98 l^eteriiiaty Obstetrics 



W^e have seen no record of its existence in America, ])ut its 

 wide dissemination in Europe, the chronic and somewhat insid- 

 ious course of the disease, which may render it difficult of detec- 

 tion at ports of entry, render it possible of importation. The 

 want of any record of its presence, in this country, is not final 

 proof of its non-existence, as it may be confused with the far 

 less serious eruptive venereal disorder described in the preceding 

 chapter. 



The malad)' has been recognized for twenty jears and has been 

 observed and described by numerous veterinary authors in Switz- 

 erland, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Austria and other countries, 

 from some of which America imports large numbers of dairy 

 cattle. 



While not of importance, as related to the lite ot the affected 

 animal, it becomes in other respects a very serious malady as 

 affecting the dairying interests. It is highly contagious, involv- 

 ing, in the infected zones, as high as 80 to 90'/ or even more of 

 the total number of cows. Hutyra und Marek, citing Mueller, 

 states that in East Prussia alone the disease involved 30,000 

 dairy cows, while, in Switzerland and other countries, it has ac- 

 quired a similarly extensive dissemination. 



It is a fertile cause of enzootic abortion. Thoms states that 

 more than 50% of cows affected abort. In one outbreak, involv- 

 ing 300 cows, about 70"/ aborted ; in another group of 296 cows 

 there were 48 live calves. After the malady has prevailed in a 

 dairy herd, a large proportion of cows become sterile, partly 

 because of cystic ovaries, accompanied by nymphomania. In 

 fact, this malady appears to be one of the common exciting 

 cau.ses of nymphomania with ovarian cysts. It may also lead to 

 sterility in other ways. 



During the course of the malady and as a result of the direct 

 irritation from the abortion and other interruptions, there is a 

 great lo.ss of milk. Thoms estimates the average lo.sses upon 

 each cow at 30 M. ($7. o). According to those authors who 

 have had extensive experience with the malady, it deserves to 

 rank amongst the most serious of dairy plagues. 



Etiology. According to Ostertag and Hecker, the affection 

 is due to a streptococcus con.sisting of 6-9 cocci, which are held 

 together by a delicate capsule. 



