ABSTRACTS.

throat, without any loss of appetite, rise of temperature, or abscess formation. That was the interesting point. It could be affirmed that, if one put horses that had been injected with serum some time previously in an infected place, they might sometimes show some slight symptoms of strangles, but those complications which rendered the disease the most serious met wilh in studs never arose.

M. Vallee said that he was in possession of certain facts in connection with the anti-streptococcic serum prepared at the Pasteur Institute which confirmed and extended the observations of M. Drouin. The serum was polyvalent. Various virulent streptococci, both of the pyogenic and strangles type~, were present in the mixtures ustd for the immunisation of the horses which pro­vided the serum. That was why he had advised some of his friends to try it when they had spoken to him about serious outbreaks of gangrenous pneu­monia. It had given most brilliant results. There had been an immediate cessation of deaths and recovery had been comparatively rapid.

In such cases it was advisable to give large doses (60 to 100 ce.) intra­venously, and it was rarely necessary to repeat the dose.

M. Drouin said that he was glad to find that M. Desoubry agreed with him that anti-streptococcic serum did not always prevent the appearance of mild strangles, but that it prevented fatal terminations by opposing the develop­ment of the severe types of the disease. (Receuz'l de MM. Vet., Vol. LXXXVII., No.2, 30th January 19 10, p. 49.)

INFECTIOUS BULBAR PARALYSIS: A NEW DISEASE OF ANIMALS.

IN 1902 Aujeszky demonstrated experimentally the etiology of a disease which had hitherto been unrecognised or confused with rabies, and which manifested itself during its very acute course principally by symptoms of pharyngeal paralysis and intense irritation of various parts of the body. Since that time this disease has been observed repeatedly by Hungarian veterinary surgeons at different placts and in difftrent sj:ecies of animals. According to Marek's communications it is observed every year at the Clinique for dogs and cats at Budapest; for example, twenty-one cases were seen during 1908. Szabo has also ~ecognised the disease in cats and dogs as a spreading enzootic; and Laufer, \\ ho has accurately described two cases, thinks that i"t is by no means uncommon among dogs. Balas ascertained that the disease was the cause of an enzootic among the rats at a public abattoir, and at the same time he saw a cat affected with the disease. This led him to suppose that there was a causal connection between the disease of dogs and cats on the one hand and the deaths among rats on the other. Szanto has seen the disease in a draught ox, and Schaar in a milch cow, while Kern records the disease as occurring in dogs and cattle in Croatia; and Marek in a verbal communication states that he has had the opportunity of observing numerous cases of the disease in a herd. The material used by Aujeszky in his experiments was also derived from cattle reputed to have died from rabies.

It is surprising that up to this time no single case of the disease has been recognised outside Hungary, notwithstanding the fairly numerous short references to it which have appeared in German and French literature. This is all the more remarkable seeing that the symptoms of the disease are quite striking and characteristic.

Dogs and cats bewme dull, frequently change their position, and sit crouched up; and cats cry out from time to time as if in pain .• Saliva flows

ABSTRACTS.

throat, without any loss of appetite, rise of temperature, or abscess formation. That was the interesting point. It could be affirmed that, if one put horses that had been injected with serum some time previously in an infected place, they might sometimes show some slight symptoms of strangles, but those complications which rendered the disease the most serious met wilh in studs never arose.

M. Vallee said that he was in possession of certain facts in connection with the anti-streptococcic serum prepared at the Pasteur Institute which confirmed and extended the observations of M. Drouin. The serum was polyvalent. Various virulent streptococci, both of the pyogenic and strangles type~, were present in the mixtures ustd for the immunisation of the horses which pro­vided the serum. That was why he had advised some of his friends to try it when they had spoken to him about serious outbreaks of gangrenous pneu­monia. It had given most brilliant results. There had been an immediate cessation of deaths and recovery had been comparatively rapid.

In such cases it was advisable to give large doses (60 to 100 ce.) intra­venously, and it was rarely necessary to repeat the dose.

M. Drouin said that he was glad to find that M. Desoubry agreed with him that anti-streptococcic serum did not always prevent the appearance of mild strangles, but that it prevented fatal terminations by opposing the develop­ment of the severe types of the disease. (Receuz'l de MM. Vet., Vol. LXXXVII., No.2, 30th January 19 10, p. 49.)

INFECTIOUS BULBAR PARALYSIS: A NEW DISEASE OF ANIMALS.

