354 ACUTE EXANTHEMATOUS INFECTIOUS DISEASES 



which develops only in the mucous membrane of the lower 

 jaw especially in the region of the frenum of the tongue, 

 vesicles (clear fluid contents) appear but never papules. 

 Small abscesses and ulcers which occur in the mucous mem- 

 brane of the mouth as the result of traumatism or caustics 

 do not' form pustules, the ulcers are usually deeper seated, and 

 there is no evidence of contagiousness. In contagious acne , 

 the mucous membranes are not involved, although large 

 pustules appear upon the skin in the region bf the harness 

 rests. It could be confused only with those rare cases of 

 contagious pustulous stomatitis which do not involve the 

 mucous membranes. Coital exanthema affects the genital 

 organs. Horse-pox is confined to the region of the fetlocks. 

 If the nasal mucosa is involved contagious pustulous stoma- 

 titis might be confused with glanders. Glanders, however, 

 does not affect the buccal cavity. The ready healing of the 

 ulcers and the rapid spread to other horses are not noted in 

 glanders. 



Course. — The disease usually lasts about two weeks and 

 ends in complete recovery. It requires three to six days for 

 the pustules to develop, they remain about four or five days 

 and form ulcers which heal in about the same time. Severe 

 cases may take a more protracted course in that one eruption 

 follows another in succession. Fatal cases are rare. They 

 result usually from secondary infection with pus organisms or 

 the necrosis bacillus or in that pharyngitis develops from the 

 specific process extending back to the pharynx, causing dys- 

 phagia and occasionally foreign-body pneumonia. 



Treatment. — Internal medication is rarely indicated. The 

 patient should be fed soft food such as grass, gruels, bran 

 mashes, etc., and allowed constant access to fresh water. The 

 mouth may be syringed out two or three times daily with a 

 2 per cent, lysol solution. Skin ulcers may be treated with 

 compound alum powder. 



Prophylaxis. — If only a few horses are affected they should 

 be isolated and given separate attendants. If, however, the 

 disease is generally distributed and further spread inevitable, 

 to shorten the course of the outbreak it is recommendable to 

 inoculate the still healthy animals. This is easily performed 



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