COITAL EXANTHEMA 355 



by taking a clean towel, passing it through the mouth of an 

 infected animal, and then through the mouth of those animals 

 which have not yet taken the disease. A thorough disin- 

 fection of the premises should follow. 



COITAL EXANTHEMA. 



Eruptive Venereal Diseases. Genital Horse-pox. 



Definition. — Coital exanthema is a benign acute contagious 

 disease of the external genital organs of cattle, horses, sheep 

 and swine. It is characterized by a vesicular eruption which 

 is transmitted from animal to animal by the act of coitus. 



Occurrence. — The disease is very common in horses and 

 cattle, outbreaks occurring during the spring and summer. 

 It is sometimes confused with variola with which it has prob- 

 ably no connection. While the disease is benign it interferes 

 with breeding, lactation in cows, and by affecting a number of 

 animals in a district, attains economic importance. It is 

 quite common in the United States. 



Etiology. — The cause of the disease is not yet known. The 

 virus seems to be contained in the lymph of the vesicle or the 

 pus of the pustule or ulcer from which it may be transmitted 

 by artificial inoculation. 



Natural Infection. — Coital exanthema is nearly always trans- 

 mitted by coition whereby the male animal infects the female 

 and vice versa. The disease is spread usually by an infected 

 stallion or bull. It is claimed that the male may transmit 

 the disease without himself becoming infected in that the 

 infectious secretions from a diseased female adhere to the 

 penis and are lodged in the vulva or vagina of the female 

 served by him soon after. This naturally would only apply 

 where the service was performed within an hour or two 

 following copulation with an infected female. 



The disease once in a while occurs in females in advanced 

 pregnancy, also in animals which have not been bred. This 

 would indicate that occasionally intermediary agents such as 

 contaminated stable litter, utensils, sponges, etc., may carry 

 infection. 



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