TUBERCULOSIS— CONSUMPTION 441 



(c) Bowels. — ^A primary mtestinal tuberculosis in pigs 

 follows feeding with infected skimmed milk or slaughterhouse 

 offal. The symptoms are similar to those observed in cholera 

 but the course is generally longer, the animal wasting 

 gradually. It is sometimes possible to palpate through the 

 abdominal walls firm, nodular enlargements which are 

 either tubercular lymph glands or adherent loops of diseased 

 intestine. Death follows months of decline. 



id) Bones and Joints. — The vertebrae and ribs and the 

 joints of the legs are most commonly attacked. Rarely 

 are symptoms noted in bone tuberculosis. In tubercular 

 arthritis the affected joint is chronically swollen but presents 

 no symptoms of acute inflammation. Lameness is usually 

 present. 



Horse. — Tuberculosis is rare in the horse and the symp- 

 toms are usually too vague to be more than suggestive. 

 Briefly, they are those of chronic cough, dyspnea, early 

 fatigue when at work and intermittent nasal discharge 

 (sometimes bloody). Percussion and auscultation are gener- 

 ally negative. Finally the animal becomes emaciated, 

 anemic and cachectic. In colts (fed infected cow's milk) a 

 tuberculosis of the bowels and mesenteric glands has been 

 observed. The symptoms are not characteristic. The colt 

 remains stunted in growth, pot bellied, may show periodical 

 attacks of colic, and constipation alternating with diarrhea. 

 On rectal examination enlarged lymph glands may be 

 palpated. 



In adult horses polyuria has been observed in some cases. 

 As in the ox enlargement of the superficial lymph glands 

 occurs. Tubercular ulceration of the nasal mucous mem- 

 branes is very exceptional. The temperature in equine 

 tuberculosis is much as in the ox — intermittent or remittent. 

 Morning exacerbations and evening remissions in the course 

 of the fever have also been observed. 



Diagnosis. — As noted, in the majority of cases tuberculosis 

 is a local disease in animals and presents no clinical symptoms. 

 A physical examination of the tubercular patient will, there- 

 fore, reveal nothing to indicate the presence of the disease. 

 Even in those cases of advanced tuberculosis the symptoms 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



