140 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



when the milk becomes thin, watery, and scanty, and con- 

 tains flaky and stringy material, and possibly blood and pus. 



This disease, however, may go on unrecognized for 

 years; meanwhile the animal continues to yield milk con- 

 taining tubercle bacilli, thus endangering the health of 

 other livestock as well as human lives. In case of mammitis 

 that is considered possibly of tuberculous origin, it is ad- 

 visable to isolate the individual and have the tuberculin 

 test applied at once. 



There is no known cure for this disease. In the diag- 

 nosis of tuberculosis of the udder no single method is com- 

 pletely satisfactory. The tuberculin test may be relied 

 upon to demonstrate the presence of the disease in the ani- 

 mal, but it is impossible by this means to detect the location 

 of the infection. If a physical examination of the udder 

 corroborates the positive tuberculin reaction, added signifi- 

 cance may be attributed to the suspicion of udder tubercu- 

 losis. Finally, milk samples from suspected udders may be | 

 submitted to a bacteriological laboratory for examination. 



Actinomycosis of the udder, caused by the same organ- 

 ism as lumpy jaw, is not so common as tuberculosis, but is 

 sometimes mistaken for it. Definite diagnosis requires a 

 bacteriological examination. 



Cowpox. 



Cowpox is an acute, contagious disease accompanied 

 by a slight fever and a typical eruption which is usually 

 confined to the teats and udder of the cow. The lesions 

 first appear as small, red papules or nodules, which later 

 resemble blisters and are filled with a clear fluid. The 

 third or pustular stage is marked by the change in the char- 

 acter of this fluid to a puslike appearance and consistency. 

 The fourth stage is that of drying or dessication of the 

 pustules. 



The disease is usually spread by the hands of the 

 milker and may break out on the cow about seven days 

 after exposure. Cowpox is so mild and so lacking in serious 

 consequences that in many herds its presence is either to- 

 tally ignored or at least is taken for granted. Nevertheless 



