EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 323 



SUMMARY. 



To Circular No. 29. 



(1) Infectious abortion in cattle is widely distributed throughout 

 the state. 



(2) We know very little about many features of the disease. 



(3) There is no entirely satisfactory and easily applied method of 

 controlling the disease known to us. 



(4) A common way in which the disea.se is introduced into the herd 

 is through the purchase of an affected female animal. 



(5) Food or water soiled by the discharges of an affected animal 

 may convey the disease to healthy animals. 



(6) The bull may convey the infection from one animal to another. 



(7) Not all abortions are known to be infectious. 



fS) There are no known symptoms by which Ave can always differ- 

 entiate between infectious abortion and abortion due to other causes. 



(9) Through a blood examination we are apparently able to deter- 

 mine whether the abortus bacillus has affected the animals of a herd. 



(10) The blood examination will not determine whether an animal 

 will abort as all affected animals do not abort. 



(11) Sterility frequently follows abortion. If this can be prevented 

 by local treatment subsequent pregnancies will usually terminate 

 normally. 



(12) In the hands of an experienced operator sterility may yield to 

 special treatment. 



(1.3) An animal may harbor the infection for years without aborting. 

 Such animals are dangerous to susceptible animals in the herd. 



(14) We have not been able uniformh' to prevent abortion by the use 

 of bacterial vaccines. 



(15) Carbolic acid is the principal constituent of some of the most 

 widely advertised so-called abortion cures, but our experience with car- 

 bolic acid has not been entirely satisfactory, 



(16) Methylene blue has been recommended. We have not had 

 suflScient experience with this drug to justify us in recommending it, 

 but our knowledge of it does not warrant its recommendation. 



(17) The plan we suggest is one of local treatment of the affected 

 cow, disinfection and sanitation. 



(18) Parturient cows in infected herds, whether aborting or not, 

 should be isolated from the herd and kept isolated until all discharges 

 have ceased. 



(19) The afterbirth and litter contaminated with the discharges 

 should be burned. 



(20) The cow should receive irrigations of some mild non-toxic anti- 

 septic until the discharges have ceased. 



(21) The external parts of the cow should be cleaned daily. 



