816 Dourine. 



Eussia. In Hungary the Department of Agriculture appointed in 1877 

 a special commission for the study of the disease, at which occasion 

 Thanhoffer (1882) examined histologically the organs of more than 

 30 affected horses, while Azary, besides making artificial experiments 

 of transmission, thoroughly studied the clinical manifestations. 



Rouget (1894) found in Constantine in the blood of a stallion af- 

 fected with dourine, a trypanosome in which he immediately suspected 

 the cause of the disease. This finding and its etiological importance 

 was later confirmed in Algeria by Schneider & Buffard, in Netherland- 

 ish-India by- Does, in India by Pease, in Hungary by Marek, and in 

 Germany by Kleinpaul & Neumann, and Lorenz. 



Artificial experiments of infection were recently carried out by 

 Schneider & Buffard, Marek and Zwick & Fischer, while careful clin- 

 ical investigations were undertaken by Marek and Frohner. 



Occurrence. Dourine was fairly prevalent in Europe 

 previous to the middle of the last century, and caused heavy 

 losses by its frequent enzootic extension, especially in the horse- 

 breeding establishments. The veterinary police measures sub- 

 sequently adopted resulted in a rapid diminution of the dis- 

 ease, so that at present it prevails only in some southern and 

 eastern states, whereas in other parts of the world it occurs 

 more frequently. 



In Germany the disease was formerly widely disseminated, especially in the 

 northern territories (Hanover, Silesia, Posen), but has been eradicated since the 

 inauguration of the infectious disease law. After a decade of freedom from the 

 disease it was, through a mare imported from Russia, introduced again in 1906 

 into the districts of eastern Prussia, Angerburg and Lotzen, from which it spread 

 into the districts of Johannisbiirg and Lyek. By the end of 1908, 82 horses had 

 been affected on 62 premises, in 40 townships. 



In Hungary the disease was first observed in 1819 at Mezohegyes, and later 

 by Pillwax (1833) in the stud of Babolna. As a result of the measures adopted 

 in 1877 the disease has been observed only sporadically since the year of 1890, and 

 after the eradication of two local outbreaks in the counties of Abauj-Torna and 

 Szaboles in 1896, the entire country has remained free since 1901. In 1905, how- 

 ever,' the disease was imported from Croatia into the county of Zala, where it spread 

 to 16 townships. In this, and in the following year, a total of 129 horses were 

 affected, but in May of 1907 the entire country was free. 



In Croatia dourine was widely prevalent at the end of 1901 in nine town- 

 ships of three districts (26 horses had to be destroyed during the year). In 

 Austria it was first observed in 1813 at the veterinary school of Vienna, the last 

 time in 1878 in Bohemia. In France it has recently always been confined to small 

 territories, occurring as a result of importation from Algeria and Spain, and par- 

 ticularly in the Department of Basses-Pyrfndes cases occur almost annually. Spain 

 appears to be infected considerably, likewise Russia, where the disease was diagnosed 

 by Tschemogoroff in 1897-1902 among 37 stallions in the stud of Oldenburg. In 

 Eoumania, where it was found by Motas in 1898, it is also widely distributed (Pav- 

 losevici). 



Dourine (= dirt, unclean copulation) is widely disseminated in North Africa, 

 and especially in Algeria, where it causes an annual loss of at least 150,000 francs, 

 it likewise occurs in Asia Minor, Syria and Persia. 



In America the disease was recently encountered repeatedly in the States of 

 Illinois and Nebraska, and also in Chili; the principal focus of infection, however, 

 exists on the Indian reservation of South Dakota, where in 1903, on the occasion 

 of the examination of the horses, 511 were found to be affected,- 277 suspected, 

 and 1,889 stallions had tp be castrated. The energetic measures appear to have 

 been crowned with good results, as since 1906 no other cases have been noted. 



Etiology. Dourine is caused by the Trypanosoma equider- 

 dum, which strikingly resembles the trypanosome of nagana. 



