78 EXPERIMENT STATIOF BJECOED. [V«L «T 



desirability of entering into some kind of cooperation for the exchange of In- 

 formation with regard to contagious diseases of animals, and so far as practi- 

 cable of adopting uniform regulations for preventing the spread of such dis- 

 eases. It is pointed out that certain fundamentals should and doubtless could 

 be followed, although the different conditions in different countries will prob- 

 ably make an absolutely uniform set of regulations for all American countries 

 impractical. 



Papers on the subject by J. Besnard. chief of the National Veterinary Serv- 

 ice, Chile ; R. Munoz Jimenez, of Uruguay ; and F. Etchegoyen, of Cuba, are 

 Included. 



Department of veterinary science and bacteriology (Nevada Sta. Rpt. 1916, 

 pp. 38-^4. fiff- 1)- — Investigational work with equine anemia was suspended 

 through the scarcity of material for study in eastern Nevada. Investigations 

 have shown that on some ranches anthrax and hemorrhagic septicemia occur 

 simultaneously, evidence of double infection having been found in two animals. 



Work on the separation of the active principle of hog-cholera serum by 

 fractional precipitation is noted aa having been successful. 



Continuing the work on contagious epithelioma (E. S. R., 35, p. 885). re- 

 .sults were obtained which appeared to indicate that the Immunity conferred 

 by vaccination without subsequent exposure is of comparatively brief duration. 

 Experiments are being conducted to determine the duration" of the immu- 

 nity conferre*! by vaccination and that acquired tlirough a natural attack of 

 the disease. It Is Indicated, however, that too much dependence should not be 

 placed upon vaccination as a preventive measure when exposure does not fol- 

 low within a brief period of time. An attempt has been made to improve the 

 vaccine by eliminating other bacteria In order to prevent secondary infections. 

 Some experiments are reported in which the vaccine treatment was only 

 moderately successful. The lesions in these birds were characteristic but the 

 symptoms wore chiefly catarrhal. A careful barteriologicai study showed that 

 the principal cause of the disease was a mixed bacterial Infection. It Is 

 Indicated that while the experiments are far from conclusive they emphasize 

 the need of further study of secondarj* bacterial infections, and tliat the vac- 

 cine must probably be of a mixed type rather than absolutely free from other 

 organisms as attempted in the Improved technique for Its preparation. 



Experiments in the immunization of fowls affected with chicken cholera by 

 vaccination followed by Inoculation to determine the degree of immunity con- 

 ferred by the Intramu.scular inoculation of fully virulent cultures were not 

 successful. It is noted, however, that the dlnlcal results Indicate that a 

 degree of immunity suflicient to protect birds against a natural Infection is 

 thus conferred. It is deemed probable that the metliod will eventually prove 

 satisfactory from a clinical point of view, even If the birds treated are unable 

 to resist artificial infection. 



Annual report on the Punjab Veterinary College, Civil Veterinary De- 

 partment, Punjab, and the Government Cattle Farm, Hissar, for the year 

 1915-16, H. T. Peask, .7. Farmer, and R. Branfx)RD (Ann. Rpt. Punjab Vet. 

 Col. and Civ. Vet. Dept., 191S-16, pp. II +i-^n-\-XVI I). —The usual annual 

 report (E. S. R., 3.^), p. 483). 



Complement fixation in abortions of women, with special reference to the 

 Bacillus abortus and the B. abortivo-equinus, P. F. Wiu,iam.s and .1. A. 

 KoiMKR {Amcr. Jour. Obstet., 75 (1917), No. 2, pp. 19S-20S). — Complement fixa- 

 tion reactions with polyvalent antigens of B. abortxi.s (Bang) and /f. nhortivo- 

 (quinus and the sera of 50 women aborting In the early months of pregnancy 

 yielded negative results. These organisms were thus apparently not etio- 

 logical factors in the cases reported. 



