158 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



stock, including poultry. In some cases tlie losses from non report- 

 cable diseases are of as much or more economic value to our live- 

 stock interests as the diseases mentioned in previous part of the 

 report. This i« especially true of abortion. This disease is widely 

 spread all over the country and the call for assistance from herd 

 (;wners is increasing from j-ear to j^ear. 



ABORTION 



The disease is principally confined to cattle, yet in certain parts 

 of the State it causes considerable losses in horse breeding sections. 

 Abortion of one species of animals is not transmissible under nat- 

 ural conditions to other species. In cattle it is produced by the 

 bacillus of Bang. In mares by other forms of infection. Abortion 

 may exist in more than one species of animals at the same time on 

 the same farm even though the causes are different. Abortion in 

 cattle is by far the most important in our domestic animals. It is 

 doubted if any disease in animals in Pennsylvania is of more im- 

 portance at the present time. 



The bacillus of Bang is found readily in the stomach of the foetus, 

 the foetal envelopes and the vaginal discharge. It is also found in the 

 milk of an infected cow. It is spread principally by the vaginal 

 discharge, the foetus, the foetal envelope and milk. It is most often 

 carried into the system of a susceptible animal by the digestive tract. 

 Some believe that the organism will not live long in the body of a 

 non-pregnant animal. 



Up to recently it has been difficult to make a true diagnosis for 

 the reason that there were but few external symptoms of the dis- 

 ease and these were not manifest till a short time before abortion. 

 Since the organism was discovered and it is known where and how 

 to find it there is but little difficulty in establishing the fact of a 

 positive diagnosis. In addition to this it has been proven that a 

 diagno.sis can be made on an infected cow by a physical examination, 

 the agglutination test or the complement fixation test or a combin- 

 nation of the three. During the year 326 blood samples were ex- 

 amined at the laboratory for this purpose. These tests are of some 

 practical importance where it is desired to know which animals are 

 infected. 



There has been notliing new discovered during the year in the line 

 of treatment. The Board conducted quite an extensive experiment 

 with the medicated methylene blue treatment and has concluded that 

 it with the carbolic acid treatment is of no value. 



We have had several successful demonstrations of the value of 

 local antiseptic treatment. There is no doubt but what the disease 

 can be controlled in this way if the plan is carefully and faithfully 

 followed. It will not work, however, if the responsibility is passed 

 on to the average laborer employed in other work about tlie herd. 

 It must be carried out by an intelligent, faithful, trusty man, with 

 special training and knowledge in this line of work. It is hoped 

 that some more simple form of treatment may be discovered in the 

 future. At the present time there is nothing of practical import- 

 ance to recommend to owners of native infected stock. In valuable 

 breeding herds it may be advisable to undertake treatment. 



