638 DISEASES OF CATTLE, SHEEP, GOATS, ETC. 



man at times contain the Micrococcus melitensis, so that goats feed- 

 ing on material that has come in contact with such urine (which 

 is not at all infrequent by the usual method of handling these ani- 

 mals) are readily infected. Thus the frequency and method of in- 

 fection in goats are quite readily explained. 



Condition of Health of the Infected Animals. The organism 

 of Malta fever lives a more or less passive existence in the body of the 

 goat, exercising its pathogenic effect when it gains entrance to the 

 human body. The symptoms in those goats are not apparent except 

 in a few cases, and even in these instances it is possible that the 

 symptoms of anorexia, diarrhea, weakness, etc., were the result of 

 one of the several intercurrent diseases with which the goats be- 

 come affected. 



Method of Treating the Goats. As Malta fever in man is not 

 a highly virulent disease, the mortality being about 2 or 3 per cent, 

 it is consequently fair to presume that as the disease is less virulent 

 in goats these animals would probably be more amenable to treat- 

 ment than the human, the adult goats were placed on a mixture of 

 20 grains of potassium iodid and 15 grains of salol per head in their 

 feed twice daily for one month. Quinin was then substituted for 

 the potassium iodid and the treatment continued one month longer. 

 By this system of treatment it was hoped that any latent virus of the 

 disease which might be present in the tissues of the animals would 

 be overcome and destroyed. The results gave little hope of eradicat- 

 ing the infection by drug administration. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



1. It has been definitely demonstrated that the Micrococcus 

 melitensis, the organism of Malta fever, has a more or less passive 

 existence in the body of Maltese goats, exercising its pathogenic effect 

 when it gains entrance to the human body. 



2. These goats, when carriers of the virus of Malta fever, are 

 one of the important factors, if not the principal factor, in the dis- 

 semination of this disease, through the ingestion of their milk by 

 human beings. 



3. Goats infected with Malta fever eliminate the causative 

 agent of the disease in both the milk and the urine. 



4. All the available evidence points to contaminated food as 

 the vehicle by which the goats become infected with the organism 

 of Malta fever. The urine of infected goats and of ambulatory 

 cases in man at times contains the Micrococcus melitensis, so that 

 normal goats feeding on material which had come in contact with 

 such urine are readily infected. Thus the frequency and the 

 method of infection in goats are quite easily explained. Infection 

 by goats' milk is directly demonstrated when contact infection and 

 other modes of exposure were entirely eliminated. 



5. So long as Malta fever remains so prevalent in the Island 

 of Malta, and such a large percentage of the native goats are passive 

 carriers of the Micrococcus melitensis, it will be impracticable to 

 attempt to introduce these animals into the United States. Even if 

 they were assuredly free from Micrococcus melitensis, it is doubtful, 



