CHAPTER XIV 



BACTERIAL DISEASES AFFECTING THE 

 ABDOMINAL ORGANS 



Disease. Cause. 



Enteric : Diarrhoea and dysentery B. coli group, B. pyocyaneus, B. 



proteus, streptococci, B. tuber- 

 culosis. Johne's bacillus. 



Peritoneal: Peritonitis ... ... B. tuberculosis, B. coli, staphy- 

 lococci, streptococci. 



Nephritic: Pyelonephritis, cystitis Pneumococcus, B. coli group, 



streptococci, staphylococci. 



Uterine: Endometritis ... ... Pneumococcus, B. coli group, 



staphylococci, streptococci. 



Diarrhoea and Dysentery. 



As it is only natural to expect, the intestines, by reason 

 of their functions, especially the lower bowels, are infected 

 by a long list of bacteria, some pathogenic, many non- 

 pathogenic. Some of the non-pathogenic bacteria, however, 

 adopt a disease-producing role under certain circumstances 

 only, of which several of the B. coli group are examples. 



Young animals are particularly prone to bacterial intes- 

 tinal invasion, and the reason probably is that milk is up 

 to a certain period their staple diet, and milk is an excellent 

 medium for bacterial growth and transmission. Moreover, 

 the intestinal mucosa is less resistant in the young animal 

 than in the old. It is just possible, also, as an animal gets 

 older, repeated mild auto-infections from the intestinal 

 mucosae are continually taking place, conferring upon the 

 subject a degree of resistance, which with age becomes 

 merged into an immunity. 



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