316 



GLANDERS. 



During my absence from the Territory the work of the Divi- 

 sion has devolved upon the assistant territorial veterinarian, who 

 informs me tliat everything has gone smoothly, and as his report, 

 herewith appended, will cover the work in detail there only re- 

 mains to mention the fact that glanders has once more made its 

 appearance in Honolulu. No apprehension need, however, be felt 

 on that account as the outbreak was an isolated one, and was 

 quickly brought under control by the destruction of the only two 

 animals on or near the infected premises. But the case is of 

 interest in that it adds to our knowledge regarding the length of 

 time the infection of glanders may remain undetected in the sys- 

 tem of apparently healthy animals, it being fully 5 years (1910) 

 since the last case of glanders occurred in the stable in question, 

 since which time the disease has been considered practically 

 eradicated here. That such out-croppings of infection from old 

 encapsulated and incrustated centers, in the lungs especially, in 

 animals which were exposed to the infection years ago, but which 

 at the time failed to react to the mallein test, might occur, was 

 predicted in my annual report for 1913-1914, on page 183, and 

 that this outbreak is one of this nature, and not due to extraneous 

 infection, was fully proven by the post-mortem examination, 

 which showed the presence of old calcareous nodules in the lungs 

 of one of the two affected animals. I do, however, not wish to 

 encroach on Dr. Case's report on this very interesting outbreak 

 beyond reiterating that so long as horse owners will adhere to 

 what they learned during the many years when glanders was an 

 every-day occurrence here and will report immediately the ap- 

 pearance of any suspicious symptoms, especially the characteris- 

 tic discharge from the nose and the enlarged glands under the 

 jaw, there is little danger of the disease again getting a foothold 

 here; but with old age comes the danger of recruilescence of 

 these hidden centers of infection, and while we may still con- 

 sider the disease as practically eradicated, the infeetion caimot 

 be said to be completely or absolutely extinct until the last 

 animal, at some time exposed to the invasion of virulent glanders 

 bacilli, is dead. 



The early report of suspicious cases must, therefore, be in- 

 sisted on, and drivers, stable men and horse owners are herewith 

 reminded that the territorial statutes as well as the regulations of 

 this Board pertaining to the supiiression and eradication of 

 glanders and prohibiting the sale, exchange or exposure on public 

 roads nf infected or exposed animal-^ arc >^till in force and must 

 be adlicrci! to. 



