Biological Therapy 



123 



ETIOLOGY. Investigators are not in accord as to the 

 real cause of this disease. Carre, Lignieres and others at- 

 tribute the disease to a filterable virus while Ferry, Mc- 

 Gowan, Torrey and others designate bacillus bronchisepti- 

 cum as the causative agent. Present opinion, in America at 

 least, tends to the belief that while a filterable virus may be 

 associated with the disease, the serious aspects of the dis- 

 ease are due to bacillus bronchisepticus and associated sec- 

 ondary invaders. Animals properly immunized against this 

 organism rarely suffer from the effects of the virus, whereas, 

 typical cases of distemper may be produced in susceptible 

 dogs by the injection of bacillus bronchisepticum. This or- 

 ganism is almost invariably present in the nasal and other 

 secretions, the tissue, and at times in the blood of affected 

 dogs. 



Two types of the disease are commonly observed, the 

 respiratory and the intestinal, while involvement of the 

 nervous system either directly or as a sequelae is common. 

 The latter is recognized as chorea. 



SYMPTOMS. Sniffling with lachrymation and nasal 

 discharge, at first watery and later purulent, typify the onset 

 of the disease. High temperature, inappetence, progressive 

 weakness and general pulmonary disturbances usually fol- 

 low. Vomiting is not uncommon and this frequently 

 presages the onset of the intestinal form which is character- 

 ized by bloody diarrhoea, high temperature, pronounced 

 weakness and an excessively high mortality. 



TREATMENT. Sanitation should be considered since, 

 although dogs maintained under ideal conditions are affected 

 at times to a degree equally as great as those maintained 

 under less favorable environment, it is known that insani- 

 tary surroundings render the animals more susceptible to 

 the secondary invaders. Proper sanitation therefore is a 

 factor in reducing the mortality while for the same reason 

 correct diet is extremely essential. This should consist of 

 easily assimilated, highly concentrated liquids. 



CANINE ANTI-DISTEMPER SERUM 



The results with this product have varied greatly under 

 different conditions. Some are most enthusiastic as to its 

 value and use it regularly in all cases, others have not ob- 

 tained satisfactory results. Success with the product depends 



