172 SWINE DISEASES 



duce septicemia, resulting in death in from one to three 

 days. The infection with suipestifer is not transmissible 

 from swine to swine, and swine that have recovered from 

 the effects of infection with the Bacillus suipestifer are 

 still susceptible to the filterable virus. 



Bacillus suisepticus is frequently demonstrable in the 

 carcasses of swine that have died of hog cholera. This 

 organism is the causative agent of swine plague, and will 

 receive proper consideration in the discussion of that 

 disease. Suffice to say at this place, it is frequently an 

 associated infection with the filterable virus, the disease 

 resulting being a mixed infection of hog cholera and swine 

 plague. 



Spirochseta suis has been investigated by King and 

 Hoffmann. The following are the conclusions of a report 

 on it: "Its Significance as a Pathogenic Organism," that 

 was published in Vol. 13, No. 12, of the Journal of Infec- 

 tious Diseases: 



"Spirochseta suis is an organism found in the intestinal ulcers, 

 crypts in the ceca, and external local lesions of animals suffering from 

 hog cholera. It is a typical spirochete, simulating in many characteristics 

 Spirochseta pallida, Spirochseta gallinarum, and other forms whose 

 morphology and life history are becoming better understood. Spiroch- 

 seta suis appears to be capable of breaking up into granules, and these 

 granules may play an important part in the life cycle and physiological 

 functions of the organism. They are present in the blood of cholera 

 hogs, in cultures of the Spirochseta suis, and are capable of producing 

 the disease in healthy hogs. 



"In the blood of hogs suffering from cholera the presence of a rela- 

 tively large spirochete in a few numbers has been recognized. As 

 this organism has not been found in the blood of normal hogs it may 

 represent Spirochseta suis in a transitional form. Its morphological 

 variation from Spirochseta suis, as found in ulcers and local foci, may 

 be due to the unfavorable action of blood as a medium or to its natural 

 processes as a part of the life cycle of the species. 



"Spirochseta suis is an obligatory anaerobic organism and usually 

 requires several weeks' incubation for growth to take place on artificial 

 culture medium. It may be transferred from generation to generation 

 on artificial culture medium. Cultures containing the organism in 

 the form of granules and spirochetes may be passed through bacteria- 

 proof filters and the spirochetes removed, the few small granules which 

 pass through being capable of producing hog cholera or resistance to 

 the disease. 



"Spirochseta suis is capable of producing typical hog cholera when 

 injected into healthy hogs. This is true not alone of contaminated 

 cultures made directly from the intestinal_ulcers of cholera hogs; second 

 and third generations on artificial culture media, containing the Spiro- 



