ABSTRACTS
Filtrable Virus Carriers. GIBBS, C. S. J. Infect. Dis. 53,169-174. (1933).
From the data collected personally in China and in the United States of America, representing the
culmination of 12 years of field observations, inspection of meat, post-mortem examination and labor-
atory studies, the author records the conclusion that chronic carriers of the filtrable viruses are realities
and not merely possibilities. The article relates to hog cholera, infectious laryngo-tracheaitis of poultry
and rinderpest, and it is claimed that virus-carriers have been identified by laboratory tests and not
merely as possibilities through a posteriori reasoning :—
Hog Cholera. In ' runt' hogs which had passed through the disease longtime ago, maximum
period being 94 days, certain button-like ulcers on the gastric and intestinal mucous membranes were
found at autopsy, and normal animals were free from these lesions. Active lesions from the large intes-
tine, showing the diphtheritic and typical appearance of hog cholera, and being relatively free from
secondary micro-organisms, were chosen. The material was ground with sterile sand in sterile mortars,
and the coarse particles including sand were removed by filtration. Subcutaneous inoculation into
12 healthy and unexposed pigs, 4 weeks old, was made, and of these ten developed the disease. Carrier
cases showed an uncertain appetite, persistent diarrhœa followed by emaciation and stunted appearance.
Of the 261 hogs examined, five of six suspected carriers were proved to harbour the virus.
Infectious Laryngo-tracheaitis. Details are given of how the swabs from the trachea of suspected
carriers were employed to infect susceptible chicken, the disease being readily reproduced in the majority
of cases.
Rinderpest. By an arrangement with a butcher tissues were collected from seven cases out of 200
cattle, in which the chronic carrier stage was suspected. Pyloric ulcers were triturated in sterile saline
solution and inoculated into susceptible calves 6 weeks old. Four of the seven cattle were thus proved
to be carriers, up to 177 days after recovery from all outward appearances of the disease. In the
author's experience chronic carriers of rinderpest enjoyed good health and passed as sound animals in
the market.
This article has been written in the belief that no careful investigation had hitherto been made to
prove the existence of carriers of the common filtrable virus diseases. (Cf. Ind. J. Vet. Sc. Ani. Husb.
1932, 2, 357-382) [S. D.]
(1) Experimental Studies of post-mortem bacterial invasion in animals. BURN, C. G.
J. Infect. Dis. 54, 388-394. (1934).
(2) Post-mortem bacteriology, J. Infect. Dis. 54,395-403.
To evaluate the results of cultural examination upon tissues and organs at autopsy, and to find out
the relative importance of factors governing the types of bacteria and their spread through the body
after death, the author experimentally inoculated suspensions of B. coli and Staphylococci into the
various tissues and body cavities (pleural cavity, oral cavity, intestines Subcut tissues) of healthy
guineapigs and rabbits, killed by cardiac puncture, and attempts were then made to isolate the bacteria
from the internal organs after keeping the animals at various temperatures for different periods. The
experiments were controlled by observations on animals into which no bacteria were injected, the
conditions of the experiment being otherwise similar.
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