60 Bradsot. Reindeer Pest. Swiiie Erysipelas. 



Literature. Krabbe, D. Z. f. Tm., 1875, I, 34.— Nielsen, Monh., 1896, VIII, 55. 

 —Jensen, D. Z. f. Tm., 1896, XXII, 249 (Lit.) ; Hb. f. p. M., 1903, II, 685 (Lit.).— 

 Hamilton, The Vet. J., 1901, 286.— Peters, A. f. Tk., 1897, XXIII, 73.— Tokishige, 

 Monh., 1901, XII, 1.— Hilbrand, Z. f. Infkrkh., 1907, III, 325 (Lit.).— R. Froehner, 

 I), t. W., 1906, 359.— Miessner, Mitt. d. Inst. f. Landw. in Bromberg, 1909, I, 217 

 (Lit.). 



Reindeer Pest. This devastating disease occurs periodically (the 

 last time in 1895 and 1896) among the reindeer herds of the Lap- 

 landers in northern Sweden and probably also in Norway. In such 

 outbreaks many thousands of animals, mostly calves, but also yearlings 

 and two year olds become victims of the disease. It usually rages dur- 

 ing the summer time when the animals drift during the warm weather 

 from the cool high pastures into the valleys. The etiology of the dis- 

 ease was established by Lundgreen (1897), and the virus has been 

 more extensively examined by Bergmann (1901). 



The symptoms of the disease, which is usually fatal in from 6 to 

 12 hours, are excitement, inappetence, cessation of rumination, in- 

 creased thirst, staggering and uncertain gait, difficult and accelerated 

 respiration, cough, and particularly the appearance of edematous- 

 emphysematous swellings at various points of the body. The tem- 

 perature which is at first high, drops at the approach of death. There 

 is bleeding from the nose, and a very repulsive odor is apparent. 



The post mortem examination reveals fluid containing considerable 

 gas in the subcutaneous connective tissue, as well as collection of gas 

 in the internal organs. In addition to a reddish transudate in the 

 body cavities a yello^^^sh discoloration of the liver and a moderately 

 acute swelling of the spleen may be observed. 



From the subcutaneous serous fluid, the transudates of the body 

 cavities and the blood the reindeer pest bacillus, which resembles the 

 blackleg organism, may be obtained in pure culture. It is Gram-posi- 

 tive, motile, forms oval spores in the animal, and in artificial media 

 at a temperature of 30-38° C. It may be cultivated on the ordinary 

 media aerobically as well as anaerobically, and the growth is especially 

 luxuriant at body temperature, when a great amount of fetid gas and 

 acid is formed ; gelatin becomes liquefied. 



By subcutaneous and intramuscular inoculation of pure cultures 

 the disease may be reproduced in reindeer. Sheep and guinea pigs 

 as well as mice and cattle are also susceptible to artificial infections, 

 whereas rabbits, hogs, dogs and chickens are immune. Natural infec- 

 tion probably results through wounds in the skin and intestinal mucous 

 membrane. 



Inoculations of sheep into the tail produce only passive elevation 

 of temperature, and result in an increased resistance against an other- 

 wise fatal subcutaneous infection into the rump. Animals immunized 

 against reindeer pest are not immune to blackleg or bradsot. 



Literature. Lundgreen, Z. f. Tm., 1898, II, 301.— Bergmann, Ibid., 1901, V, 

 241. 



4. Swine Erysipelas. Erysipelas suis. 



{Stdbchenrotlauf, Rotlaufseuche [German]; Rhusiopathia siiis, 



Rouget du pore {French]; Red fever [English]; Antrace 



eresipelatoso, Mai rosso [Italian].) 



Swine erysipelas is an acute, septicemic infectious disease 

 of young hogs caused by a very fine, rod-sliaped bacterium, 