IN 1902 Aujeszky demonstrated experimentally the etiology of a disease which had hitherto been unrecognised or confused with rabies, and which manifested itself during its very acute course principally by symptoms of pharyngeal paralysis and intense irritation of various parts of the body. Since that time this disease has been observed repeatedly by Hungarian veterinary surgeons at different placts and in difftrent sj:ecies of animals. According to Marek's communications it is observed every year at the Clinique for dogs and cats at Budapest; for example, twenty-one cases were seen during 1908. Szabo has also ~ecognised the disease in cats and dogs as a spreading enzootic; and Laufer, \\ ho has accurately described two cases, thinks that i"t is by no means uncommon among dogs. Balas ascertained that the disease was the cause of an enzootic among the rats at a public abattoir, and at the same time he saw a cat affected with the disease. This led him to suppose that there was a causal connection between the disease of dogs and cats on the one hand and the deaths among rats on the other. Szanto has seen the disease in a draught ox, and Schaar in a milch cow, while Kern records the disease as occurring in dogs and cattle in Croatia; and Marek in a verbal communication states that he has had the opportunity of observing numerous cases of the disease in a herd. The material used by Aujeszky in his experiments was also derived from cattle reputed to have died from rabies.

It is surprising that up to this time no single case of the disease has been recognised outside Hungary, notwithstanding the fairly numerous short references to it which have appeared in German and French literature. This is all the more remarkable seeing that the symptoms of the disease are quite striking and characteristic.

Dogs and cats bewme dull, frequently change their position, and sit crouched up; and cats cry out from time to time as if in pain .• Saliva flows

ABSTRACTS.

from the mouth copiously; from the beginning there is loss of appetite, frequent vomiting, and evidence of pharyngeal paralysis. In quite halt of the cases the animals give evidence of intense irrItation of some part or other of the head, which they scratch with their {ore feet or rub against some object, sometimes so violently that within a few hours there is either extenSIve abrasion of the skin or even some loss of the deeper tissues In other cases these symptoms are absent, and in them the groans or the erie:; indicate that the animal is suffering pain in some part.

In cattle there is observed persistent rubbing and scraping of the muffle or some part of the face, and less frequently some other part of the body, causing more or less extensive bare, bleeding patches surrounded by <edematous swelling. The animals bellow loudly and stamp spasmodically with their hmd feet; meanwhile, although the appetite is still maintained for a time, marked tympany develops, and finally death occurs within from twelve to thirty-six hours.

On account of the symptom of pharyngeal paralysis the disease has been termed "infectious bulbar paralysis." It is dIfferentiated from rabies by Its rapid course, by the absence of attacks of mania and aggressive -demeanour, and by the fact that it is caused by a virus which is present in all the organs and the blood and can be transmItted by inoculation with such materials to other anlmals. After such artifiCial infection the incubation period lasts only a few days, and after subcutaneous infection the seat of inoculation becomes cxceedlOgly painful. The latter symptom is very marked in animals th:1I have become naturally infected, and one may surmise that the natural method of infection is by the introduction of Ihe virus either into the skin or subcutaneously. On this account the previously mentioned observation of Balas with regard to the COIncident disease of dogs, cats, and rats is worthy of consideration, became it gives room for sUPl-'osing that the infection of cattle is possibly brought about by diseased rats. This idea receIve, su bstantial su pport from the following observa­tion.

On loth December of last year Hutyra received from a farmer at Gyor the brain of an ox with the request that an investigation might be made, as nine out of ninety cattle on his land had died after a short illness. The account of the symptoms of the disease given at the time indicated that it was extremely probable that it was infectious bulbar paraly~is. Moreover, the veterinary surgeon at the place had already diagnosed it as such .

Accordmg to the farm steward's account it had been noticed that the diseased animals bellowed loudly. salivated, and were off their feed, and that they persistently rubbed their heads round about their eyes and noses, death occurring after a half to one and a h~lf days' illness.

A short time afttrwards the disease broke out among the three-years-old cattle on another outlying farm, and within a few days seven animals died with exactly the same symptoms. On thi, occasion it appeared that the five-years-old cattle, among which the disease had first broken out, had been at that tnne in a stab!e on the same farm in which there were very many rats, and that coincidently with the disease of the oxen there had been a considerable decrease in the number of r,,-ts. After the first three deaths the five-year-olds were moved t'J another stable, and the three-} ears-old cattle were put in their place, whereupon the disease broke out among these six days later.

Under these circumstances Babik was convinced that the cattle got the infection from rats, basing his opinion on Balas' communication, mentioned above, and also on an observation of his own, in which the deaths of very large numbers of rats were co-incidlcent with illness of cattle, dogs, and cats on another farm.

