to be quite preva- 

 lent in the United States, but owing to its very chronic course the 

 pathological alterations seldom reach such an extent as to cause death, 

 or even to cause the rejection of the carcasses on post-mortem examina- 

 tion. The disease has been observed in Europe, South America, and 

 Australia, and is due to a specific bacillus first described l>y Preisz in 

 1891. The results of the investigations made by this division are 

 published in the Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau. 



An outbreak of facial dermatitis in sheej) occurred on a farm in 

 Maryland about 16 miles east of AVashington. The j)rineipal symp- 

 toms consisted in tlie formation of thick, warty scabs on the lips and 

 around the nostrils and spreading to a greater or less extent up tOAvard 

 the eyes, sometimes involving the lids and causing severe conjuncti- 

 vitis. Out of a flock of 142 ewes, -IS head were aifected. The disease 

 yields readily to treatment. Abundant material was preserved for an 

 investigation as to the sj)ecific cause of the lesions, and this work will 

 be taken up as soon as possible. , 



An investigation of an infectious disease among a flock of sheep 

 in Michigan was based upon material sent to the division by Drs. 

 Ackerson and Klopfenstein, of Manchester, Mich., for diagnosis. It 

 consisted of a bottle of blood obtained immediately after death from 

 one of the affected animals, and was accompanied by post-mortem 

 notes which suggested that the disease in question might possibly be 

 anthrax. An examination of cover-glass preparations made from 

 the blood showed it to contain, in apparently pure cultures, a short 

 spore-bearing bacillus, which morphologicallj^ difl'ered from Hny of 

 the common sj)ore-bearing pathogenic bacteria. The possibility of 

 the disease being braxy, or bradsot, a fatal infectious sheep disease, 

 common in Norway and Scotland, at once suggested itself. That this 

 supposition was correct, has since been fully demonstrated, and a 

 j)aper on this subject is now being prepared for publication. 



Two outbreaks of gangrenous vulvitis in cattle were reported dur- 

 ing the fiscal year and si)ecimens forwarded to the division for exami- 

 nation. A short motile aerobic bacillus was isolated from the deejier 

 parts of the lesions, which, on injection on smaller experiment animals, 

 produced similar lesions. Inoculations on sheep and calves failed to 

 give positive results. The investigation will be continued as soon as 

 fresh material can be obtained. 



The investigation regarding the therapeutic value of the so-called 

 gasoline treatment for parasitic diseases in sheep has embraced only 

 the treatment of a single flock, consisting of 89 head, the majority of 

 which showed unmistakable symptoms of bronchial and intestinal 

 helminthiasis. The results, which were very encouraging, will be 

 referred to the zoological division for publication, as the pressure of 

 work in the patliological division has not allowed of the continuation 

 of this investigation. 



It ai^pears that infectious abortion in cattle is constantly spreading 

 among the dairy herds of the United States, and numerous outbreaks 

 have been reported during the past fiscal year. In each case the 

 method of sanitation and prevention as suggested by Professor Bang, 

 of Denmark, has been recommended, l)ut suflicient time has not yet 

 elapsed to allow of any conclusions being drawn from the results 

 obtained. The disease is caused by a specific bacillus, pure cultures 

 of which have been obtained from an outbreak among the cattle at 

 St. Elizabeth, D. C. The disease is highly interesting; and as the 



