452 DISEASES OP CATTLE. 



locally, by the formation of ulcers and caseo-necrotic patches and by 

 constitutional symptoms, chiefly toxic. 



This disease has also been termed calf diphtheria, gangrenous 

 stomatitis, ulcerative stomatitis, malignant stomatitis, tubercular 

 stomatitis, and diphtheric patches of the oral mucous membrane. 



History. — During the last few years farmers and cattlemen in this 

 country, especially in Colorado, Texas, and South Dakota, have 

 increasingly noted the occurrence of enzootics of ' ' sore mouth " among 

 the young animals of their herds. Instead of healing, like the usual 

 forms, of themselves, these cases, if untreated, die. Careful study of 

 some of them has resulted in their identification with cases reported 

 in 1877 by Dammann, from the shore of the Baltic; in 1878 by Blaze- 

 kowic, in Slavonia; in 1879 by Vollers, in Holstein; in 1880 by Leng- 

 len, in France; in 1881 by Macgillivray, in England, and in 1884 by 

 Loffler, who isolated and described the microorganism which produces 

 the disease . Bang obtained this organism from the diphtheritic lesions 

 of calves in 1890, and Kitt likewise recovered the bacillus from similar 

 lesions of the larynx and pharynx of calves and pigs in 1893. 



Etiology. — The cause of necrotic stomatitis, as demonstrated by 

 Loffler and since confirmed by other investigators, is Bacillus necro- 

 phorus, often spoken of as the bacillus of necrosis. This 'organism 

 varies in form from a ccccoid rod to long, wavy filaments, which may 

 reach a length of 100 /<; the width varies from 0.75 fi to 1 fi. Hence 

 it is described as polymorphic. It does not stain by Gram, but takes 

 the ordinary aniline dyes, often presenting, especially the longer forms, 

 a beaded appearance. A characteristic of the organism, of great 

 moment when we come to treatment, is that it grows only in the 

 absence of oxygen, from which fact it is described as an obligate 

 anaerobe. 



Very few organisms exhibit a wider range of pathogenesis. Accord- 

 ing to clinical observation up to the present time, Bacillus necrophorus 

 is pathogenic for cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, reindeer, kangaroos, ante- 

 lope, and rabbits. Experimentally it has been proved pathogenic for 

 rabbits and white mice. The dog, ca t, guinea pig, pigeon, and chicken 

 appear to be absolutely immune. It is not pathogenic for man. 



The importance of this bacillus is far beyond even its relation to 

 necrotic stomatitis. Besides this disease it has been demonstrated as 

 the causative factor in foot rot, multiple liver abscesses, disseminated 

 liver necrosis, embolic necrosis of the lungs, necrosis of the heart, in 

 cattle; gangrenous pox of the teats, diphtheria of the uterus and 

 vagina, in cows; diphtheritic inflammation of the small intestine of 

 calves. Among horses it is the agent in the production of necrotic 

 malanders, quittor, and diphtheritic inflammation of the large intes- 

 tine. In hogs it has caused necrotic or diphtheritic processes in the 

 mucous membrane of the mouth, necrosis of the anterior wall of the 



