Definition. Distribution: Switzerland in summer. Causes: weakness,
debility, youth, cold, heats, spoilt fodder, protozoa, coccidium
oviforme, coccidium perforans. Lesions: reddening, thickening and
desquamation of alimentary mucosa and lungs, congested mesenteric
glands, liver and spleen, coccidia in discharge and epithelium,
staining, anæmia. Symptoms: chill, fever, grinding teeth, fœtid
diarrhœa becoming bloody, tenesmus, stiffness, red ulcerated rectum,
emaciation, false membranes. Duration: death in one to fourteen days
or more. Complications. Diagnosis by coccidia. Prevention: avoidance
of affected soils, water and fodder. Treatment: antiseptic, by mouth
and as enemata, demulcents. Flesh safely eaten by man. Coccidium
bigeminum in dogs, coccidium oviforme in rabbits, coccidium tenellum
and gregarina avium intestinalis in birds.
_Definition._ Enteritis affecting chiefly the colon and rectum, and due
to the presence of the protozoa, coccidium oviforme, and coccidium
perforans.
_Distribution._ This affection was found in 1885 in the cantons of
Berne, Lucerne and Argovi where it attacked 5 per cent. of the cattle
and destroyed from 2 to 4 per cent. of those that suffered. It prevailed
mainly in the summer (May to October) on the pastures, though not
unknown at other seasons. Sucking calves were immune and the ages of a
year to two and a half years were the main sufferers.
_Causes._ Predisposing causes embrace such as induce weakness or
debility, youth, low condition, cold intemperate weather, extreme heats,
musty or spoilt fodders.
The essential cause, the coccidium, appears to be taken in with food or
water as sucking calves are largely exempt. The parasite is found in the
gastric and intestinal epithelium of the diseased animals, in numbers
proportionate to the severity of the attack, being very abundant when
the disease is at its height, diminishing during convalescence, and
disappearing entirely on recovery. Two species are found in this
disease.
=Coccidium Oviforme= is 40 to 50μ long by 22 to 28μ thick, ovoid, with a
double outlined limiting membrane enclosing a refrangent protoplasm with
a nucleus two or three times as large as that of an epithelial cell, and
staining with hæmatoxylon or aniline colors. The young coccidia appear
as round granular protoplasmic masses, without a capsule but provided
with a nucleus. At first of a diameter of 9 to 10μ they increase to 26μ
retaining the spherical form and acquiring the membrane of the mature
parasite. As it grows the protoplasm separates from the wall and forms a
globular nucleated mass, which after fifteen days divides into two and
later into four masses or sporoblasts. Each sporoblast in its turn
divides into two falciform corpuscles lying in contact but in an inverse
sense to each other. Each of these under favorable conditions becomes a
new amœboid individual capable of invading an epithelial cell and
passing through the same stages of development as its predecessor.
The coccidium oviforme is found in the epidermis in cutaneous
psorospermosis of birds, and in the coccidian hepatitis in rabbits.
=Coccidium Perforans.= In its mature form this is 25μ to 35μ long, by
14μ to 20μ broad. Its different stages of evolution are essentially the
same as for the Coccidium Oviforme. It is a cause of intestinal
Coccidiosis in both dog and rabbit as well as in cattle, usually killing
the rabbit in from eight to ten days.
_Lesions._ In the first reported cases in calves in 1877 (Proger and
Zurn), there was catarrhal inflammation of the upper air passages as
well as the bowels. There was thickening, redness and desquamation of
the abomasum near the pylorus of the small intestine and colon. In the
intestines there were patches of thickening and softening of the mucosa
and miliary ulcers with yellowish contents. The mesenteric glands, liver
and spleen were enlarged, softened and ecchymosed. In all the lesions
coccidia were found. In the cases reported by Hess, Zschokke, Guillebeau
and Cadeac the abomasum and large intestine principally suffered. There
was a diffuse inflammation of the mucosa and in the rectum and portion
of the colon a great degeneration and desquamation of the epithelium.
The columnar cells of the mucous glands especially suffered. A single
cell would contain five or six psorosperms, in different stages of
development. If the parasites have escaped, the cell walls are pressed
together. Among the diseased glands others with healthy epithelium were
found, their orifices plugged with mucus. Both forms of coccidia above
described are found in two conditions, in the epithelial cells with
granular nuclei staining in hæmatoxylon, and violet or black with iodine
(Lugol’s), and outside the cells with granular nucleus or simple hyaline
contents which do not stain. Zschokke considers the latter as in process
of degeneration. Other organs are anæmic.
_Symptoms._ The disease is ushered in by cold extremities, weakness,
dullness, suspended rumination, ardent thirst, hyperthermia, 102° to
104° and even 106°, small, weak thready pulse beating 100 to 140 per
minute, sunken eyes, grinding of the teeth, and defecation in small
quantity only. Toward the fourth day or earlier a fœtid diarrhœa sets
in, watery, bloody and fibrinous. The bloody discharges last to the
seventh day, the diarrhœa to the end of the second or fourth week.
Straining may be violent, exposing or everting the irritated or
ulcerated rectum, the hind parts may be stiff, the patient rises with
difficulty, he winches if pressed on the back or right side of the
abdomen, loses flesh rapidly and becomes a walking skeleton. when the
discharges are less profuse cylindroid croupous casts are sometimes
expelled.
_Course._ _Duration._ In the weak and young a violent attack may prove
fatal in 24 hours. In others the malady lasts for two or more weeks and
sometimes relapses, and the patient becomes very weak and anæmic.
Complications of various kinds may also supervene and cut off the
animal, the lesions and debility alike favoring the introduction of the
germ. Thus black quarter, bronchitis, pneumonia, convulsions, paralysis,
phthiriasis and ring-worm have been noted as sequelæ.
_Diagnosis_ can always be made by microscopic examination of the fresh
warm fæces.
_Prevention._ This will consist in the avoidance of water and of green
food from soils where the disease has been found to prevail.
_Treatment._ Antiseptics given by the mouth have proved of very little
avail having as a rule lost their power through dilution in the contents
of the stomachs. They may still be given to keep in check the
propagation of the coccidia in the fourth stomach. Silver nitrate, iron
sulphate, lead acetate, tannic acid, oak bark, carbolic acid, cresol,
lysol, salicylic acid, hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, hyposulphite
of soda have been used in this way. The same agents may be used with
better effect as enemata being forced as far as is consistent with
safety and frequently repeated. Quinia and iodide of potassium may also
be given as parasiticides. Mucilaginous gruels and decoctions should be
given at first, followed by mashes as they can be borne, but the food
must be moderate and easily digestible until full convalescence has
taken place.
The flesh of animals killed while suffering from this affection has been
eaten by man with impunity.