BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 625 



among other lesions tlie largo intestine and ileum were more or lesa 

 uicorated. 



May 12, two pigs (Nos. 234 and 237), worw inoculated each with 

 about 31"° of a seventh culture obtained origina-Uy from a mouse. 

 One-half was injected beneath the skin of each tiiigh. There being 

 no indiciitions of any disease after this inoculation, No. 237 was fed 

 July 10 with portions of viscera from cases of hog-cholera, and W8,s 

 found dead July 15. No. 234 was fed July 25, and died from the ef- 

 fects August 8. No. 219 received May 28 IC"' of a liquid beef-infusion 

 peptone culture, one-half into each thigh. At both places a small 

 tumor developed, which did not disappear. This animal seemed un- 

 affected by the inoculation, and was fed, together with No. 237, July 

 10. Both died on the same day. In both animals there was consid- 

 erable superficial necrosis in the csocum and colon, and complete 

 necrosis of the mucosa of the major portion of the ileum. In No. 219 

 there was an encysted mass about the size of a marble in the subcu- 

 taneous connective tissue at the place of inoculation, freely m.ovable. 

 On section a grayish- white cheesy mass, paj-tially converted into a 

 liquid in the interj or, could be easily peeled out of a capsule, the inner 

 surface of which was considerably reddened. In Nos. 237 and 219 

 the spleen contained the bacterium of hog-cholera, as determined by 

 cover-glass preparations. No. 234 was not examined. The subcu- 

 taneous inoculations having proved unsuccessful thus far, a pig was 

 fed June 4 with the viscera of a rabbit which had died from the inocula- 

 tion, and the organs of which contained the bacterium in abundance. 

 June 9 a second rabbit was fed to the same pig. July 20, one month and 

 a half later, the animal being apparently in goocl condition, it was 

 fed with the viscera of a pig which had died of hog-cholera at the 

 station. After some days of marked debility it was found dead 

 August 9. It ijresented the lesions consequent upon a general sys- 

 temic invasion of the virus, greatly augmented spleen, deeply con- 

 gested lymphatic system, hemorrhagic foci in lungs, and extensive 

 necrosis of caecum and upper colon. 



The negative results of these few experiments must not incline us 

 to reject the conclusion that the microbe under consideration was 

 actually the cause of this outbreak of swine disease in Nebraska. 

 When we remember how closely it resembles in its cultures, reaction 

 and its pathogenic effect upon smaller animals the bacterium which 

 was demonstrated to be the cause of the disease as observed for over 

 a year at the Experimental Station, the evidence from the standpoint 

 of to-day becomes too strong to be set aside. We must also remember 

 that the culture was obtained early in March, and was kept for inoc- 

 ulation experiments without re-enforcement from any fresh cases of 

 disease for several months, and that the disease is only excoptionably 

 produced by subcutaneous inoculation. Our information concern- 

 ing the attenuation of this virus under cultivation is very meager, 

 although it is highly probable that any microbe adapted to a parasitic 

 existence will sulier by artificial cultivation. 



In order to determine whether the disease could be i^roduced by 

 feeding the bacterium from Nebraska in liquid cultures, two pigs 

 (Nos. 383 and 384) were fed, each with about 250*=*' of a beef-infusion 

 culture after being starved for over twenty-four hours. No. 383 re- 

 ceived previous to the ingestion of the culture liquid about 1 liter of 

 beef broth to which 1 per cent, sodium carbonate had been added. 

 The feeding took place on the evening of December 10, 188G. On the 

 following evening No. 384 was dull; on the next day it did not eat, 

 40 AG— '86 



