422 AGEICULTUEAL AND INDUSTRIAL BACTEEIOLOGY 



very probably ultramicroscopie. The disease is one in which 

 the spinal cord is primarily infected, leading to a total or 

 partial paralysis of the limbs. The disease has been trans- 

 mitted in typical form to monkeys. It is probable that the 

 disease is spread by ingestion of infected materials. Several 

 organisms have been reported as commonly associated with 

 the disease, but adequate proof as to their actual causal 

 relationship is as yet lacking. 



FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE 



This is an acute contagious disease infecting cattle, sheep, 

 goats, swine, deer, occasionally horses, dogs and cats. It 

 may be transmitted to man. It has been known for over a 

 century from Europe and has caused several epizootics in 

 the United States. Certain investigators have claimed the 

 causal organism to be a protozoan which they have named 

 Aphthomonas infestwns. Stauffacher claims to have suc- 

 ceeded in cultivating the organisms and that the disease 

 may be transmitted by the use of pure cultures. The report 

 lacks adequate corroboration at the present time. 



The disease is characterized by an acute fever, the appear- 

 ance of vesicular eruptions in the membranes of the mouth 

 and on the feet, particularly between the toes. The disease 

 is usually not fatal, but is so highly contagious and leads 

 to such losses in milk, that it is among the most dreaded of 

 the diseases of cattle. Cases have been reported in man 

 due to the drinking of milk coming from diseased animals. 



In parts of Europe vaccination has been extensively prac- 

 ticed with the idea of producing the disease and ' l having it 

 over with/' Apparently the organisms gain entrance 

 through contact of healthy animals with saliva or other 

 excretions of infected animals. The disease has been dealt 

 with in the United States almost exclusively by the stamp- 

 ing-out process. There have been some instances of trans- 

 mission of the disease through the use of blood from hogs 



