158 Chronie Interstitial Pneumonia. 



of the chitinoiis membrane of tlie ruptured ecliinococcus can 

 be seen (Bolz). 



The percussion sound remains normal if onlj' small cysts 

 are present or if the cysts are limited to the more central pul- 

 monary portion. If they are more numerous and larger, cir- 

 cumscribed areas of dullness are found in various portions of 

 the thorax. The percussion sound is more rarely tympanitic 

 and the cracked-pot sound may be heard in animals with a 

 more yielding- thorax, because cysts may be crowding each 

 other or may be situated near the pulmonary surface. Metallic 

 sounds may possibly be heard over cysts which have become 

 empty. The areas of dullness exhibit diminution or absence 

 of vesicular breathing sounds. Also whistling, purring and 

 other noises. A peculiar noise called "quurksen" by Harms 

 is characteristic for the disease, which noise is claimed to be 

 identical with the sound elicited on rolling and pressing a lung 

 containing echinococcus cysts. Since it is impossible that a 

 noise arises in the cyst synchronously with respiration, such 

 noises must arise in the bronchi. They are simply catarrhal 

 noises and cannot be characteristic of echinococcus of the 

 lung. 



The general condition of nutrition of the animals remains 

 satisfactory for a long time. However, when the disease of 

 the lungs reaches a high degree, and when it is associated with 

 ecliinococcus of the liver, the animals suffer later on in their 

 nutrition. The affection takes an afebrile course. 



Diagnosis. Only severe cases can be diagnosticated with 

 more or less probability, especially in cattle. One of the most 

 important points to be observed is the presence of severe res- 

 piratory difficulties, while the general nutritive condition of 

 the animals shows only very insignificant disturbances. A con- 

 comitant increase in the size of the liver must direct suspicion 

 toward echinococcus infection. In special cases one might 

 make use of the complement-fixation test which has been found 

 reliable in animals by Weinberg and Yieillard ; in man by Putzu. 

 Cough is more powerful, frequent and convulsive — at least in 

 the beginning of pulmonary tuberculosis; the temperature is 

 elevated. There are also s>anptoms of a more or less extensive 

 bronchial catarrh and the nutrition of the animals suffers at a 

 comparatively early stage. Pulmonary tuberculosis is distin- 

 guished by a more extensive dullness, by bronchial breathing 

 and by a more rapid development which is accompanied by 

 fever. 



Treatment. There is no successful treatment of the dis- 

 ease ; hence early slaughter of the animals is advisalile, because 

 otherwise their value is decreased in consequence of emacia- 

 tion which will come on. 



Literature. Bolz, W. f. Tk., 1907, 28.— Martin, Rev. vet., 1907, 734 (Lit.). 

 (Also see literature on echinococcus of the liver.) 



