Tuberculosis Vaccination. 



Klimmer may be derived from the single subcutaneous admin- 

 istration of human tubercle bacilli. According to Lignieres even 

 in such cases the bacteria may remain alive for as long as two 

 years. 



According to Von Behring, Calmette and Guerin, Roux and Vallee, cattle may 

 become immunized by feeding with slight quantities of bacilli from tuberculosis of 

 the horse (or bovine tuberculosis). 



Arloing attempted to immunize with homogenized cultures of strains which had 

 been cultivated in 6% glycerine bouillon (human type and bovine type). Better results 

 were obtained from the intravenous than from the subcutaneous applications and this 

 again proved superior to administration per os. 



Klimmer eliminated the danger of the vaccination for man by 

 heating the human tubercle bacilli to 52-53 deg. C., or by rendering 

 them avirulent by continuous passages through the crested newt. 

 Both these vaccines are no longer pathogenic for guinea pigs, and 

 they cannot regain their virulence by means of passages through 

 animals. The results of immunizations are supposed to be favora- 

 ble (Klimmer on 10,000 cattle), especially if the vaccination is 

 carried out together with general protective measures, such as 

 raising calves on milk free of tuberculosis, and the elimination of 

 animals with open tuberculosis. Glockner even believes that vac- 

 cination has a favorable action on the curing of animals which were 

 already affected with bovine tuberculosis prior to the vaccination, 

 whereas Eber attributes the improvement of the vaccinated herds 

 to the simultaneously executed prophylactic and hygienic meas- 

 ures. Friedmann aimed to produce immunization with his tuber- 

 cle bacillus from cold blooded animals (turtle). Other authors 

 however failed in producing an effective immunization with such 

 strains (Libbertz and Euppel, Weber and Titze, Orth). 



Heymanns attempted to immunize cattle by the introduction 

 under the skin of cattle of a closed sack of vegetable fiber, contain- 

 ing living tubercle bacilli (human or bovine in origin). The sup- 

 position is that these vegetable sacks will confine the bacilli at the 

 seat of inoculation, and that the treated animal will be immunized 

 by protective metabolic products, that continuously form in small 

 quantities within the sack and pass outward from it into the 

 animal's system generally, by an osmotic process. 



The vaccination, which is carried out with the aid of a tro- 

 car to insert the capsule under the skin of the back, must be re- 

 peated annually, since the bacilli may die. 



Heymann's method has been successfully used by its discov- 

 erer on more than 20,000 cattle, and the percentage of reactors 

 to the tuberculin test diminished from 45 to 21 (18 herds with 188 

 animals). Animals which have formerly reacted may appear free 

 at the subsequent test. 



. Good results were obtained by Vallee from passive immuniza- 

 tion. He inoculated young cattle with 100 to 200 c. c. of a protec- 

 tive serum, which he obtained from a horse treated with slightly 

 virulent strains from horses, and then with strains from men. 



