50 Veterinary Medicine. 



Weak tissues most susceptible, holipeds : acute : chronic : Fever, pulmon- 

 ary consolidation, wheezing, nephritis, emaciation, death in 3 days to 3. 

 months. Lesions: Hsemorrhagic foci with aspergilluSj in lungs, kidneys 

 and intestinal mucosa ; or pea-like nodules with necrotic, caseated centre 

 and mycelium. Cattle and Sheep : Feeble, hacking cough, oppressed, 

 wheezing breathing, nasal discharge with mycelium ; or like tuberculosis 

 without response to tuberculin. Lesions: Miliary nodules, or like hazel 

 nut or larger, central mass with mycelium, peripheral exudate with less, 

 hsemorrhagic foci, ulcers on mucosa, blocked alveoli an^ bronchioles. Dog' : 

 Sarcomatous kidney, lung, spleen, womb, with mycelium. Prevention : 

 Correct catarrhs, feed no aspergillus fodder, or boil it, or sprinkle with lime 

 water or sulphites ; air, light, drain buildings, scald or disinfect, exclude 

 affected animals, tame and wild, discard cramming. Raise new flock from 

 eggs, on sound soil. Treatment: Fungicide inhalations (SO^) and in- 

 jections. 



The first notice of mycosis of the lungs was by Meyer and 

 Eiiiert in 1815 in a jay, and since that date it has been often seen 

 in wild birds (flamingo, eider duck, sea gull, stork, plover, par- 

 rot, bullfinch, raven, owl and falcon) ; and in domesticated 

 (chicken, pheasant, pigeon, goose, duck, swan and ostrich). 



Essential Cause. Aspergillus (aspergere to sprinkle) is a 

 group of fungi of the order Ascomycetes (askos a bladder-bag) 

 so named because the spores are formed by partial division in the 

 interior of tubular mother cells. The spores are .set free by the 

 de.struction of these spore bearing tubes. Tliey form a dense 

 felted mass of branching, transparent filaments (thallum), 

 above which is a looser downy layer (aerial mycelium). From 

 this last grow vertical filaments differing from the others in lacking 

 internal septa, and bearing at their summits a number of branches 

 (sterigmata), each of which at its free end forms a head 

 (capitulum) of radiating globular spores (conidiura). 



The Aspergilli usually grow on dead organic matter. Their 

 assumption of a parasitic existence on animals places them among 

 the facultative parasites. Four species have been found to as- 

 sume this parasitic r61e, one of which, the Aspergillus Fumi- 

 gatus, is especially common and injurious. 



Aspergillus Fumigatus (smoky). In this species the 

 sterigmata do not branch, but each terminates in its own conidian 

 head. The sterigmata are at first bright yellow or blue, from 

 which they fade to a brown or dark gray smoky hue. The 

 conidia are colorless and spherical. 



