BUREAU OP ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 109 



The destruction was studied in the following way : Tetanus anti- 

 toxin and totanus serum were digested by trypsin and sodium car- 

 bonate in some mixtures and by trypsin alone in others. The extent 

 of protein digestion was determined by chemical methods; the 

 amount of antitoxin remaining was determined by inoculation tests 

 on guinea pigs. 



The following results have been obtained. In mixtures in Avhich the 

 proteins were digested, antitoxin was destroyed. In mixtures con- 

 taining sodium carbonate only, digestion did not take place, but 

 antitoxin was desti'oyed to practically the same extent as in the di- 

 gested mixtures. This shows that under certain conditions anti- 

 toxin may be destroyed while the associated proteins remain intact, 

 a new and unexpected result. The destruction is a slow chemical 

 reaction; in one experiment 20 per cent of the antitoxin remained 

 after 18 days' digestion. 



GLANDERS. 



Cooperative work was done in the control of glanders in various 

 States. The complement-fixation test was applied to 1,252 samples 

 of serum forwarded by State officials and practicing veterinarians, 

 244 of which gave positive results to the test, a percentage of 19,4. 



The technic of the conglutination test for diagnosis was improved, 

 and a number of samples of serum were tested simultaneously by 

 both complement-fixation and conglutination with good results. 



A mallein prepared from strains of Bacillus mallei isolated from 

 glanderous lesions in mules was tried out on mules affected with 

 glanders with the idea that a more specific reaction might be obtained 

 than with the ordinary mallein. A sufficient number of tests has not 

 been made, however, to warrant any definite conclusions. 



OTHER RESEARCH WORK. 



The role of Bacterium pyogenes in lesions in cattle and swine has 

 received considerable attention. A paper on " Suppuration in Cattle 

 and Swine Caused by Bacterium Pyogenes" has been published and 

 a second paper has been prepared. 



Work on the etiology of polyarthritis in pigs has been continued 

 and material for publication is nearing completion. 



RABIES. 



Examinations for rabies were confined to specimens from the Dis- 

 trictof Columbia,Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, 

 Kentucky, and Montana. One hundred and twenty-nine suspected 

 cases were received for laboratory diagnosis. These included 110 dogs, 

 9 cats, 5 cattle, 3 horses, 1 mule, and 1 rabbit. Out of this number 61 

 dogs, 2 cats, 3 cattle, 1 horse, and 1 mule proved positives. In every 

 instance where a person had been bitten, animal inoculation was 

 resorted to when the microscopic findings were negative. 



POULTRY DISEASES. 



Outbreaks of poultry diseases in various sections of the country 

 resulted in a large number of domesticated birds or their carcasses 

 being received for examination. The nature of these diseases was 



