266 VETERINARY HYGIENE 



transmissible between horses, asses, dogs, cattle and man. Sheep, 

 goats and pigs may be affected but are not so susceptible as the fore- 

 going. 



RINGWORM IN CATTLE. Trichophyta are mainly responsible 

 among cattle for the most commonly met typical ringworm. 

 Animals enclosed in buildings during winter and spring, especially 

 calves, yearlings and fattening bullocks, are particularly suscept- 

 ible. The system of housing store beasts in damp enclosed sheds 

 and loose boxes, where sun never and fresh air seldom gain 

 entrance, is calculated to foster the pathogenicity of the spores. 

 Only in grossly neglected cases does ringworm ever cause anorexia, 

 emaciation and death ; but it is a serious cause of loss of condition, 

 and is especially bad in wet and marshy districts. The ringworm 

 of cattle is often transmitted to horses and men. 



RINGWORM IN THE DOG. Trichophyta, Microspora, Eidamella, 

 and Obspora are met with in the dog. The first and second, and the 

 last (which causes the evil-smelling favus of dogs), are the most 

 common. Eidamella is very rare. Ringworm is most frequently 

 seen in kennels where numbers of dogs such as foxhounds are kept 

 together, and is mainly seen in winter. Young dogs are more 

 susceptible than adults. All the varieties attacking the dog are 

 transmissible to man. 



RINGWORM IN THE CAT. Achoria and Microspora are fre- 

 quently found on the cat, and both may be conveyed to man. 



PREVENTIVE MEASURES. Animals should be kept under good 

 hygienic conditions, the feeding must be adequate and sufficient 

 exercise should be allowed to keep the animals in a good healthy 

 condition. Infected animals should be profnptly isolated and 

 suitably treated. Fresh air and direct sunlight are inimical to the 

 growth of the fungus. Exposure to winds causes a partial desic- 

 cation and wasteful distribution of the spores when the animals 

 are out in the open air and there is thus less chance of one animal 

 affecting another than is the case when the animals are confined in 

 cattle courts, &c. Ringworm is amenable to treatment in the early 

 stages, and no time should be lost in treating those animals that 

 are affected so as to reduce the risk of the disease spreading among 

 the rest of the stock. 



Harness and equipment should be disinfected. Ringworm of 

 cattle, which is so prevalent on some farms, is an indication of 

 neglect and indifference. 



