2 BULLETIN 674, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



given the best, of feed and water. Bacterins, which may be purchased 

 from the various manufacturers of biological products or from their 

 agents throughout the country, have proved to be effective in many 

 instances in checking the spread of an outbreak and in protecting the 

 unaffected portion of the herd or flock. 



HISTORY. 



The disease occurred many years ago in this country in the form of 

 -wme plague. In 1885, through bacteriological studies that were car- 

 ried on in the Bureau of Animal Industry, the Bacillus bipolaris 

 pticus was identified as the cause of swine plague in the United 

 States, and at the same time the disease was identified as the 

 "Schweineseuche " of German writers. 



Hemorrhagic septicemia appeared among cattle in Kimble County, 

 Tex., in 1896. It was noted that many deer in Kimble County were 

 affected at the same time, and the fatalities were very numerous. 

 Those that were carefully examined showed typical lesions of hemor- 

 rhagic septicemia similar to those found in the affected cattle. It was 

 not determined whether the deer or the cattle were the first to con- 

 tract the disease. 



In 189S cattle owners in Tennessee lost many of their young ani- 

 mals from hemorrhagic septicemia. In this instance the infection 

 appeared to be spread over a considerable area, and the disease 

 seemed inclined to assume an unusually chronic character. 



Several outbreaks occurred among cattle in Minnesota in 1900. 

 The cases were carefully studied by Brimhall and Wilson, and the 

 cultural characteristics of the microorganism that -was isolated from 

 the affected cattle were definitely established. 



A year or two later some young cattle were affected while on a 

 hilly pasture in central Virginia, where they had been feeding about 

 one week when the disease appeared. Removing all the drove to a 

 lowland pasture stopped the losses promptly. It was reported by the 

 owner that it was necessary to abandon the mountain lot as a cattle 

 pasture, as the disease recurred each spring if cattle were allowed 

 to run over the infected areas. 



During the month of December, 1911, the Department of Agricul- 

 ture was notified by the Department of the Interior that a fatal 

 disease had appeared among the buffaloes in the Yellowstone Na- 

 tional Park. j r oung animals being most susceptible. In all, 22 buffa- 

 loes died between December 3 and December 15. Examination of 

 specimens of affected organs at the Washington laboratory of the 

 bureau revealed an infection with the specific microorganism of 

 hemorrhagic septicemia, and pure cultures of those bacilli were 

 obtained. In order to prevent a recurrence of the infection in the 



