46 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. I, No. i 
PREVALENCE 
Most of the published records of sheep measles refer to isolated cases 
found by accident, and accordingly indicate little as to the prevalence of 
the parasite. Glage (1905), however, in Germany, found degenerate 
cysticerci in the muscles of 32 out of 2,198 (1.45 per cent) sheep carcasses 
examined for these parasites by inspection of the head muscles and the 
heart, and in 16 out of 1,984 (0.8 per cent) in which the heart only was 
inspected. 
Table II shows the total number of sheep slaughtered at 26 meat- 
inspection stations in the United States during 11 months beginning 
January, 1912, and the number of carcasses found affected with muscle 
cysticerci. 
Table II. —Carcasses of sheep found affected with muscle cysticerci during 11 months at 
26 meat-inspection stations in United States, 
Station. 
A 
B 
C. 
D. 
E 
F. 
G 
H 
I. 
J- 
K 
L. 
M 
N. 
Total kill. 
Affected. 
Station. 
Total kill. 
Affected. 
Number. 
Number . 
Per cent. 
Number. 
Number. 
Per cent. 
898 
I 
O. OI + 
0. 
3 1 ,237 1 
17 
O. 05 + 
262, 361 
I 
p. 
6,920 
I 
. 01+ 
4 , 335 > I 53 
4,678 
. II — 
Q . 
116, 912 
564 
. 48+ 
100, 382 
34 
R. 
19,708 
109 
• 55+ 
i 57><>53 
12 
. 01 — 
S. 
59 > 759 
I 
61, 905 
IO7 
• T 7 ~ 
T. 
23,381 
132 
• 57 “ 
55, 205 
IO 
. 02 — 
U. 
l6l, OIO 
1,469 
.91 + 
237,799 
2 
V. 
2, 106 
I 
* ° 5 “ 
1,488, 997 
2,695 
.18+ 
W. 
1, 435 , 594 
5 , 739 
.4 - 
272, 739 
35 
. 02 — 
X. 
526.713 
30 
. 01 — 
36, 976 
23 
. 06+ 
Y. 
166, 581 
19 
. 01 + 
706, 584 
1, 010 
■ i 5 - 
Z. 
86, 238 
74 i 
.85- 
AT 'jSjl 
9 1 , 7°4 
I, 429, 264 
14 
Total .. 
II, 60I, 898 
17,446 
• 15+ 
The foregoing table does not indicate accurately the prevalence of sheep 
measles. In the first place, many cases would necessarily be missed under 
methods of inspection as nearly perfect as practically possible; in the 
second place, the methods of inspection for Cysticercus ovis have not been 
developed to the same degree of perfection at the various stations; and 
finally, at certain stations the methods of inspection for C. ovis have 
reached a high degree of efficiency only in recent months, while the figures 
given cover also earlier months during which the inspection was less 
perfect and during which it may even have happened that no cases were 
found at all. For example, it will be noted from Table II that, in the case 
of Station R, 0.55 per cent of the sheep slaughtered during January to 
November were found to be infested. As a matter of fact, however, the 
great majority of the cases of measles at the station were found toward 
the close of the period covered; that is, 105 cases, or 2.25 per cent of about 
4,300 sheep slaughtered, were found during September, October, and 
November. 
