Hog cholera : its history, nature and treatment, as determined by the inquiries and investigations of the Bureau of animal industry.
- Bureau of Animal Industry
- Date:
- 1889
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Hog cholera : its history, nature and treatment, as determined by the inquiries and investigations of the Bureau of animal industry. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![normal. Those in abdomen mueh tiimelied and liemorrhagic through- out. Si)leen enlarged, friable, witli liemorrhagicpoiiits. Several patches of mucosa in fundus of stomach oue-fourth to one-half inch across, covered with blood clots. Tii large intestine only a few scattered petec- chia^ on mucous membrane. Some subpleural hemorrhages in lungs; lung tissue normal. Scattered petecchije on epicardium of auricles and venirides. On cover glass preparations from spleen pulp a moderate number of bacteria were present. In several roll cultures only colonies of hog cholera bacteria appeared. No. 4i>G died January 13. Skin of ears, throat, nose, limbs, and belly deeply reddened. Spleen as in No. 404. A few petecchim on epicardium. Kidneys as in No. 404. Urine contains blood. The mucosa of large intes- tine in general deeply congested and studded with about fifty ulcers one fourtli inch across.' Meso-colic and retro-peritoneal lym])hatics with cortex hemorrhagic. Stomach as in No. 404. Lungs normal, ex- cepting collapse of two thirds of ventral lobes. Eoll cultures from a bit of spleen puli:) gave the same result as in preceding case. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THIS EPIZOOTIC. The high percentage of mortality in epizootics of bog cholera like the foregoing is the first thing to claim our attention. Out of 119 ani- mals not less than 100 perished within the brief space of two months, or over 80 per cent. As no disinfection was resorted to, no isolation of the healthy attempted, it is difficult to say what number could have been saved. At any rate, the above figures indicate the mortality of this disease when left to itself, and it shows that nearly all young animals, such as weigh between 50 and 100 pounds, are susceptible to this disease. Most of the animals died rather unexpectedly. Only a comparatively small number were visibly diseased some time before death. Since in many there was more or less ulceration in the large intestine, it indi- cates that animals may be in a very bad condition and become a source of infection for others without necessarily showing it. The swill feeding has already been mentioned as a probable cause of the cirrhosis of the liver observed in so many of these animals. This organ was tough and imparted a gritty sensaiion to the hand when cut. The parenchyma was softened and degenerated. It seems reasonable to sui)[)ose that this chronic malady may have nimle the herd more susceptible to the disease. Hemorrhagic lesions.—At least one-third of tlie cases examined showed lesions of a hemorrhagic character. The most common was an infiltra- tion of the cortical portion of lymi)hatic glands with blood; sometimes tlie entire glandapi)eared hemorrhagic on section. As regards the rel- ative imiuency of this condition, the bronchial, posterior mediastinal (aortic), and inguinal glands stood first; next, the retroperitoneal, meso-colic glands and those in the lesser curvature of the stomach. The mesenteric glands were rarely affected. Accomi>anying this con- dition of the lymphatics was a very large spleen, its great size being simply due to an engorgement with blood.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28114528_0058.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
