72 



CLINICAL DIAGNOSTICS. 



Anthrax is an acute infectious disease due to the Bacillus 

 anthracis. Begins suddenly with high fever; tendency toward 

 hemorrhages from mucous membranes. In the ox and sheep the 

 course is often apoplectic; when course is acute it lasts 1-3 days. 

 Brain symptoms, Pig. 21. 



convulsive twitch- a t 



ings of muscles, rap- 

 id pulse, dyspnea, 

 loss of milk, are 

 symptoms some- 

 times seen. In horse, 

 colic symptoms oc- 

 cur. Formation of 

 anthrax carbuncle in 

 skin is not rare in 

 the horse. In hog, 

 symptoms of severe 

 laryngo - pharyngitis 

 with swelling pre- 

 dominate. Diagnosis 

 is positive only after 

 finding bacilli under 

 the microscope. An 

 anthrax slide is made 

 as follows: A thin 

 layer of blood or 



Y 



ta 



Anthrax bacilli Stained according to Olt's method. 

 a. b., Cadaver bacilli. 



spleen pulp is smeared over a slide, passed three times through 

 the flame of a Bunsen burner, then covered with a 2% waterj 

 solution of safranin and allowed to boil by holding over a Bunsen 

 flame for a few moments. Wash and examine. 



The anthrax bacilli are from 1 to 2 times as long as the diame- 

 ter of a red blood corpuscle, and are composed of from 2 to 8 

 bacterial cells, which are stained reddish brown on the slide. Each 

 bacterial cell is cylindrical, slightly longer than broad, appearing 

 almost square in form. The ends are plane or somewhat convex. 

 The bacterial cells are surrounded by a gelatinous capsule, which 

 is stained yellow in the preparation, and which joins the cells 

 together to form the bacillus. The capsule is bounded by a dark 

 line. If the bacilli come in contact with one another they unite, 

 their capsules blending together. 



Influenza. An acute, infectious disease of the horse, very 

 easily transmitted. Period of incubation 5 to 7 days. First symp- 

 tom is a rise in temperature which continues 3 to 6 days, then 

 crisis. Great debility, slow gait, staggering, great mental depres- 

 sion, head held down or rested on manger, eyelids and conjunctiva 

 swollen, hot, painful, photophobia. Pulse at first strong, little 

 affected, later accelerated. Loss of appetite, diarrhea in about 

 3 days. In later stages cold, painless edematous swelling of the 

 extremities. Mortality 4%. 



[Hog Cholera. Infectious disease of swine, caused by bacilli 

 which enter the body through the respiratory tract, or via respira- 

 tory tract or mouth — 



