EXPERIMENTS WITH VIRUS OF CATTLE PLAGUE. 169 



Two liters of sterilized physiological salt solution were injected into 

 the peritoneal cavity of an animal sick with cattle plague. One hour 

 after the injection, the animal was bled to death, the abdomen opened 

 and the peritoneal fluid collected. The collected fluid was diluted with 

 an equal part of physiological salt solution and divided into four parts, 

 a, b, c, and d. Part a was not passed through a filter, part I through a 

 Berkefeld candle V, c was through a Berkefeld filter marked N, and d 

 through one marked W. 



Four bovines, Nos. 13, 14, 15 and 16 were inoculated with these fluids. 



Animal No. 13 received 50 cubic centimeters of part a, it sickened with cattle 

 plague on the third day and was bled to death on the sixth after inoculation. 

 (See Chart No. 13.) 



Animal No. 1-i, inoculated with 50 cubic centimeters of 6, sickened with cattle 

 plague within three days and was bled to death on the fifth day. (See Chart 

 No. 14.) 



Animal No. 15. Fifty cubic centimeters of c were injected into animal No. 

 15. Cattle plague appeared on the sixth day and the animal was bled to death 

 on the tenth after inoculation. (See Chart No. 15.) 



Animal No. 16 was inoculated with 50 cubic centimeters of d, it developed 

 cattle plague within three days and was bled to death on the eighth. (See Chart 

 No. 16.) 



CONCLUSIONS. 



According to the reports of other writers and the results above recorded, 

 it appears that the causative agent of cattle plague present in the bile 

 and in the blood of an animal sick with that disease does not pass through 

 the pores of Berkefeld filters marked V, N, or W. 



If one injects physiological salt solution into the peritoneal cavity of 

 an animal suffering from cattle plague and collects the fluid one or two 

 hours later, the fluid appears to be infectious after having been passed 

 through either one of these three Berkefeld filters. 



These results are somewhat unintelligible and the tests with peritoneal 

 fluid will need to be repeated a number of times before accidental infec- 

 tions from other causes can rigidly be excluded. 



Peritoneal fluid, prepared as above described, appears to be fully as 

 virulent as the blood of the animal. Two serum animals are now being 

 immunized with this fluid, the value of their serum will be compared 

 with that of animals immunized with virulent blood, and the results 

 reported in the near future. 



