EE 
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Contribution from the Bureau of Animal Industry 
JOHN R. MOHLER, Chief 

Washington, D. C. PROFESSIONAL PAPER May 15, 1918 
HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA. 
By Henry J. WASHBURN, 
Senior Pathologist, Pathological Division. 
CONTENTS. 
Page Page 
NOT ATA GUIS ULGSHeatee ice eee cicic ciuie sciic ele a cicte 1 (cDigeMOsiss.. si vaccece tte eo et eee sone ee eae 7 
History..... RAE Pee rr te en 8. TT So. 2) Preventlomic $3 isos eo vein. paar vals ca hais alaterelere 8 
CanserotepherdiseaSesa yf se ce aeio Sk Lewes SME reatmem bees sso cie cays seas store acie een eters 9 
SHED] SOAS ss 5 Rae Te Sa 5 | Disinfection of premises!. sco ccece scr eweee 9 
PHACONUCANCUANGECSE See deciace ose cede leccens 6 
CHARACTERISTICS. 
Hemorrhagic septicemia is an infectious disease, attended with a 
very high mortality, which attacks various species of animals, espe- 
cially cattle, sheep, and swine. Young animals are more susceptible 
to the disease than older ones, and those that are thin and poorly 
nourished are most liable to be affected. ? 
The disease is a septicemia, or poisoning of the blood, wherefore it 
often runs a short course and the affected animal quickly dies. In 
suddenness of attack and high mortality at the beginning of an out- 
break there is great resemblance to anthrax. 
In hogs the disease is known as swine plague. The acute form is 
usually fatal to hogs within a few hours from the appearance of the 
first symptoms. In chronic cases the affected hogs gradually become 
weaker and thinner and may linger for several weeks. 
Fow!] cholera represents the avian form of hemorrhagic septicemia, 
and its attacks sometimes cause great losses. Pigeons and geese are 
susceptible to hemorrhagic septicemia and the introduction of the in- 
fection into flocks of birds of those kinds may leat gyianerous 
fatalities. a 
The disease usually results in death so quickly at the" bOorh 
an outbreak that no forms of treatment have time to become effective. 
The apparently healthy animais should be separated from the dis- 
eased and placed in clean, uninfected quarters, where they should be 
46449°—Bull. 674—18 


