GENERAL PART OF EXAMINATION. 



71 



days. 





Anthrax IS an acute infectious disease due to the Bacillus 

 anthrans Begins suddenly with high fever; tendency toward 

 hemorrhages from mucous membranes. In the ox and sheep the 

 course is often apoplectic; when course is acute it lasts 1-3 

 is r a 1 n symptoms, pj^ 2i 



convulsive twitch- ax' 



ings of muscles, rap- 

 id pulse, dyspnea, 

 loss of milk, are 

 symptoms s o m e - 

 times seen. In horse, ** 

 colic symptoms oc- b 

 cur. Formation of 

 anthrax carbuncle in 

 skin is not rare in 

 the horse. In hog, 

 symptoms of severe 

 laryngo - pharyngitis 

 with swelling pre- 

 dominate. Diagnosis 

 is positive only after 

 finding bacilli under 

 the microscope. An 

 anthrax slide is made 

 as follows: A thin 

 layer of blood or 

 spleen pulp is smeared 

 the flame of a Bunsen 



solution of safranin and allowed to boil by holdin 

 flame for a few moments. Wash and examine. 



The anthrax bacilli are from 1 to 2 times as long as the diame- 

 ter of_ a red -blood corpuscle, and are composed of from 2 to 8 

 bacterial cells, which are stained reddish brown on the slide Each 

 bacterial cell is cylindrical, slightly longer than broad, appearing 

 almost squfre in form. The ends are plane or somewhat convex 

 ihe bacterial cells are surrounded by a gelatinous capsule which 

 IS stained yellow in the preparation, and which joins the cells 

 together to form the bacillus. The capsule is bounded by a dark 

 line. If the bacilli come m contact with one another they unite 

 their capsules blending together. 



Influenza. An acute, infectious disease of the horse very 

 easily transmitted. Period of incubation 5 to 7 days. First 'symp- 

 a rise in temperature which continues 3 to 6 days, then 

 Great debility, slow gait, staggering, great mental depres- 

 sion head held down or rested on manger, eyelids and conjunctiva 

 swollen, hot, painful, photophobia.- Pulse at first strong, little 

 affected, later accelerated. Loss of appetite, diarrhea 

 3 days. In later stages cold, painless edematous swelli 

 extremities. Mortality 4%. 



[Swine Plague and Hog Cholera. Infectious diseases of swine, 

 caused by bacilli which enter the body through the respiratory 

 tract (swine plague of Smith), or via respiratory tract or mouth- 



Anthrax bacilli Stained according to Olt's method, 

 a. b.. Cadaver bacilli. 



over a slide, passed three times through 



burner, then covered with a 2% watery 



r a Bunsen 



tom 

 crisis 



in about 

 ng of the 



