CATTLE PLAGUE—RINDERPEST 363 



Prognosis. — ^The prognosis varies with the outbreak. In 

 some years the disease assumes a mild form leading to a 

 mortality of not over 16 to 20 per cent. ; in others it may reach 

 80 to 100 per cent. The septicemic form is nearly always 

 fatal. The pectoral type le^ds to the death of all swine 

 showing marked pulmonary symptoms (dyspnea, cyanosis, 

 etc.). While recoveries in the intestinal form are not uncom- 

 mon, convalescence is often prolonged which greatly affects 

 the value of the hog. The same is true of chronic cases which 

 seldom regain their former thi'ifty condition. An exception 

 is formed in old breeding boars and sows. 



Treatment. — ^A medicinal treatment is useless in hog- 

 cholera. Once the disease has broken out it is usually recom- 

 mendable to kill all swine showing intensive symptoms. The 

 carcasses should be rendered harmless by cremation or deep 

 burial. A thorough disinfection should follow, viz., all litter, 

 droppings, etc., should be burned. Feed troughs, sheds, hog 

 houses, etc., disinfected (cresol 3 per cent.). Lime should be 

 scattered abundantly. Hogs which show mild symptoms or 

 are carrying temperature should be inoculated with Dorset 

 serum (obtainable from some state experiment stations, 

 agricultural colleges, livestock sanitary boards, but not from 

 the Bureau of Animal Industry). There are two ways of 

 applying this serum: One known as the "serum alone" 

 method, used in infected hogs, and the "simultaneous 

 method, serum and virulent blood being injected simulta- 

 neously into the medial aspects of the thighs of swine which 

 show no symptoms of the disease and carry no fever. 



CATTLE PLAGUE. RINDERPEST. 



Definition. — Cattle plague is a very fatal contagious disease 

 of cattle and buffalo of Oriental countries, which is character- 

 ized by a severe croupous and diphtheritic inflammation of 

 the mucous membranes especially of the digestive tract. It 

 sometimes involves the outer skin. 



Occurrence. — Cattle plague never existed in the United 

 States. While formerly it was generally distributed through- 

 out France, Germany, England, at the present time, except 



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