196 DISEASES DUE TO BACTERIA 



(2) Personal measures. Cleanliness, vaccine, care in nursing 

 mothers. 



(3) Veterinary measures. Examinations of blood and milk of all 

 goats and other suspected animals. 



Slaughter of infected animals. 



Prophylactic vaccines to all goats. 



Prevention of the importation of infected animals. 



BACILLARY DYSENTERY. 

 DEFINITION. 



Acute or chronic, sporadic, endemic or epidemic, specific infective 

 intestinal disorders caused by several varieties of bacteria, associated 

 with tenesmus, abdominal pain, frequent mucous and blood stools. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Universal, but especially in warm climates and where sanitation is 

 defective as in jails and asylums, during famines and war-time. 



In temperate climates the dysentery bacillus causes the infantile 

 diarrhoeas. There seems more prevalence at the end of a dry season, 

 perhaps because of the infection of water by flies. 



AETIOLOGY. 



There are numerous types of true dysentery bacilli and of pseudo- 

 dysenteric bacilli. There are three main types : — 



(i) Bacillus dysenteriie of Shiga-Kruse, which does not ferment 

 mannite. 



(2) Bacillus dysenterise of Flexner, which ferments mannite, form- 

 ing an acid in it. These bacilli are found in the dejecta, and can 

 be scraped from the bowel post mortem. Agglutination A\ill help in 

 their differentiation. 



(3) The Bacillus of Hiss. They belong to the Coli group, and 

 the members thereof have the following characteristics : — 



They are Gram-negative, non-sporing, non-resistant, none liquefy 

 gelatine, all attack glucose, all change the reaction of milk, all form 

 creamy growths on agar. 



For specific characteristics, see p. 619. 



The infection is b}' faeces, flies, dust, soiled clothes, contaminated 

 water or soil. Convalescents act as carriers. 11 per cent, of persons 

 in an epidemic were found to be carriers. 



The bacilli may live in the bowel, producing no symptoms until 

 the patient's resistance is lowered, when the typical disease mav show 

 itself. After the first few days other bacteria may overcrowd the 

 dysentery bacillus so as to make its isolation difficult. 



