Most common in calves. Inoculations successful on rabbits, mice and
sheep. Bacillus: its cultural characteristics. Predisposing causes.
Symptoms: nasal mucosa congested; false membranes; snuffling, wheezing
breathing; painful, rattling cough; agonized expression; salivation;
bowel disorder. Course. Duration. Lesions; intense congestion and
false membranes. Treatment: as for horse; special antiseptics;
solvents; anodynes; tracheotomy.
This has appeared especially in calves, and though apparently readily
transmissible among the young, it rarely attacks aged cattle. Cadeac and
others inoculated it on guinea pigs and rabbits without success.
Dammann, on the other hand, had his inoculated rabbits die in
twenty-four hours with hemorrhages in the seat of inoculation. Löffler
inoculated it hypodermically on mice and produced extensive infiltration
of the entire walls of the abdomen, and often of the peritoneum
including the surface of the liver, kidneys and intestines, on which was
formed a thick, yellowish exudate containing the microbe. Damman claimed
to have successfully inoculated the sheep as well.
_Causes: Microbe._ Löffler found in the deeper layers of the exudate a
long delicate bacillus, five or six times as long as broad, and about
half the thickness of the bacillus of malignant œdema. Several bacilli
were usually joined so as to form long filaments. These failed to grow
in nutrient gelatine, or sheep blood serum, but grew readily in the
blood serum of the calf.
Beside the specific microbe Cadeac enumerates as predisposing causes:
sudden chills, rapid changes of temperature, suppression of
perspiration, inhalation of irritant gases, swallowing of irritant
liquids, and traumatic injuries.
_Symptoms._ The nasal mucosa is violently congested, reddened,
thickened, and covered at intervals by false membranes which block the
normally narrow passages and produce snuffling, wheezing, and difficult
breathing. The throat is swollen, and tender, the slightest touch
producing a painful gurgling cough which leads to the discharge of
mucopurulent matter, shreds of false membrane and even blood. These
membranes may be seen on the nose or mouth. There is high fever, rapid,
small pulse, cyanosed mucous membranes, pinched countenance, and usually
open mouth, pendant tongue and drivelling saliva. There may be either
constipation or diarrhœa.
The course of the malady is rapid, death sometimes supervening in 24 to
48 hours. Recovery and convalescence may be prompt, or the disease may
last for weeks.
_Lesions._ The congestion is intense and may invade the mouth, nose,
pharynx, larynx and bronchia, with at intervals the patches of yellowish
white false membranes. These may be soft and diffluent when recent, and
tough and resistant when of longer standing. The deeper layers are often
bloodstained. Preitsch has seen them extend to the gullet, paunch and
manifolds, and attended with considerable ulceration of the subjacent
mucous membrane.
_Treatment._ This does not differ materially from that recommended for
the horse. Among the additional antiseptics employed have been,
iodoform, oil of turpentine, sulphide of calcium, silver nitrate and
coal tar. To loosen and detach the false membranes ipecacuan and
sulphates of soda and magnesia have been largely resorted to. Papayin
and pepsin might be tried. Also as anodynes digitalis, morphia, aconite
and belladonna. Finally tracheotomy has been employed when asphyxia
seemed imminent.