430 CHRONIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES 



winter. The regionary lymph glands, while swollen, do not 

 take part in the suppurative process. 



Diagnosis. — The disease resembles in some respects skin 

 glanders. There are, however, differences from a clinical 

 standpoint. The ulcers, are not indolent as in glanders but 

 heal readily; the regionary lymph glands are not involved; 

 the nasal mucous membrane is intact, and no reaction occurs 

 to mallein. The pus from the nodules and ulcers contains 

 the short Gram-positive bacillus, which will not grow on 

 acid potato. In guinea-pigs , a v.ery rapidly developing 

 periorchitis follows intraperitoneal injection, the purulent 

 exudate containing the characteristic bacillus. Compared 

 with epizootic lymphangitis, ulcerous lymphangitis is a mild 

 disease. In the former the round or oval cryptococci are 

 found in large numbers. The disorder resembles contagious 

 acne, which, however, is found usually only where the saddle 

 or harness comes in contact with the skin. 



Treatment. — The treatment consists in washing out the 

 ulcers with antiseptics. If the process tends to spread the 

 nodules may be qpened and disinfected. Some cases resist 

 treatment obstinately. -Good results are reported from the, 

 subcutaneous injection of diphtheria antitoxin (50 c.ci 

 daily). 



INFECTIOUS ABORTION. 



Definition. — Infectious abortion is a specific inflammation 

 of the mucous membrane of the uterus, which in pregnant 

 animals leads to an affection of the fetal membranes and 

 often to the premature birth of the fetus. 



Occurrence. — Infectious abortion occurs most frequently 

 among cows and mares. It is relatively uncommon in ewes 

 and sows. Among cattle it is widely distributed, forming 

 one of the commonest infectious diseases with which we have 

 to deal. In many of the Eastern States, where cattle breeding 

 is extensively carried on, fully 70 per cent, of the herds are 

 infected. Among mares it is widely distributed but obviously 

 attracts more attention in breeding studs where a large 

 number of foals are lost on a single farm. Isolated cases 

 may escape unnoticed. The disease attains economic im- 



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