TEXAS FEVER 327 
the uninfected animal by means of ticks. The known species of this 
genus are parasitic and most of them at least are pathogenic for differ- 
ent species of animals. The term Piroplasmoses was introduced by 
Nocard to designate the diseases caused by the various species of the 
genus Piroplasma. 
The only species of pathogenic Piroplasma that is of special interest 
to Americans is the one that causes Texas fever in cattle. Piroplas- 
mosis has been reported once in sheep but the organism was not 
found. It has likewise been reported in dogs but as yet Texas fever 
is the only serious disease in this country caused by these organisms. 
TEXAS FEVER 
Synonyms. Piroplasmosis; bovine malaria; red water; Spanish 
fever; splenic fever; bloody murrain; southern cattle fever; tick 
fever. 
Characterization. Texas fever is an infectious disease of cattle, 
characterized by rise of temperature, hemoglobinuria, destruction of 
the red blood corpuscles and the presence in the blood of a protozoan 
parasite which is transmitted from animal to animal by means of the 
cattle tick. 
It is believed to be identical with the hemoglobinuria in Roumania, 
tick fever in Australia, and “La Tristeza” in South America. It has 
been named malaria des bovidés by Celli and Sentori and Malaria 
bovine by Ligniéres. Although it differs in many ways from human 
malaria, the analogy is so close respecting the specific cause and means 
of its transmission, that bovine malaria seems to be a very suitable 
name for this affection. At least it has the advantage of not stigma- 
tizing any locality. 
The peculiar and interesting feature of this affection is the fact 
that cattle raised in the infected districts become immunized so that 
they do not suffer from the disease but they still carry, in some stage, 
its specific organism in their blood. When such animals are imported 
into non-infected districts, they transmit the virus, by means of the 
cattle tick, to susceptible cattle, but remain themselves perfectly well. 
History. There is little knowledge concerning the early history of 
this disease. In 1868 it seems to have made its first impression upon 
the American people. In June of that year, Texas cattle were shipped 
up the Mississippi river to Cairo and thence by rail into the states of 
Tllinois and Indiana, where they caused, during the summer, enormous 
