326 ACUTE GENERAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES 



Treatment. — ^The medicinal treatment is symptomatic as 

 recommended in pnemnonia. It is advisable to separate the 

 affected animals from the healthy, to bm-y deep or cremate 

 the dead, and thoroughly disinfect the barns and premises. 

 As a prophylactic measure, inoculating the calves with blood 

 serum derived from an artificially immunized horse treated 

 with cultures of the bipoled bacillus has been practised with 

 apparent success. 



Hemorrhagic Septicemia of Sheep. — Definition. — Hemor- 

 rhagic septicemia of sheep manifests itself in acute cases as a 

 general septicemia. In subacute and chronic cases it is char- 

 acterized by nasal and eye discharge, also by pleuropneu- 

 monia. It is caused by the Bacterium ovisepticum. 



Occurrence. — ^The disease occasions among lambs consider- 

 able loss. Older sheep are rarely attacked, and in them the 

 disease assimies a chronic form. Hemorrhagic septicemia of 

 sheep is most common in low, damp, marshy regions. It is 

 rare on high, dry land. Outbreaks occiu" most generally at 

 the timelhe lambs are weaned. 



Etiology. — ^The Bacterium ovisepticum, a variety of the 

 Bacterium bipolaris septicum. It is difficult to cultivate out- 

 side of the body as it is very apt to die in cultures. 



Natural Infection. — ^Through the digestive tract, the sheep 

 taking in infected food or water found on the pastures or in 

 contaminated sheep folds. Young sheep at weaning time are 

 most predisposed, and in them the disease assumes usually a 

 very acute form. In older sheep the disease is more chronic. 



The infective discharges of diseased animals obviously con- 

 tribute toward the spread of the disorder. In sheep herds 

 running in small pastures or kept crowded in folds the disease 

 assumes a very virulent form. It is transmitted to healthy 

 sheep folds by infected animals. 



Predisposing causes are anything that will reduce the resist- 

 ance of the sheep, such as cold, getting wet by rain, etc. The 

 disease is more common in wet seasons and on low grounds. 



In all probability infestation with strongyls may be a 

 predisposing cause. 



Necropsy. — In peracute cases the postmortem is largely 

 negative, except for the symptoms noted under hemorrhagic 

 septicemia. 



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