780 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. [Vol. 36 



*' bighead," which is apparently the disease known elsewhere as osteoporosis or 

 osteomalacia. In a number of cases examined post-mortem the author always 

 found innumerable small worms of the genus Cylicostomum, in addition to 

 others. Considering the disease to be of verminous origin he has applied the 

 name cylicostomiasis. 



Pseudo-epizootic encephalomyelitis of the horse, G. Uebain {Bui. Soc. 

 Path. Exot., 9 {1916), No. 8, pp. 557-561; abs. in Trop. Vet. Bui., 4 {1916), No. 4, 

 pp. 18Jf, 185). — This article relates to a highly fatal disease of equines in 

 Parana, Brazil, known as " peste de cegar " (blindness disease), which is 

 characterized by the following symptoms : Blindness ; circular movements fol- 

 lowed by a unilateral paralysis ; immobility, the animal remaining for hours 

 without moving; and a stage of excitability, depression, coma, and death. The 

 affection is said to differ from Borna disease. The author is of the opinion 

 that it is caused by a fungus of the genus Aspergillus found in corn. 



Further investigations of the etiology and control of infectious abortion 

 in mares, E. S. Good and W. V. Smith {Kentucky Sta. Bui. 204 {1916), pp. 

 331-396, pis. 8).— This bulletin gives a brief historical review of other investi- 

 gations ; compares the disease of infectious abortion in the mare and cow ; 

 gives a history of the studs and cases investigated ; and takes up the morpho- 

 logical, cultural, and physiological characteristics of Bacillus abortivo-equinus ; 

 agglutination and complement-fixation tests ; agglutination and complement- 

 fixation tests to determine tlie relationship, if any, of B. abortivo-equinus and 

 other organisms belonging to subgroup II of the colon-typhoid group ; inocula- 

 tion experiments ; production of a hyperimmune serum for infectious abortion 

 in mares ; experiments in immunizing animals with a bacterin made from B. 

 abortivo-equinus; and the effect of methylene blue, hexamethylenamin, carbolic 

 acid, and potassium permanganate on B. abortivo-equinus. 



The authors have isolated B. abortivo-equinus from nine different studs of 

 aborting mares and one stud of aborting jennets. By cultural, agglutination, 

 and complement-fixation tests the organism has been found to be distinct from 

 the other pathogenic organisms of subgroup II of the colon-typhoid type. The 

 organism varies in its physiological property of splitting lactose and saccharose, 

 as previously noted (E. S. R., 35, p. 785). A 0.1 per cent solution of potassium 

 permanganate was found to destroy the organism in one minute, and a 1 per 

 cent solution of carbolic acid in the same time. A 1 : 1,000 solution of methylene 

 blue destroyed the organism in five minutes, while a saturated solution of boric 

 acid required three hours for the destruction of the germ. It is indicated that 

 all of these solutions, in the strengths mentioned, can be used as douches and 

 not injure the mare. 



Subcutaneous injections of B. abortivo-equinus produced abortions in guinea 

 pigs and rabbits, and an intravenous injection of this organism produced abortion 

 in the hog and sheep. The feeding of large amounts of the germ to a pregnant 

 sow, however, produced no injury. The feeding of the organism to pregnant 

 ewes did not produce abortion. Small doses injected intravenously into hogs 

 resulted only in lassitude, while a large dose given intravenously and repeated 

 produced death. The organism could be recovered from the internal organs 

 of the animal. The intravenous injection of 1 cc. of a physiological salt sus- 

 pension of B. abortivo-equinus into a pregnant mare produced abortion in 12 

 days in one case, and the injection of 2 cc. of a similar suspension into another 

 pregnant mare produced abortion in 10 days. 



A suspension of the organism in sterile water mixed with ship stuff and fed 

 to a pregnant mare produced a persistent diarrhea which would not yield to 

 medical treatment and resulted in the death of the animal 20 days after receiv- 

 ing the dose. The organism was recovered from the heart blood of the mare 



