756 Infectious Vaginitis. 



ciated.witli pain; the penis is liiglily reddened and painful, ex- 

 ceptionally nodules develop on its surface and on the inner 

 lining of the sheatli a muco-purulent discharge being emitted 

 from the opening of the sheath. Bleeding is sometimes ob- 

 served during the act of covering. Swiss veterinarians further 

 report nodules and vesicles on the mucous membrane of the 

 penis, ulcerations on the orifice of the sheath, painful swelling 

 of the scrotum, and even necrosis of the testicles, while Jiiter- 

 bock regularly found on slaughtered bulls pronounced follicular 

 formations on the mucous membrane of the penis. 



Course and Prognosis. The course is mostly very pro- 

 tracted. Although sometimes the acute inflammatory s\anp- 

 toms, and with them the vaginal discharge subside inside of 

 two weeks, in the great majority of cases they last from 2 to 

 3 months, and even longer. With the retrogression of the 

 swelling of the mucous membrane the nodules become paler, 

 yellowish, or grayish-transparent, whereupon they disappear 

 entirely, or persist in this form for months. Their healing- 

 appears to be favored by pregnancy, but in such cases there 

 is probably only an apparent disappearance of the nodules, 

 as a result of the physiological swelling of the vaginal mucous 

 membrane, as in some cases they become again more prominent 

 after parturition (Hess). 



The prognosis depends, aside from the character of the 

 disease, first of all on the inaugurated treatment as well as 

 on the existing hygienic conditions. In early and energetic 

 treatment it is as a rule favorable, as under these conditions 

 recovery of fresh cases ensues mostly in 2 to 4 weeks, chronic 

 cases however are usually characterized by a marked stubborn- 

 ness. Further the possibility of quite frequent recurrences must 

 also be considered, which may result either after mechanical 

 irritation (repeated copulation) or as a result of re-infection. 



Diagnosis. For the cases running a normal acute course, 

 aside from the epizootic character of the disease, the develop- 

 ment of small nodules in association with inflammatory symp- 

 toms of the mucous membrane of the vagina, and especially 

 of the vestibule is characteristic, as well as the fact that the 

 nodules do not change into vesicles or pustules, and that they 

 do not break and form ulcers. In the exclusive presence of 

 nodules the diagnosis should be made with care, as the lymph 

 follicles may also swell in infectious abortion, and from other 

 inflammatory causes, as well as from simple traumatic irrita- 

 tion of the mucous membrane (Attinger, Jiiterbock), (some 

 authors even doubt their pathological nature). The diagnosis 

 is especially difficult in pregnant cows, as nodules possibly 

 present on the swollen mucous membrane in these cases are 

 not, or only indistinctly visible, and appear only 10 to 15 days 

 after parturition (Jiiterbock). 



