Infediotis Diarrhea of Calves 1029 



though the possibility of the co-existence of the two maladies in 

 one herd cannot be denied. Nocard believed that the infection 

 usuall)' enters the body of the calf through the umbilic cord, and 

 consequently may occur during the passage of the fetus through 

 the birth canal. It has been shown by Walther Schild that new- 

 born animals have bacteria in the alimentary tract prior to the 

 ingestion of food. 



Jensen does not accept the views of Nocard, but inclines to the 

 belief that the infection is usually transmitted directly to the 

 alimentary canal through the mouth, or at least that it may be 

 so transmitted. Jensen found oval bacteria in pairs or short 

 chains, in the mesenteric glands, spleen, liver, kidneys, heart, 

 lungs and elsewhere. The organism is apparently closely allied 

 to the bacterium coli cotmmmis and bacillus fctidi lactis. The 

 findings of Jensen have in the main been verified by other 

 investigators. He induced the disease experimentally, by admin- 

 istering a culture of these organisms, with milk, to calves of sus- 

 ceptible age. 



Symptoms. The symptoms of the disease appear usually in 

 from one to two days after birth, but in some instances within a 

 very few hours. The first symptom observed by the owner is 

 usually tenesmus, accompanied by fluid evacuations which are 

 at first of a yellowish color and stinking. At first the liquid 

 feces are expelled with considerable force, but later the intestines 

 largely lose their power and the evacuations take place involun- 

 tarily, while the color changes from the normal j^ellow to a gray 

 or whitish-gray, and becomes very thin. The young animal 

 ceases to take food, and rapidly becomes weak and dull, with 

 cold extremities. The course of the di.sease is usually very rapid, 

 and death follows in from 12 to 48 hours. According to Fried- 

 berger and Frohner, the mortality ranges from 80 to 100%. 



Sometimes the disease is accompanied by stretching, and at 

 other times convulsions are present. In those cases where the calf 

 sickens within a very few hours after birth, before it has sucked, 

 the course is very rapid and fatal. This fact has supported the 

 opinion of Franck and Nocard, that the infection occurs during 

 the intra-uterine life of the calf or at the time of birth while the 

 fetus is passing through the vagina. Upon similar grounds 

 Friedberger and Frohner are of the opinion that infectious 

 uterine catarrh (granular venereal disease?) of the mother may 



