210 Distemper of Cats. 



place where they are kept shoiikl be disinfected. Young animals 

 should be kept from contact with sick ones, and by this the 

 advantage will at least be gained that the animals may not 

 become affected until an older age, when, according to observa- 

 tions the chances for recovery are much better. 



Immunization. The various sera for distemper are not very prom- 

 ising, as they are prepared with the aid of bacteria, which at best are 

 of importance only in the secondary organic lesions. 



Iiignieres uses for this purpose partly attenuated cultures of bipolar bacilli 

 obtained from affected dogs, partly his polyvalent vaccine and his polj'\'alent serum 

 (see pp. So and 86). Physalix uses cultures of the same organism grown in glycerin 

 bouillon, while Piorkowski prefers a serum prepared with the aid of his ' ' distemper 

 bacillus. ' ' But with none of these preparations was it possible to obtain satisfac- 

 tory results in practice. Eichter proved that the vaccines of Physalix and Piorkowski 

 are" valueless for the treatment of the disease, and Boden also found that Piorkowski 's 

 serum at the best only produced an improvement in the first stages of the purely 

 catarrhal form of distemper. 



Bissauge & Naudin recommend the antistreptococcus sera of the Pasteur Insti- 

 tute, and of Dassonville & Wissocq (twice daily 2-4 doses of 4 cc. each) ; and at the 

 same time the administration of Pury 's Swiss yeast in warm milk. 



The yeast serum (antistreptococcus serum), obtained by Deutschmann by 

 treatment with increasing amounts of yeast, is according to Lamche absolutely 

 useless as a prophylactic agent, and as a curative it has only a moderately beneficial 

 action in those cases which show no complicating intestinal affections. Blanck and 

 Wolff, however, report favorable results from this method of treatment. 



The distemper-antigourmin (Furonculine), which has been highly recommended 

 by Diffine and is pre])ared from equal parts of yeast and starch, proved unreliable 

 in the experiments of Meltzer, Hochstein, Meckelburg and Lamche both as a 

 curative and prophylactic. 



Literature. Bollinger, A. f. Tk., 1878, IV, 214.— Krajewski, Rev. f. Tk., 

 1881, 177 (Lit.) ; D. Z. f. Tm., 1887, XIII, 324.— Laosson, Diss. Dorpat, 1882 

 (Lit.).— Dexler, Arb. d. Wiener Inst. f. Nervenanat., 1892; D. t. W., 1909, 313 

 (Lit.).— Jensen, Maanedsskr., 1895 and 1896.— Jess, Zbl. f. Bakt., 1899, XXV, 541.— 

 Lignieres, Bull., 1900, 469 (Lit.) ; 1906, 622.— Physalix, Bull., 1901, 131.— Carre, 

 Bull., 1905, 335; Eev. gen., 1906, VII, 649; C. R., 1906, 962.— Piorkowski, B. t. W., 

 1905, 830; 1906, 377.— Wirth, T. Zbl., 1908, 200.— Eichter, Die Hundestaupe, Diss. 

 Bern, 1908 (Lit.).— Kregenow, Zbl. f. Bakt., 1909, L, 326 (Lit.).— Lamche, Diss. 

 Ziirieh, 1909 (Lit. on yeast treatment). 



Distemper of Cats. Although young cats are also suscep- 

 tible to the virus of distemper (Krajewski, Laosson), the dis- 

 ease occurs in these animals much less frequently than in dogs. 

 The symptoms and the anatomical changes correspond with 

 those of dogs affected with distemper, but according to Fried- 

 berger & Frohner nervous sjonptoms are less common and the 

 exenthema of distemper is usually absent. In the treatment 

 the above-described principles should be followed. (Literature 

 same as in dog distemper.) 



A new disease of cats was described by Gaertner, in which the 

 symptoms consisted of depression, conjunctivitis, muco-purulent dis- 

 charge from the nose, and marked difficulty in respiration. The disease 

 usually terminated in death in from three to six days; exceptionally, 

 however, it lasted for several weeks. The autopsy revealed a multiple 

 necrotic pneumonia, principally of the posterior lobes of the lungs, 

 and as the causative agent a bipolar ovoid bacillus (Bact. pneumoniae 

 felis) was established (Cbl. f. Bakt., 1909, LI, 232). 



