161 



Van Saceghem (R.). La Peste du Cheval ou Horse Sickness au Congo 

 Beige. [Horse Sickness in the Belgian Congo.] — Bull. Soc. Path. 

 Exot., Paris, xi, no. 5, 8th May 1918, pp. 423-432. 



The tick, Amhlyomma hebraeum, is known to be the vector of 

 heartwater ; this tick, however, does not occur in Zambi, though 

 A. variegatum and A. splendidum are present. Experiments recorded 

 in this paper indicate that horse-sickness and heartwater are two 

 varieties of the same virus, heartwater in sheep being transmitted 

 to horses in the form of horse-sickness, but being non-transmissible 

 to cattle. The carrier concerned in fatal cases of both these diseases 

 was found to be Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and R. evertsi var. 

 alhigenicidatus ; but it was also observed that the epizootic of horse- 

 sickness spread in troops of horses that were carefully freed from 

 ticks and kept in a tick -free region, thus proving that other agents 

 can transmit the disease. 



It has in fact been proved that Stegomyia spp., Anopheles spp., 

 Lyperosia spp. and Stomoxys spp. can act as vectors. In all 

 probability ticks maintain the disease in an endemic form in a country, 

 while the above-named insects are the agents by which it is rapidly 

 transmitted from horse to horse, thus producing epidemics. 



This transmission occurs at such short distances that horses in general 

 use have safely traversed the whole region during an epizootic, the 

 only precaution taken being to keep them away from infected kraals. 

 From this the author concludes that the principal vector in Zambi 

 is a species of Culicoides, closely allied to C. neavei, Aust, These 

 small blood-sucking midges are never far distant from troops of 

 horses, but are very dif&cult to find ; they can only be observed 

 flying from animal to animal very early in the morning. Numerous 

 individuals of Tabanus pluto present during the epidemic at Zambi 

 were also j)robable vectors. A strong dose of camphorated oil given 

 as a subcutaneous injection has yielded good results in cases of horse- 

 sickness. It seems possible to confer immunity on horses by pro- 

 gressive injections of virulent serum mixed with glycerine in equal 

 volume and subjected for 12 hours to \ the volume of sulphuric ether. 



Pestico (J. F.). La Mosca domestica. [The House-Fly.]— i^eu. Agric, 

 Bogota, iv, no. 2, February 1918, pp. 98-101, 1 fig. [Received 

 7th June 1918.] 



This article briefly describes the various measures available against 

 Musca domestica, against which the municipality of Medellin, Colombia, 

 is beginning a campaign. 



Hegh (E.), Comment nos Planteurs et nos Colons peuvent-ils se 

 prot^ger contre les Moustiques qui transmettent des Maladies ? 



[How can our Planters and Colonists protect themselves against 

 Disease-bearing Mosquitos?] — Royaume de Belgique, Ministere des 

 Colonies, Service Agriculture, London, Etude Biol, Agric, no. 4, 

 1918, 200 pp., 105 figs. [Received 12th June 1918.] 



This booklet has been compiled to meet the need for a concise 

 and methodical account, in the French language, of the most recent 

 methods of destroying mosquitos and eliminating mosquito-borne 



