CRYPTOGAMIC POISONING IN RUMINANTS. 



Moulds and bacteria in brewer's gTains, or the marc of beet sugar or cider 

 factories derange digestion, or cause abortion. Spoiled potatoes cause en- 

 teritis, vertigo, palsy, in sheep, nephritis and cystitis. Mouldy bread 

 causes indigestion, urinary and nervous disorder. Mildew. Musty grain 

 and fodder as in the horse. Ergot causes winter and spring gangrene of 

 skin, feet, limbs, ears or tail, lethargy, palsy, spasms, delirium, abortion ; 

 variation in toxicity with stage and condition of growth, privation or liberal 

 supply of water, or succulent vegetables. Symptoms : varying, mouldy 

 bread causes digestive and urinary trouble, with marc or ensilage, develops 

 slowly, impaired appetite, salivation, tympany, colic, diarrhoea, debility, 

 paresis, spasms, delirium. Duration 5 hours to 2 weeks. Gangrenous er- 

 gotism, necrotic sore, slough hard, dry, leathery, black, living parts at de- 

 marcation line pink or purple, puffed up, tender, necrosis involves all soft 

 tissues and bone ; nervous form ; abortion form. Lesions : congestion of 

 stomach, bowels, mesenteric glands, brain and meninges, petechias. Diag- 

 nosis, from anthrax, from coccidian hemorrhagic dysentery, from foot and 

 mouth disease, from rinderpest. Prevention, stop or regulate the injurious 

 fodder, salt and pack the fresh grains or marc. Treatment : antiferments, 

 potassium iodide, saline purgatives, stimulants, oil of turpentine, injections, 

 •derivatives. 



Causes. The growth of moulds on or in brewer's grains, 

 -which have been preserved without salting and close packing, 

 has at times rendered them dangerous poisons (Duvieusart, We- 

 henkel, Schiitz). The refuse or marc of beet sugar factories, or 

 ■of cider works may act in a similar manner. These products, at 

 first neutral or only slightly acid, undergo an acid fermentation, 

 with an abundant production of acetic, lactic or butyric acid 

 which adds materially to their action in deranging digestion. 

 These agents usually require a large amount to prove deleterious, 

 about 150 to 200 lbs. a day. Arloing found three active microbian 

 ferments in the pulp of the sugar factories, and four in that of 

 the distilleries. The marc of apples has even caused abortion 

 (Cornevin). 



Spoiled Potatoes have caused adynamic enteritis, with ver- 

 tigo and paralysis (Zimmermann, Grabin, Hohne) and in sheep 

 symptoms of nephritis and cystitis as well (Kloss). 



Mouldy Bread has been found to cause indigestion and cere- 

 bral disturbances in cows (Cagny) or nervous disorders without 



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