Swine-Fever. 



333 



often be recognised by the snoring grunt which accompanies 

 breathing, and by the difficulty in swallowing. 



Actinomycosis also occurs in the udder, and in the spermatic 

 cord of castrated animals, giving rise to fibrous enlargement of 

 the said organs. 



Treatment. — In districts where the actinomyces flourishes 

 it is almost impossible to prevent animals being attacked. 

 Drainage of land is said to have diminished the numbers of 

 cases by checking the growth of the fungus. If barley straw 

 must be fed to stock, it should not be fed to young animals 

 when changing their teeth /as the actinomyces has an excellent 

 chance of entering the tissues through the gums. 



Although prevention is ^difficult, the disease responds to 

 treatment. Whenever possible, the actinomycotic tumours 

 should be removed by a veterinary surgeon. When in an 

 inseparable position, medicinal treatment will generally check 

 or cure the disease. Treatment should not be attempted by a 

 layman, as the tumours have usually to be removed from the 

 region of the head and throat, which only a skilled surgeon 

 may attempt, while the success of the^ medicinal treatment 

 depends on giving the specific drug until symptoms of poisoning 

 by this drug appear, when its administration must immediately 

 be stopped. 



The Board recently made some inquiries into the occurrence 

 and prevalence of actinomycosis in Norfolk, and a note on the 

 subject appeared in the Journal for November, 1907, p. 490. 



SWINE-FEVER* 

 Swine-fever is a contagious and eruptive fever peculiar to 

 swine and due to a filterable virus. By the term filterable 

 is meant that the virus is so minute that it can pass 

 through the pores of the closest porcelain filters. If, for 

 example, a fluid containing the virus of swine-fever 

 is mixed with one containing anthrax bacilli, and passed 

 through a bacterial filter, the [filtrate would contain , no 

 anthrax bacilli and would be incapable of giving anthrax 



* This article will be issued as Leaflet No. 29 copies of which can be obtained 

 on application at the Offices of the Board. 



