262 A MANUAL OF BACTERIOLOGY 



virulent anthrax cultures. Sclavo has prepared an anti- 

 serum by first immunising asses with a vaccine and then 

 inoculating them with increasing doses of virulent cultures 

 over a prolonged period. This serum has been used 

 successfully in a number of cases of anthrax in man, and 

 should always be employed, 60-80 c.c. being injected 

 intravenously. Salvarsan also seems to be an efficient 

 drug for the treatment of anthrax. As already mentioned 

 (p. 239) B. pyocyaneus, and pyocyanase obtained there- 

 from, is antagonistic to anthrax infection. Louis and 

 Fortineau l state that they have treated 50 cases of 

 anthrax infection in man by injections of 10 c.c.-20 c.c. 

 of sterilised broth cultures of B. pyocyaneus with a 

 mortality of 10 per cent. 



Vaccine. An attenuated virus has been extensively 

 employed for the prophylactic vaccination of cattle and 

 sheep. Cultures are attenuated by growing at 42-43 C. 

 (Pasteur, Chamberland, and Roux). A weak vaccine is 

 first injected, followed after ten to twelve days by an 

 injection of a stronger vaccine. The mortality as a result 

 of the vaccination is small and the animals are subsequently 

 protected for some months against the virulent disease. 

 Sobernheim has applied a combined method, 5-15 c.c. of 

 anti-anthrax serum being inoculated on one side of the 

 animal, and the vaccine on the other. This practically 

 eliminates all danger from the vaccine. 



Clinical Examination 



(1) In veterinary practice. If an animal is suspected to have 

 died from splenic fever, an extensive post-mortem is inadvisable 

 because of the risk of distribution of material containing bacilli 

 with subsequent development and dissemination of spores, with 

 infection of pasture, etc. The abdomen should be opened and the 



1 Comp. Rend. Acad. Sc., vol. 158, No. 14, 1914, p. 1035. 



