" BRAXY " SHEEP DISEASE IN AUSTRALIA. 603 



Guineapig 21. — Inoculated with 0'25 cc. four days old first subculture 

 from lamb 1 in serum broth. Death occurred in less than It) hours. Post- 

 mortem : much subcutaneous oedeniatous swelling extending along abdominal 

 floor ; little change in organs, except liver, which shows necrosed patches. 



Guineapig 24. — Inoculated with 0-25 cc. first subculture from blood of 

 ■guineapig 21. Death within 16 hours. Post-mortem : much subcutaneous 

 oedema, effusion in pericardium, necrotic areas in liver, liver congested, 

 kidneys, petechial points, otherwise normal. 



Guineapig 52. — Inoculated with 0-1 cc. 24 hours old second subculture 

 of amb 1 in ordinary serum broth. Death occurred in less than 20 hours. 

 Post-mortem : typical, with niuch peritoneal effusion ; no liver necrosis. 

 (See Lamb 5). 



Rabbit 2. — Inoculated with 0-1 cc. 12 days old first subculture in serum 

 broth from lamb 1. Animal dead within 16 hours. Post-mortem : sub- 

 cutaneous oedema not so extensive as in guineapigs ; small quantity of peri- 

 toneal fl id. 



Rabbit 5. — Inoculated with O'l cc. three days old seventh subculture 

 on serum broth from lamb 1 ; this being a subculture from that used for lamb 

 3 made a week after lamb 3 was inoculated. Animal found dead 16 hours 

 later. Post-mortem showed comparatively little subcutaneous effusion, and 

 otherwise normal. Apparently there was little loss of virulence for the rabbit. 

 (Compare lamb 3.) 



II. — Experiment on Calf. 



A calf, three months old, in good condition, was inoculated behind the 

 left shoulder with 0-5 cc. 24 hours old first culture from sheep 1. In 24 

 hours the animal was slightly lame, and there was a considerable swelling, 

 hot and painful, behind the shoulder. Although the temperature was high 

 the appetite was good and rumination was normal. The next day the 

 swelling had become more diffuse, was not painful, and the animal was not 

 apparently ill. Temperature 102-2. About 50 hours after inoculation grave 

 symptoms developed, the animal breathed as if with difficulty ; later on 

 signs of dyspnoea appeared, and death occurred suddenly at 6 p.m., 54 hours 

 after inoculation. Post-mortem examination was made two hours later. 

 Practically the whole of the subcutaneous and intermuscular tissues of the 

 inoculated side of the body (the left side) e.Ktending from the front of the 

 shoulder to the hip were infiltrated with clear amber-coloured semi-gelatinous 

 serous effusion, this being specially voluminous towards the inferior surface 

 of the body. The muscles were pale, with large patches dark coloured and 

 haemorrhagic. No gas present and no odour of any kind, the dark muscles 

 presenting none of the other characteristics of blackleg-infected muscle. 

 The liver was deeply congested. Spleen and kidneys normal. Abomasum 

 much recently ingested food. Sub-mucosa not oedeniatous. Mucosa irre- 

 gularly covered with petechiae 2-3 mm in diameter ; towards the cardiac 

 orifice several patches of sub-mucous haemorrhage, and near the pylorus, 

 congestion of the mucosa with slight surface necrosis and numerous irregular 

 haemorrhages. Intestines normal. Pleural cavity, about a pint of clear 

 straw-coloured effusion. Lungs very oedematous, the septa, especially of the 

 anterior lobes and the superior half of the main lobes being distended with 

 clear semi-gelatinous effusion. Bronchi, much pinkish froth. Trachea and 

 larynx congested. Pericardium distended with clear effusion ; epicardium 

 in region of auriculo-ventricular groove thickly studded with ecchymoses. 

 Heart otherwise normal. Microscopical examination : the oedema at some 

 distance from the region of inoculation fails to show any bacteria. The 

 haemorrhagic muscle shows typical bacilli generally in pairs and very uniform 

 in size ; pleural effusion, liver, blood, spleen, etc., apparently sterile. 

 The post-mortem picture it will be seen is that of a case of braxy in the 

 sheep, and is very distinct from that of a case of blackleg, in spite of certain 

 points of similarity. After incubation, pleural fluid and blood contained 

 many typical bacilli, although previously apparently sterile. 



