234 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



first covered by an ass, and if not .inii)re(:;nate(l she is then sers'cd by 

 a stallion. The asses o])erate on both sides of the frontier, and in this 

 way introduce the disease into France from Spain, where it has been 

 known to occur for years, especially in Navarre. 



A complete description of this disease, its cause, and methods of 

 eradication, has recently been issued by the bureau as Bulletin 142. 



RINGWORM OF SHEEP, 



Recently a large wool house submitted to the bureau some inter- 

 esting samples of diseased wool for diagnosis. A microscopic exam- 

 ination showed the hair shafts to be affected with s])ores and fdaments 

 of the fungus Trichophyton tonsurans, the causative agent of ring- 

 worm, involving the entire fiber of the clip to within one-half inch 

 of the end of the hair. This is the first case of ringworm in sheep 

 which has been reported to the bureau, and, owdng to its rarity, sheep 

 owners and herders are requested to take cognizance of the condition 

 of the wool simulating this disease in order that both medical and 

 preventive treatment may be applied before the disease has gained a 

 strong foothold. Wliile this disease occurs quite commonly in horses 

 and cattle, and also in dogs and cats, the infection is infrequent in 

 sheep and hogs. 



In sheep the disease affects the wool and the outer layer of the skin 

 and is contagious, being readily transmitted from one animal to 

 another. It is characterized by the formation on the head, neck, 

 chest, or back of round patches varying in size from a 5-cent piece 

 to the palm of the hand, covered by bran-like epidermal scales. 

 On the woolly portions of the bod}^ there is manifest the flattening of 

 one or more small tufts of wool, which become irregularly matted or 

 felted together, and when separated show a dense scurvy accumula- 

 tion around the roots. By and by the wool is shed and may hang 

 in tufts among the health}^ fibers. The skin appears reddened, and 

 in the center shows frequentl}^ a brownish discoloration. The itching 

 is more or less pronounced, which causes the sheep to rub and injure 

 the fleece, although the itching is not nearly so bad as in scabies. 



The mode of infection consists in the penetration of the hair follicles 

 by the fungus, where it multiplies and surrounds the base of the shaft 

 with a complete mantle and then enters into its interior and renders 

 it brittle and easily broken. The hairs at first become erect, and then 

 appear dull, lusterless, devoid of elasticity, extremely fragile, and 

 dead white in color, resembling strands of hemp or asbestos. Inflamma- 

 tion of the follicles is produced, which finally results in loosening and 

 loss of the wool. 



Ringworm can be readily differentiated from scabies by the dry, 

 asbestos-like, brittle condition of the wool covering the lesion, as well 

 as by the condition of the skin, which in scabies is markedly thickened 

 and covered by crusts or scabs. Besides, the scab mites are absent, 

 while the microscopic examination will show the presence of the fungus 

 above mentioned. 



The treatment should consist in clipping the wool from the affected 

 parts and rubbing the lesions ^vith either a 5 per cent carbolized vase- 

 line or a mixture of soft soap, lard, and carbolic acid in the proportion 

 of 1 part of carbolic acid, 5 parts of lard, and 10 parts of soft soap. 

 This is an excellent prcliminar}^ treatment and is used in order to 



