396 . DISEASES OF CaITLE. 



of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. In this countrj'^ the disease 

 has been observed in Texas, Tennessee, New York, Minnesota, Penn- 

 sylvania, District of Columbia, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Other 

 names given to it are game and cattle disease, buffalo disease, bar- 

 bone, pasteurellosis bovina, ghotwa, and infectious pneumoenteritis. 



In earlier times it was evidently confounded with gloss anthrax, 

 and even now it is probably mistaken in a great many instances for 

 anthrax, blackleg, cornstalk disease, and cerebrospinal meningitis. 



The disease is essentially a septicemia, or blood poisoning, and the 

 niicrobic invasion occurs from inoculation proljably either through 

 abrasions of the skin or by injury to the mucous membranes from 

 coarse fodder^ etc. Moore and Smith have found in the mouths and 

 nasal cavities of health}^ animals, including cattle, bacteria belong- 

 ing to this group; but these organisms proved to be nonpathogenic. 

 As is well known, however, many pathogenic germs at times exist in 

 a saprophytic state, and it is not hard to conceive how a microbe may 

 cease such existence and assume parasitic or pathogenic properties 

 when the surroundings are eminently favorable. This may be a 

 connecting link in the etiology of sporadic outbreaks of the disease 

 in which all other hypotheses as to its genesis seem untenable. The 

 disease seems to occur most frequently in swampy or mucky locali- 

 ties or in pastures receiving the overflow from infected fields. It is 

 said to occur usually in the spring of the year, when the melting 

 snows and rains bring to the surface the subterranean waters from 

 rich soils containing nitrogenous materials in which the bacteria 

 have been existing. In a great many instances there does not seem 

 to be any plausible explanation for an outbreak of the disease and 

 one can only surmise as to its origin. 



Sy)nptom.s. — Three forms of the disease are recognized, based upon 

 the distribution of the lesions — the superficial, or cutaneous, the pec- 

 toral, or thoracic, and the intestinal form. The latter is a usual 

 accompaniment of the other two and may be mild or severe. Natu- 

 rally the symptoms vary according to the A'iolence of the attack and 

 to the particular form of disease with which the animal is affected. 

 In the superficial, or cutaneous, form the presence of a swollen tongue, 

 throat, and dewlap, or even of the lower portion of the legs, gives us 

 a clew to the trouble. An entire loss of appetite occurs, and in milch 

 cows there is a diminution of the milk secretion. The temperature 

 may be only slightly elevated, but it is usually very high. Salivation 

 is set up by the inflammation of the mouth and pharynx. Unsuc- 

 cessful efforts at eating and swallowing are made. There may be 

 difficulty in breathing, depending on the amoimt of involvement of 

 the larynx, trachea, bronclii, or lungs. There may be a blood-stained 

 discharge from the nostrils, and the mucous membrane thereof will 

 often show punctiform hemorrhages. The pulmonary form shows 



