1910] Swine Erysipelas. 913 



by inoculating with both serum and pure culture lasts a much 

 longer time, probably six months and even longer. Le- 

 clainche, who has been foremost in elaborating this method ot 

 protective inoculation, advises that where the disease has 

 already broken out the pigs should receive a preliminary 

 injection of serum, 10 to 20 c.c. according to weight. This, 

 he states, greatly reduces the number of accidents consecutive 

 to vaccination proper, that is to say, with the combination of 

 pure culture and serum which is performed about ten days 

 afterwards. The vaccination proper consists of two opera- 

 tions. The first is performed with a mixture (made on the 

 spot) of serum — 1 c.c. per 20 lb. live weight, with a minimum 

 dose of 5 c.c. and a maximum of 10 c.c. — and o'8 c.c. of a 

 pure culture. Twelve days later the second operation is 

 performed, when the animal receives o'8 c.c. of a pure culture 

 without any serum. The materials are injected subcutane- 

 ously, either at the base of the ears or inside the thighs. 

 During a period of 18 months ending November, 1901, Le- 

 clainche had under observation 24,000 pigs which had been 

 inoculated by his method ; about one-half of these were treated 

 by a preliminary injection of serum alone. Not a single acci- 

 dent was recorded. 



Lorenz has reported observations on 22,161 pigs which were 

 inoculated in Eastern Prussia by the combined method (serum 

 and culture), and 3,831 of these pigs were on farms on which 

 the disease had already broken out. In the latter there were 

 no fresh cases of swine erysipelas after inoculation ; 50 per 

 cent, of recoveries were recorded in sick animals after the in- 

 jection of serum alone (1-4 doses). Nettle rash, which is a 

 mild form of swine erysipelas, occurred in 0*04 per cent, of the 

 inoculated animals. The disease disappeared from the farms 

 after inoculation was adopted, whereas it had appeared at 

 regular intervals before that time. 



Recommendations . — 1. It is not advisable to resort to inocu- 

 lation of pigs on non-infected premises unless the circum- 

 stances are such that owing to the proximity of acute out- 

 breaks it appears practically impossible to prevent the disease 

 being introduced by methods of rigorous isolation, because 

 the operation might possibly be the means of infecting the 

 premises. 



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