Necrobacillosis of Sheep and Other Animals. 883 



the body and a rapid extension of the disease in a flock. Of special 

 importance in this connection are abrasions or wounds of the mncons 

 membrane or of the skin. Such lesions easily occur on the lips and the 

 edges of the nose from the ingestion of very rough or hard food, or 

 when feeding on pastures in which thorny, prickly shrubs are accessible. 

 Consequently numerous cases are noticed, especially in dry years. 

 Abrasions and wounds easily arise on the extremities by travelling over 

 recently graveled roads, on frozen snow, and also by pasturing on 

 meadows containing thorny, prickly plants. The skin of the vagina 

 and that of the prepuce is easily subject to abrasions in the covering 

 act. As further predisposing causes may be noted: a diminution of 

 the power of resistance of the skin through cold, standing in dirty, 

 soiled straw and travelling on muddy roads. Weakness and insufficient 

 nutrition also cause a predisposition to the disease. 



At times, however, necrobacillosis seemingly appears without the 

 intervention of any predisposing factors, attacking especially the mucous 

 membranes, principally in very young animals, owing to the softness 

 of their tissues or probably to an increased virulence of the bacillus. 



Artificial transmission of the disease was successful by rubbing the 

 crusts into the scarified skin (Mead), on the mucous membrane ( Vigadi), 

 by putting a pledget of cotton impregnated with the discharge from 

 the genital organs into the preputial opening (MacFadyean) and by 

 inoculation of cultures of the necrosis bacillus. In an enzootic in the 

 Prussian district of Wittenberg, the shepherd was also infected by the 

 affected sheep, and large lentil-sized nodules formed on his hands, which 

 in 3 to 4 days changed into small ulcers and healed up in about 10 days. 



The course of the disease is generally benign, yet now and then 

 losses of 10% of the affected animals have been noted. 



The treatment consists in removing the crusts and granulations 

 and then in washing or swal)bing the places with disinfecting fluids. 

 When the disease is localized on the lips and edges of the nose, inunc- 

 tions with a 5% cresol or tar ointment, to which 10% flowers of sulphur 

 may be added are more appropriate. The sheath or vagina may be 

 syringed out daily with a 2% solution of potassium permanganate or 

 w^ith 75% hydrogen peroxide. Animals with extensive ulcerating sur- 

 faces or strongly granulating ulcers are best killed. 



Preventive measures are cleanliness and the disinfection of the 

 quarters of the animals, isolation of new bought animals for a period of 

 two weeks, isolation of diseased subjects and the avoidance of infected 

 pastures for the space of a year. 



Literature. Kondor, Ung. Vb., 1901. — MacFadyean, J. of comp. Path., 1903, 

 375. — Mead, Am. v. Eev., 1905, 441. — Mohler, Lip-and-leg ulceration of sheep. 

 Anim. Ind. Circ. 160, 1910.— Otto, S. B., 1905, 237.— Peter, B. t. W., 1899, 168.— 

 Pr. Vb., 1901, II, 25.— Williams, J. of comp. Path., 1904, 64. 



Necrobacillosis of Other Animals. Besides occurring in sheep, 

 necrobacillosis not infrequently affects other species of animals, partly 

 as a sporadic and partly as an enzootic disease. Of these is to be men- 

 tioned first of all diphtheria of calves (see Vol. I). In Para- 

 guay, Elmassian & Ulizar saw an enzootic of necrobacillosis in adult 

 cattle, where the necrosis attacked the skin almost regularly in the 

 perineal region, and only exceptionally on the tail, udder and ears. 



