80 EXPEEIMENT STATION EECOKD. 



tuberculosis and its relation to human health, and the infection of hogs, and 

 discussing the symptoms of tuberculosis in cattle, post-mortem appearances of 

 tuberculous cattle, methods of suppressing the disease, and dairy sanitation. 



On the infectious abortion of the cow, Zwick and Zeller (Arb. K. Gsndht- 

 samt., 1,3 (1912), No. 1, pp. 1-129, pis. 2).— The authors tind contagious abortion 

 among cattle in Germany to be largely due to Bang's bacillus. Bacillus pyo- 

 genes was found to be the cause in but one case. The abortion bacillus brings 

 about a fibro-purulent inflammation of the maternal and fetal placenta. In 

 aborted fetuses the changes are found principally in the stomach and intestinal 

 canal. It is comparatively easy to cultivate the bacillus from the muco-purulent 

 content of the abomasum or of the intestines of aborted fetuses, also from parts 

 of the afterbirth so long as they are kept in a fresh condition. The bacillus 

 does not take an exceptional position between the aerobes and anaerobes as 

 described by Bang, but usually develops much more readily under aerobic con- 

 ditions. Taken directly from the fetus, the authors frequently succeeded in 

 cultivating it aerobically on agar slants. Infectious vaginal catarrh is not con- 

 sidered to be a cause of abortion. 



The details of anatomical changes and of agglutination and complement fixa- 

 tion tests are included in the report. 



Biological investigations of the abortion bacillus, Zwick and Wedemann 

 (Arb. K. Gsndhtsamt., 1,3 (1912), No. 1, pp. 130-11',, fiO-f- 6).— A detailed report 

 on cultural studies, resistance of the bacillus to heat, disinfectants, etc. 



The abortion bacillus is destroyed by sterile urine beginning at the end of 

 one day, but survives for more than 75 days in sterile moist feces. In dry 

 feces it survives for but a very short time. In culture it is destroyed by a 

 3 per cent cresol-sulphuric acid solution within fi'om 5 to 10 minutes, and 

 by a hydrochloric acid-sodium chlorid solution containing: 1 per cent of the 

 former and S per cent of the latter within 15 seconds at 20° C. 



Infectious abortion and sterility in cattle, W. Giltner (MicJdf/an Sta. 

 Tech. Bui. IJf. pp. 3-12). — The author states that as a result of the use of 

 liquid cultures of lactic organisms as a substitute for coal-tar disinfectants 

 about 50 per cent of the cases treated conceived after only a few treatments. 

 Work on the bacterial flora of the vagina does not indicate that the lactic 

 organism establishes itself in the vaginal mucosa and that an undue acidity 

 of the mucous membrane is not produced. In the cultivation of Bacillus 

 abortus an amniotic fluid media gave the best results. 



Immunity experiments are reported. In an agglutination test of a heifer 

 inoculated with 65 ec. of a culture of B. abortus on June 8, the agglutinative 

 power of the blood serum increased in 7 days from 1 : 10 to 1 : 250, whereas 

 the blood of an untreated heifer showed practically no change in agglutinative 

 power. The temperature reaction from the injection began about 17 hours 

 after the injection, reached its maximum 26 hours after the injection, and 

 resumed the normal condition only after 5i days, although it remained at an 

 elevation of 103° F. or above for only 2 days. 



On June 15 the treated heifer was injected with 130 cc. of culture one 

 UKMith old. Four hours after this injec-tion the temperature was found to be 

 considerably elevated, reaching its maximum at the end of 28 hours, and 

 resuming the normal condition 3 days after the injection. 



Testa made of the 2 heifers on November 8 after they had spent the summer 

 at pasture gave with the treated heifer a complete agglutination at dilutions 

 of from 1 : 10 to 1 : 250 and with the untreated from 1 : 10 to 1 : 50. Both 

 heifers were injected on November 8 with 10 cc. of culture and again on 

 February 16, with but slight temperature reactions and both calved normally 

 the middle of April. " No deductions can be drawn from this experiment 



