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Washington, D. C.-. , nil raver iy, 1918. ee ettnioe 
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VESICULAR STOMATITIS OF HORSES AND CATTLE 
By JoHN R. MOHLER 
Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry 
CONTENTS 
Page Page 
History and characteristics ________ f-|-Contagiousness2=—2 An statins 5 
CIOL O Sys = a ee Se en 8 ee os ee 8 Immunity eee eet Meet ee ek 7 
Bathocenicity 2 eee ee ee 3) |e Differentials diaenosis= = as 
Symptoms and lesions_____________ 41 f Drea tient as Cees Petre es oar 10 
HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS 
Vesicular stomatitis is known in Europe and South Africa, and 
has been observed occasionally in sporadic form in the United States, 
- but without attracting any particular attention. During the early 
fall of 1916, however, it became very extensive in certain sections of 
this country, being especially prevalent in Nebraska, South Dakota, 
Colorado, and Wyoming. it was first reported among the horses 
and mules at remount stations in the Central West, “where large 
numbers of animals had been collected prior to shipment to Kurope 
for use in the French and British Armies. Here the disease found 
ideal conditions for its spread among thousands of these animals 
closely quartered in barns and pens. From these remount stations 
in the Central West the disease became distributed by following the 
channels of trade from the westward markets eastward as far as the 
Atlantic coast. The aifection did not stop even there, as several 
shipments were made abroad while the horses were in the ineubative 
stage of the disease, and infected American horses were found 
shortly after arrival in France. 
\ Strange as it may seem, the first information that this country 
‘Ad was experiencing an outbreak of vesicular stomatitis was reported in 
an article by the French veterinarian Jacoulet, which appeared in the 
Recueil de Médecine Vétérinaire, December 30, 1915. Owing to the 
difficulties attending the delivery of European periodicals during 
the recent war this copy was not received until several months 
later. Jacoulet referred to the erosive stomatitis of indeterminate 
nature affecting horses coming from America for the French Army. 
23930°—30 
