1928.] 



233 



ULCERATIVE LYMPHANGITIS. 



By Captain H. V. M. Metivier, o.b.e., b.sc, m.r.c.v.s., 

 Government Veterinary Surgeon. 



This disease is one of the forms of Contagious Lymphangitis in 

 Equidae, i.e. horses, donkeys and mules. The other forms are 

 (1) Farcy — Cutaneous Glanders — (2) Epizootic Lymphangitis or South 

 African Farcy and (3) Sporothricosis. 



On August 23, 1921, I visited a Trinidad estate accompanied by the 

 Veterinary Surgeon of the Company to examine four cases of 

 Lymphangitis in mules which were suspected to be either cases of 

 (1) Farcy — Cutaneous Glanders — or (2) Epizootic Lymphangitis. These 

 animals had been tested with Mallein previously to my inspection 

 together with twenty-six other mules, but the results were all negative. 

 The test was again repeated on September 5 and the result was again 

 negative. These results proved definitely that the condition was not 

 Farcy. 



A bacteriological examination of the pus obtained from nodes and 

 abscesses on these four animals' legs was made and it was impossible 

 to detect any Cryptococci in the contents of these lesions ; this eliminated 

 Epizootic Lymphangitis as the cause of the trouble. It should also be 

 mentioned that the thick creamy pus present in the lesion of Epizootic 

 Lymphangitis could not be obtained from any of the lesions on these 

 lour animals. 



The presence of a small Gram positive bacillus was discovered in 

 two smears fi*om two different animals, and in one of these cases I 

 obtained the same organism in pure culture. This organism is the 

 cause of Ulcerative Lymphangitis in Equidae. 



The following is a summary of this disease from most recent 

 literature on the disease. 



CAUSE. 



The causal organism is the Preisz Nocard bacillus, which presents 

 many points of analogy with the diphtheria bacillus ; like the latter it 

 forms a very acute toxin. The disease was very common in horses and 

 mules during the late European War. 



SYMPTOMS. 



The disease is characterised by the successive development in the 

 subcutanous cellular tissue, most frequently of the limbs, of a series of 

 abscesses and nodes due to the action of the bacillus. Under the 

 influence of the diffused toxic product of the organism the subcutaneous 

 connective tissue undergoes a fibrous change resulting in Elephantiasis of 

 the affected limb. The disease is essentially local and chronic. 

 Experiments have proved that the organisms causing the disease 

 penetrate through or into the skin subsequent to the formation of 

 erosions caused in particular by the irritant effect of mud contaminated 

 with excreta — it was understood that this state of affairs existed in the 