ABSTRACTS.

from the mouth copiously; from the beginning there is loss of appetite, frequent vomiting, and evidence of pharyngeal paralysis. In quite halt of the cases the animals give evidence of intense irrItation of some part or other of the head, which they scratch with their {ore feet or rub against some object, sometimes so violently that within a few hours there is either extenSIve abrasion of the skin or even some loss of the deeper tissues In other cases these symptoms are absent, and in them the groans or the erie:; indicate that the animal is suffering pain in some part.

In cattle there is observed persistent rubbing and scraping of the muffle or some part of the face, and less frequently some other part of the body, causing more or less extensive bare, bleeding patches surrounded by <edematous swelling. The animals bellow loudly and stamp spasmodically with their hmd feet; meanwhile, although the appetite is still maintained for a time, marked tympany develops, and finally death occurs within from twelve to thirty-six hours.

On account of the symptom of pharyngeal paralysis the disease has been termed "infectious bulbar paralysis." It is dIfferentiated from rabies by Its rapid course, by the absence of attacks of mania and aggressive -demeanour, and by the fact that it is caused by a virus which is present in all the organs and the blood and can be transmItted by inoculation with such materials to other anlmals. After such artifiCial infection the incubation period lasts only a few days, and after subcutaneous infection the seat of inoculation becomes cxceedlOgly painful. The latter symptom is very marked in animals th:1I have become naturally infected, and one may surmise that the natural method of infection is by the introduction of Ihe virus either into the skin or subcutaneously. On this account the previously mentioned observation of Balas with regard to the COIncident disease of dogs, cats, and rats is worthy of consideration, became it gives room for sUPl-'osing that the infection of cattle is possibly brought about by diseased rats. This idea receIve, su bstantial su pport from the following observa­tion.

On loth December of last year Hutyra received from a farmer at Gyor the brain of an ox with the request that an investigation might be made, as nine out of ninety cattle on his land had died after a short illness. The account of the symptoms of the disease given at the time indicated that it was extremely probable that it was infectious bulbar paraly~is. Moreover, the veterinary surgeon at the place had already diagnosed it as such .

Accordmg to the farm steward's account it had been noticed that the diseased animals bellowed loudly. salivated, and were off their feed, and that they persistently rubbed their heads round about their eyes and noses, death occurring after a half to one and a h~lf days' illness.

A short time afttrwards the disease broke out among the three-years-old cattle on another outlying farm, and within a few days seven animals died with exactly the same symptoms. On thi, occasion it appeared that the five-years-old cattle, among which the disease had first broken out, had been at that tnne in a stab!e on the same farm in which there were very many rats, and that coincidently with the disease of the oxen there had been a considerable decrease in the number of r,,-ts. After the first three deaths the five-year-olds were moved t'J another stable, and the three-} ears-old cattle were put in their place, whereupon the disease broke out among these six days later.

Under these circumstances Babik was convinced that the cattle got the infection from rats, basing his opinion on Balas' communication, mentioned above, and also on an observation of his own, in which the deaths of very large numbers of rats were co-incidlcent with illness of cattle, dogs, and cats on another farm.

ABSTRACTS. 93

In the case under cons'deration Hutyra confirmed the diagnosis of infectious paralysis by using some of the brain forwarded for inoculation. One gramme of this material was rubbed up with 5 cc. of bouillon, and of this emulsion one rabbit received 2 cc. and anotht:r 1 cc. subcutaneously in the thigh. The first was found dead in its cage on the morning of the fifth day; the skin over the seat of inoculation was hairless, bare of epithelium, reddened, and showed' small wounds caused by biting. The second rabbit, ",hich had received only 1 cc. of emulsion, remained alive, as did also a third which had had injected under its skin 2 cc. of material that had been passed through a Beckefeld filter.

It was then necessary to discover whether there was any connection between the illness of the cattle and the death of the rats. With this object the farmer was requested to send the bodies of some rats, and three were received on 14th December. On the same day the following infection experiments were carried out.

The brain of each rat was removed and rubbed up with 5 cc. of bouillon, and a rabbit and a grey mouse were inoculated subcutaneously With r cc. from each. One rabbit was found dead in its cage on 18th December; the skin over the seat of inoculation was bare of hair and epithelium, very much reddentd, and rather swollen.

The second rabbit was already ill on the morning of the same day, lying at full length on the floor With its hind legs plralysed; its fore feet, on the other hand, moved spasmodically. It turned its head backwards repeatedly, and gnawed violently at its right thigh. In the afternoon clonic contractions of the muscles of the head and fore-legs set in, and death oCClllred at 5 o'clock.

