BLOOD-POISONING 517 



germs from the womb may enter the blood-vessels and set up a 

 general blood-poisoning. This form is more often of the type of a 

 septicemia. That resulting from wounds often develops into a 

 pyemia in hogs. 



There may be a number of varieties of germs present in these 

 blood-poisoning cases. The ordinary pus germs, such as the 

 Staphylococcus albus and aureus and the streptococcus, are those 

 most commonly found. 



Symptoms. — If a wound be present as the cause of the disease, 

 it will be here that the first symptoms are noted. The condition 

 of the wound shows a marked change. It becomes red and angry 

 looking, and the edges may become swollen. The discharge often 

 becomes of a thin, watery character and very foul smelling. In the 

 course of a few hours the animal may be seized with a severe chill. 

 The fever now rises quickly to 105° or 106° F. Appetite is lost, 

 the animal becomes dull and stupid, and remains buried in its nest. 

 There may be constipation, or in severe cases a very foul-smelling 

 diarrhea may develop. 



If the case is prolonged and of the pus-forming type, the hog 

 may show periods of improvement and relapse. Some days the 

 fever is low and there may be some appetite. In a short time a 

 chill again 'occurs, the temperature goes up, and the hog is again 

 listless and dull. Abscesses may form beneath the skin in various 

 parts of the body. These abscesses also form in the internal or- 

 gans, and cause various symptoms as a result of changed function 

 of these parts. For instance, abscesses may form in the liver, and 

 result in a severe jaundice, with a greenish-yellow discoloration of 

 the visible membranes and of the skin, which is quite noticeable in 

 those parts of the body where the skin is thin, and especially so in 

 white animals. Abscesses may develop in the lungs, and interfere 

 considerably with breathing. In all these cases the sick hog be- 

 comes very unthrifty in appearance, loses weight, and soon becomes 

 worthless. 



Course. — The course of the disease varies from a few hours to 

 several weeks. In severe cases of blood-poisoning the poisons 

 of the germs kill the animal in a few hours. In the abscess-forming 

 cases the course is more prolonged, and the hog may live for several 

 weeks or even months. Recovery is almost impossible in these 



