History. Occurrence. XX9 



as Besnoit and Cuille (1898) obtained similar results during their 

 studies of diseases of sheep in France. 



Liguieres (1898) studied this disease more thoroughly when he 

 established that the disease which is known in Argentine under the 

 name of Lombriz on account of the usual presence of intestinal para- 

 sites, represents in its character a disease of the hemorrhagic septicemia 

 group. lie as well as Besnoit and Cuille interestingly demonstrated 

 its relation to verminous bronchitis and verminous gastritis of sheep. 



Similar results were recently obtained by Miessner & Schern (1910) 

 when they established the etiological relation of the bipolar bacilli in 

 a disease of sheep which was considered by Spinola (1863) as catarrhal 

 fever and by Friedberger (1883) as glanders of sheep, according to 

 their clinical and anatomical manifestations. The first mentioned 

 authors succeeded in demonstratnig virulent bipolar bacilli in the lymph 

 glands and sometimes in the blood of animals dead from this disease. 

 The presence of this bacterium was sometimes only demonstrable by 

 inoculations. Pure cultures of this organism produced artificially the 

 acute and subacute form of the disease. Accordingly the so-called 

 glanders of sheep (septicemia pluriformis ovis) is identical with 

 Lignieres' Pasteurellosis. On the other hand it is distinguished from 

 the South African catarrhal fever of sheep (see that disease; infection 

 experiments with filtered material were not made). This new con- 

 ception will be given consideration in the following description, espe- 

 cially concerning the chronic cases. 



Occurrence. The disease caused considerable loss, espe- 

 cially among lambs, while older animals are rarely affected, 

 and then usually in a chronic form. Most frequently it is ob- 

 served in low marshy localities, more rarely in higher sections, 

 and especially during the weaning of lambs. 



In Argentine the disease occurs almost annually in an enjootie form, fre- 

 quently associated with verminous bronchitis and gastritis, which has also been found 

 to be the case in France (Lignieres, Besnoit & Cuille). In Germany the disease 

 appears to be quite extensive as Miessner & Schern established its presence, in 1907, 

 in eight herds of sheep where it usually caused great loss among the lambs (some- 

 times 50% of the increase of lambs). In Hungary it was observed by Keleti in 

 1896 when it appeared in association with an outbreak of swine plague. In this 

 instance, out of .300 sheep of Oxford and Cotswold breeds 23 died within seven days. 

 The disease has also been observed in Belgium, England and Turkey, and the fatal 

 disease known in Algeria as "El K 'och ' ' is probably identical with this disease 

 (Caze). 



Etiology. The bacillus (bipolaris) ovisepticus represents 

 a variety of the bacillus bipolaris septicus with which it is 

 identical in its principal characteristics (see page 79). It is 

 difficult to isolate the organism from the affected organs, and 

 sometimes its growth suddenly ceases. 



Pathogenicity. Several loopfuls of virulent culture in- 

 jected into the circulation of a young sheep, and 5 cc. in an old 

 animal, cause death inside of one to three days under manifesta- 

 tions of hemorrhagic septicemia. Subcutaneous injections of 

 a culture produce a serous inflammation at the point of injec- 

 tion, further acute catarrh of the conjunctiva as well as of the 

 nasal mucous membrane. The animals then become emaciated 



