46
Permeability of the Goat's Placenta
given 10 c.c. subcutaneously, but it failed to infect when even 500 c. c. was
given orally. Milk from animals infected with rinderpest ceased to be infec-
tive from the 12th day after virus inoculation. Curasson [1921] observed that
milk from cows hyper-immunized to rinderpest was protective, but was less
active than blood serum from the same animals. Whey was less active than
whole milk.
Banerji and Mohan [1935] from a single transmission experiment conclud-
ed that the placenta of the goat, and probably the placenta of ruminants in
general, though possessing a relatively high degree of resistance to the passage
through it of most substances, will permit the passage of a minute antigen
such as the virus of rinderpest.
In the simple experiments which form the subject of this paper a search
for the virus was made in foetuses at various stages of development taken from
goats suffering from rinderpest. The mother goats, from which the foetuses
were obtained were typical cases of rinderpest, and the virus was propagated
from every one of them. From 4 to 8 days after inoculation of the pregnant
goats, foetuses apparently near term, were recovered, and their tissues exa-
mined for the presence of virus. Hill bulls were usually employed as test
animals in order to avoid any irregular thermal reactions such as is frequently
met with in goats. The experimental bulls were later tested for susceptibi-
lity, with virulent bull or goat blood, and all proved highly susceptible to
rinderpest.
EXPERIMENTAL
I. Goat No. 258 was inoculated with goat-adapted rinderpest virus on
6 February 1935. She aborted on the 4th day and was slaughtered on the
fifth day. (It is usual for pregnant goats to abort during an attack of rinder-
pest.) The reaction was typical. As soon as the foetus was found the spleen
was removed, with precautions against contamination, ground up in saline
and inoculated into hill bull No. 428. This bull remained healthy for fifteen
days and was tested on the 16th day with rinderpest bull virus. It developed
rinderpest and died on the 13th day after the test indicating high susceptibi-
lity to rinderpest.
II. Goat No. 253 was inoculated on 20 February 1935 with goat rinder-
pest virus. The animal reacted and was killed later. A full-grown foetus was
removed. Spleen pulp and blood from this foetus were inoculated on 25
February 1935 into hill bull No. 614 and goat No. 283. Hill bull 614 remained
healthy for 16 days and on the 17th day a test dose of goat blood virus (pro-
pagated from the same mother goat, No. 253) was given. The animal deve-
loped typical rinderpest but recovered. Goat 283 showed no thermal reac-
tion, and died on the 10th day from another cause.
III. Goat 221 was destroyed on the 6th day after virus inoculation, and
a full-grown foetus removed. Spleen pulp and heart blood were collected
from this foetus and inoculated into two healthy hill bulls, 201 and 215. Both
bulls remained healthy, and on the 11th day were given test doses of bull
virus. Both reacted somewhat severely to rinderpest but recovered.
IV. Goat 27 was destroyed on the 7th day after virus inoculation and a
full-grown foetus was removed. Spleen pulp and blood from this foetus were