CHAPTER XXXIII. 



FOOT-ROT. 



Sheep are subject to several diseases which are classed as foot-rot. 

 There is one form, known as contagious foot-rot, which prevails in 

 certain localities, especially on wet land. Brown describes the 

 disease as primarily a disease of the skin, inducing exfoliation of 

 the cuticle, and exudation of fluid containing epithelial scales. The 

 inflammation extends to the membrane of the foot, leading to exfolia- 

 tion of the hoof, and development of epithelial scales, which form an 

 imperfect horny layer on the diseased membrane. In one outbreak 

 investigated by Brown, the disease in the early stage was confined 

 to the skin between the digits of the fore-feet ; the surface was 

 red, tumid and pulpy, and white purulent matter existed on the 

 inflamed parts. Later, the hoof grew to an extraordinary length, 

 fungoid growths made their appearance, developing into foot-rot in 

 an advanced form. 



In France, according to Fleming, the contagious character of 

 this disease has long been recognised. So long ago as' 1805 Pictet 

 imported 200 half-bred merino sheep, some of which were infected 

 with foot-rot, and placed them with 200 healthy sheep, and in a 

 short time all the sheep were infected. Several years later Favre 

 and SoriUon carried out investigations which conclusively proved 

 the infective nature of the virus. Among other experiments it 

 was found that when healthy sheep were inoculated in the feet 

 with virus from diseased sheep, the disease was communicated. 



Contagious foot-root may be spread by healthy sheep receiving 

 the virus from infected sheep in fairs and markets. Ships, railway- 

 trucks, and carts in which diseased sheep have been conveyed, unless 

 subsequently thoroughly disinfected, may be the means of trans- 

 mitting the virus to healthy sheep. Healthy sheep turned into 

 pastures quite recently occupied by diseased sheep may be inoculated 

 from the discharges from the feet of the diseased sheep, which 

 contaminate the grass and soil. 



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