The third rabbit was also ill on the same morning and presented similar symptoms, but it gnawed not only the infected thigh but also the lumbar region; and, ihdeed, so violently that it lost its balance and rolled over. Death occurred in this case about midday.

Two of the grey mice died on the 16th and 20th December with characteristic symptoms of the disease, and the third died on 30th December with a negative re'ult.

The positive results of these experiments show that the rats died from the same disease as the cattle.

The conclusion drawn was either, that the two species of animals had COI1-

tracted their illness from the same source, or that an animal of the ,pecies first attacked had transmitted the disease to one of the 01 her specle~. When one considers that intense irritation of the head (about the nose and eyelids) was observed in cattle that were ill all together, a symptom pointing to the portion of the b ldy by way of which the infective material gained access, that rats could easily injure those parts of the animal's head by bitiJ1g when they were looking for food, and, lastly, that the death of the rats and the disease ot the cattle occurred at the same time, one must admit that there is at least a great possibility that the cattle became infected from the rats. A point which increases this probability is that the dIsease of the dogs and cats was in any case partly caused by the primary disease in the rats. The possibility does not appear to be excluded that the rats were secondarily infected by disease products from previously affected cattle.

It remains for further investigation to ascertain more thoroughly the cir­cumstances of the original outhreak of the disease an'd the manner i I which the infective agent is transmitted to animals of different species. (Hutyra, Berl. Tier. Wochenschr., 17th Fehruary, 1910, p. 149.)

ABSTRACTS. 93

In the case under cons'deration Hutyra confirmed the diagnosis of infectious paralysis by using some of the brain forwarded for inoculation. One gramme of this material was rubbed up with 5 cc. of bouillon, and of this emulsion one rabbit received 2 cc. and anotht:r 1 cc. subcutaneously in the thigh. The first was found dead in its cage on the morning of the fifth day; the skin over the seat of inoculation was hairless, bare of epithelium, reddened, and showed' small wounds caused by biting. The second rabbit, ",hich had received only 1 cc. of emulsion, remained alive, as did also a third which had had injected under its skin 2 cc. of material that had been passed through a Beckefeld filter.

It was then necessary to discover whether there was any connection between the illness of the cattle and the death of the rats. With this object the farmer was requested to send the bodies of some rats, and three were received on 14th December. On the same day the following infection experiments were carried out.

The brain of each rat was removed and rubbed up with 5 cc. of bouillon, and a rabbit and a grey mouse were inoculated subcutaneously With r cc. from each. One rabbit was found dead in its cage on 18th December; the skin over the seat of inoculation was bare of hair and epithelium, very much reddentd, and rather swollen.

The second rabbit was already ill on the morning of the same day, lying at full length on the floor With its hind legs plralysed; its fore feet, on the other hand, moved spasmodically. It turned its head backwards repeatedly, and gnawed violently at its right thigh. In the afternoon clonic contractions of the muscles of the head and fore-legs set in, and death oCClllred at 5 o'clock.

The third rabbit was also ill on the same morning and presented similar symptoms, but it gnawed not only the infected thigh but also the lumbar region; and, ihdeed, so violently that it lost its balance and rolled over. Death occurred in this case about midday.

Two of the grey mice died on the 16th and 20th December with characteristic symptoms of the disease, and the third died on 30th December with a negative re'ult.

The positive results of these experiments show that the rats died from the same disease as the cattle.

The conclusion drawn was either, that the two species of animals had COI1-

tracted their illness from the same source, or that an animal of the ,pecies first attacked had transmitted the disease to one of the 01 her specle~. When one considers that intense irritation of the head (about the nose and eyelids) was observed in cattle that were ill all together, a symptom pointing to the portion of the b ldy by way of which the infective material gained access, that rats could easily injure those parts of the animal's head by bitiJ1g when they were looking for food, and, lastly, that the death of the rats and the disease ot the cattle occurred at the same time, one must admit that there is at least a great possibility that the cattle became infected from the rats. A point which increases this probability is that the dIsease of the dogs and cats was in any case partly caused by the primary disease in the rats. The possibility does not appear to be excluded that the rats were secondarily infected by disease products from previously affected cattle.

It remains for further investigation to ascertain more thoroughly the cir­cumstances of the original outhreak of the disease an'd the manner i I which the infective agent is transmitted to animals of different species. (Hutyra, Berl. Tier. Wochenschr., 17th Fehruary, 1910, p. 149.)