108 ANNUAL REPORT OP THE Off. Doc. 



RINDERPEST 



Kinderpest is a disease of cattle, slieep, goats, wild rumiuants and 

 swine. It is highly contagious and nearly always fatal. It is one of 

 the most dreaded animal plagnes known. Fortunately it has never 

 broken out in North America. Nearly all foreign countries have had 

 numerous outbreaks. Great Britain had the disease in 1865, 1872 

 and 1877. It is always present in India and causes extensive losses 

 annually. Fortunately the virus that causes the disease is short lived 

 and by the rigid system of quarantine maintained by the Bureau of 

 Animal Industry on imported animals it is to be hoped that we 

 may escape infection from this disease. Let us not underestimate 

 the importance, liowever, of ever being on guard to prevent it. 



HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA 



Hemorrhagic septicemia in cattle has been recognized in Pennsyl- 

 vania for a number of years. Formerly it was supposed to be con- 

 fined principally to animals pastured on wild land or in mountain 

 regions. During the past two years tlie disease has been recognized 

 in the stockyards in cattle shipped from other states and held for a 

 tuberculin test. Many of these cattle carried temperature so high 

 that it prevented or interfered with making the tuberculin test. 

 Many animals developed pneumonia and a large percentage of them 

 succumbed to the disease. One shipper had a great deal of trouble 

 with the disease in dairy cattle brought from other states. They 

 were tested before delivery. Many of them would develope pneumonia 

 and die soon after arrival at his place or after they liad been delivered 

 to the purchaser. He claimed that the tuberculin test was the cause 

 of the trouble. It was found upon investigation that equally as 

 many cases developed in interstate steers that were not tested with 

 tuberculin. This form of pneumonia is caused by a micro-organism 

 known as the bacillus bovisepticus. The disease is most prevalent 

 during summer; is seldom seen in winter. It is somewhat similar 

 to the form of pneumonia found in green horses. From the present 

 appearance it is of much more economic importance than was for- 

 merly supposed. 



It is known that this disease can be prevented by vaccination and 

 the Board is prepared to furnish the vaccine for native infected herds. 

 It is highly fatal and prompt action should be taken when it appears. 

 It should be suspected when cattle die suddenly while at pasture 

 when no other cause for death can be determined. In most cases 

 it requires a laboratory examination to diagnose the disease from 

 anthrax. It is not spread from animal to animal direct but the 

 infection is carried by sick animals and may be protected outside 

 of the animal body; usually from rich earth, manure, etc. Animals 

 should be removed promptly from fields when infection has occurred. 

 If this cannot be done for the balance of the season all susceptible 

 animals should be promptly vaccinated. 



Eleven cases of hemorrhagic septicemia were reported in our native 

 cattle during the year and six others suspicious where the diagnosis 

 was not established. 



Where possible the vaccine treatment was used. Information 

 from the records of the last several years indicates that an owner 

 may lose from one to four, possibly five, animals from hemorrhagic 



