310 ACUTE GENERAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES 



cadaver is emaciated and shows symptoms of general anemia 

 and cachexia. 



Symptoms. — In pyosepticemia of sucklings the disease may 

 appear clinically as a general septicemia, an affection of the 

 joints or of the navel, and may be complicated with metastatic 

 changes in internal organs (lungs, liver, kidneys, mesenteric 

 glands, brain, etc.). The clinical picture will therefore vary. 

 In calves the disease is often less acute than in colts and is less 

 apt to involve the articulations. Both local and general 

 symptoms are observed, the local often being noticed first. 

 Three clinical forms of the disease are recognized : 



(a) Septicemic Form. — In the septicemic form there appear 

 within a day or two after birth the following symptoms: 

 refusal to suck; the patient is languid, remains recumbent, 

 and if lifted to its feet is rarely able to stand, the head held 

 low, the whole body limpid. The temperature is elevated 

 (105° F.), the heart beat rapid and the respirations dyspneic. 

 Death occurs in one or two days. In some cases, due to 

 metastasis, symptoms in internal organs (lungs) develop. 



(b) Articular Form. — Most frequently in colts the first 

 . symptom noted is swelling of a joint or joints appearing within 



a few days after birth. The owner generally assumes that the 

 swollen part has been tread on by the dam. The enlargement 

 occurs in a limb joint (tarsal, carpal, femorotibial) and is 

 inflammatory in character. The surrounding tissue is edema- 

 tous. While the swelling sometimes promptly disappears, 

 generally it persists, fluctuates and perforates or is lanced, dis- 

 charging pus. Flexion of the affected joint causes pain and 

 severe lameness. If many joints are attacked the young 

 patient may be unable to stand. Marked suppuration does 

 not always take place. The swelling may never open spon- 

 taneously, but leads to a subacute or chronic arthritis with 

 periarthritis, causing temporary or permanent enlargement of 

 the joint. 



(c) Umbilical Form. — In some cases a local inflammation 

 appears, the navel becoming hot, painful, and swollen, the 

 stump moist and discharging pus or ichor. Between the 

 umbilicus and the ensiform cartilage a firm strand, the size 

 of a finger, may be felt in the abdominal wall running toward' 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



