132 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



only. If time is lost your are not only fighting hog cholera infec- 

 tion but other disease germs; the bacillus suipestifer, bacillus sui- 

 septicus, etc. Hog cholera serum will not check the action of these 

 bacteria, neither will it aid the body in repairing the damages that 

 they have done. This explains why the Board advises against the 

 vaccination of hogs that are showing advanced symptoms of hog 

 cholera. The majority of such hogs die in spite of treatment, and 

 those that recover would do as well without serum. If the animals 

 do recover it takes a long time to fatten them and it is a question 

 if they will ever prove profitable. It must also be remembered that 

 as long as a man keeps cases of chronic hog cholera he is keeping 

 the disease active upon his pcemises because the sick animals throw 

 off infection in their manure, urine, etc. It is a better proposition 

 to kill and properly dispose of all hogs that are showing marked 

 symptoms of cholera. 



The fact that hog cholera serum will not cure animals that are 

 aff'ected and will not protect for more than a month or six weeks, 

 unless the animals pick up a certain amount of infection at the time 

 they are vaccinated, shows that the serum treatment has its limita- 

 tions. The injection of sick hogs gives very disappointing results 

 and not only wastes serum but discredits the serum treatment. Hogs 

 that are becoming sick, whose temperature is going up for the first 

 time, may be injected with good results. 



The serum virus, or double treatment consists in the injection of 

 a small amount of hog cholera virus immediately followed by the in- 

 jection of hog cholera serum on the opposite side of the body. The 

 idea is to confer a permanent immunity in the animal treated. A 

 small percentage of animals so treated die with hog cholera. Others 

 develop a slight attack of the disease but recover. Most of the prop- 

 erly treated animals are not disturbed by the treatment. 



The serum alone or single treatment, as the name implies, con- 

 sists in injecting hog cholera serum onl3^ Since hog cholera serum 

 does not contain disease producing material, is simply a hog blood 

 plus a little anitseptic, it can do not harm. 



In states where great numbers of hogs are raised and where most 

 premises are infected no serious objection can be raised to the serum 

 virus or double method of combatting the disease. The hog owners 

 are not infecting clean premises when they lose a few hogs or have 

 a few mild cases of hog cholera develop following the double in- 

 jections. Neither is it of such great importance if the animals that 

 are treated by this method become permanent producers of hog 

 cholera virus. 



Pennsylvania has whole counties that are free from hog cholera 

 and a great number of counties in v>^hich the infected district is very 

 limited. In our worst counties not even a third of the farms have 

 had hog cholera upon them. We are able to control or eradicate the 

 disease by sanitary precnutons, quarantine restrictions and the use 

 of the serum or single treatment. We do not feel justified to use the 

 double method broadcast in this State. 



The law prohibits the injection of any disease producing organ- 

 isms into a domestic animal in Pennsylvania, witliout permission 

 from this Board. The use of the serum-virus or double method is 

 illegal except when carried out under permit, 



