18 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



veterinary education and research. 



Some interesting' experiments have just been concluded on a 

 disease in cattle known to the farmers as Snotaiekte. This disease 

 was present in South Africa before the time that rinderpest made its 

 appearance, and when the latter disease broke out many farmers con- 

 cluded from the fact that there were many symptoms common to the 

 two diseases that they had to deal with snotsiekte. It was a general 

 belief amongst farlners that snotsiekte was in some way connected with 

 the black wildebeest. As the big game receded from the Union out- 

 breaks of snotsiekte became less freqvient, until at the piesent time 

 it has almost entirely disappeared. 



The disease was recently brought to the notice of this Division by 

 a Free State farmer, who has a herd of some 200 head of black 

 wildebeest running on his farm. In the first outbreak, which 

 occurred several years ago, a black wildebeest cow died and left a 

 calf, which was put with a domestic cow. The foster-mother promptly 

 contracted snotsiekte, and this case formed the nucleus of a serious 

 outbreak amongst the cattle on the farm. 



A second outbreak occurred about a year ago. During the 

 drought the black wildebeest and the cattle were forced to drink water 

 from the same pool. This circumstance seems to have been the cause 

 of another outbreak of the disease amongst the cattle. 



A sick cow was then sent to Onderstepoort and the disease repro- 

 duced by the inoculation of blood or serum of the sick animal into 

 healthy cattle. Later on a few apparently healthy black wildebeest 

 were shot on the farm, and again it was possible to produce the disease 

 by inoculating their blood into healthy cattle. The fact was thus 

 conclusively established that the black wildebeest acts as a host for 

 the virus of the disease. The remarkable part is that the wildebeest 

 itself does not appear to be affected at all by the virus. 



In the course of our experiments it was established that the cause 

 of snotsiekte is an invisible virus, but will not pass through a 

 bacterial filter (the same as in the case of rinderpest). We do not 

 know yet how the disease is spread ; it is certainly not contagious ; 

 healthy animals can remain in close contact with diseased ones with- 

 out ever contracting the disease. It is very probable that some insect 

 acts as transmitter of the virus. The disease seems to be transmissible 

 to cattle only. 



The chief symptoms are high fever and changes in the mucous 

 membranes. Lacrymation sets in, the eyelids become swollen, and 

 complete blindness may result. There is a profuse discharge from the 

 nose; the nostrils may be closed up almost entirely. Ulcers and 

 diphtheroid deposits are generally present on the mucous membranes 

 of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, etc. The aninnil finally refuses to 

 eat, lies down, and dies. It is of importance to note that the profuse 

 diarrh(Ea, which is a main symptom of riiiderpest, is generally com- 

 pletely absent in snotsiekte. 



On post-mortem examination the mucous membranes of some of 

 the internal organs show similar lesions to those in the mouth and 

 throat. The most characteristic change in the body is the tremendous 

 enlargement of the lymph glands and the swelling of all lymphatic 

 tissue (for instance, in the spleen). 



The disease is almost invariably fatal for cattle. No cure is 

 known, but the prevention would seem to be simple, inasmuch as it 

 is merely necessary to keep the black wildebeest away from the cattle 

 and no snotsiekte will occur. 



