CHAPTER III 
DISEASES CAUSED BY BACTERIA 
GENUS MICROCOCCUS 
General discussion of the genus micrococcus. The genus Micro- 
coccus includes the spherical bacteria that divide in two planes. The 
micrococci, therefore, may exist as single spherical organisms or they 
may be united in pairs (diplococcus), in fours (tetracoccus), or in 
small clumps or masses (staphylococcus). This genus contains many 
important species but for lower animals they are largely restricted to 
those producing wound infections, such as Micrococcus pyogenes and 
its varieties. These infections are not characteristic in their manifes- 
tations and consequently the disturbances they produce are not 
classed among the specific infectious diseases. At present, we seem 
to have recognized but one specific malady of animals attributed to 
them. In man a number of diseases are caused by micrococci. 
TAKOSIS 
Characterization. Takosis, meaning “to waste,” is a destructive, 
infectious disease of angora goats. It is characterized by great 
emaciation and weakness, with symptoms of diarrhea and pneumonia. 
History. The name Takosis was given to this disease of goats by 
Mobler and Washburn who described it in 1903. 
In 1875, a disease was reported among angora goats in Virginia 
which may have been this infection. Pegler describes it somewhat 
fully in his work entitled ‘The book of the goat’ as ‘“‘a disease 
peculiar to goats.” The identity of this disease and the various 
affections of goats, especially pneumonia, described by Duquesnoy, 
Hutchens, Pusch, Steele and others is not established.* Mohler and 
Washburn seem to be the only investigators in this country who have 
carefully studied this affection. 
*In 1913, we studied a disease of goats that resembled in its symptoms Takosis. 
It was tentatively diagnosed assuch. The post mortem examination revealed large 
numbers of the larval form presumably of Dictyocaulus filaria, in the lungs. From 
some cultures we obtained a micrococcus but it was not uniformly present. It was 
not JM. caprinus. There seems to be a little doubt as to the identity of the diseases 
of goats studied by different authors and it is possible that some of them may have 
been parasitic in nature. 
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