ABSTRACTS
201
serum tube test for the diagnosis of S. pullorum infection
was investigated under field conditions. A total of 1750
tests were carried out on three infected farms whereby an
agreement of 98.34 per cent was established between the
two tests. Twenty-nine birds gave conflicting results,
but on bacteriological examination S. pullorum was re
covered from 15 out of 26 birds thus tested. Actually
out of 228 reactors, including those from which the casual
organism was isolated the rapid whole-blood test and
the serum tube test showed an error of 6.1 and 0.4 per
cent respectively. In similar trials carried out on 1519
birds, from which S. pullorum could not be isolated, the
serum tube test may have condemned 0.5 per cent and
the rapid test 0.2 per cent.
Better results were achieved in subsequent test made
at the laboratory when an agreement of 99.31 per cent
was established. The authors have since used the rapid
test on three other fairly heavily infected farms and
concluded that this method, as a preliminary, has the
advantage of eliminating a large percentage of infected
birds. [J. A. I.]
Studies with equine streptococci, 3. Vaccination
against strangles. P. M. BAZELEY (1942). Aust.
Vet. J., 18, 141-55
THE view has been expressed after consulting the
literature, that there is no satisfactory immunizing agent
against the disease Strangles. The author using a
cautiously heat killed vaccine showed that a significant
immunity could be established in mice. In the present
paper he has recorded his results on horses using five types
of vaccines. They are classified as follows:—
Vaccine 1. Formalin-killed young-culture organisms.
Vaccine 2. Formalinized 30-hour culture filtrate.
Vaccine 3. Formalin-killed whole young culture.
Vaccine 4. Formalinized 24-hour whole culture.
Vaccine 5. Cautiously
heat-killed
young-culture
organisms.
One strain of Stre equi—572 was used throughout
for the preparation of these vaccines, and proved 100
per cent satisfactory in the type of growth and yields
obtained. All the vaccines with the exception of the
filtrate (2) and 24 hours whole culture (4) were stored at
a temperature of 0°C. and 8° C. as their immunizing pro
perties were seen to deteriorate when kept at room tem
perature. When put to field use, the vaccines were
naturally exposed to an abnormally high temperature,
and deterioration was noticed in Vaccine 3, the keeping
quality of Vaccine 5, was, however, in no way greatly
lessened on account of this exposure, due probably to
more exact and better conditions of manufacture. In
two field trials the vaccines were injected into groups
of horses to determine whether an immunity against
Strangles could be set up. The first test on 1749 horses
with vaccines 1, 2, 3, and 4 proved inconclusive, but in
favour of a cautiously killed young culture vaccine.
In a second and more comprehensive test using exclusively
a heat killed young culture vaccine (No. 5) the product
showed definite immunizing powers, and appears to be
the biologic of choice for the prevention of this disease.
[D. A. M.]
The effect of large scale active immunization
against anthrax. MAX STERNE, J. NICOL and
M. C. LAMBRECHTS, J. S. A. V. M. A., 13, 53-63
WITH a view to assess the effect of large scale active
immunization of cattle against anthrax on the subsequent
incidence of the disease the authors have collected rele-
vant data from several localities representing areas where
active immunization had been practised to different
degrees of intensity. The Transkoi was a notoriously
badly affected locality. Data are presented (a) for
eleven districts in this area where 'block' inoculation
of cattle against anthrax was practised from 1928'
(b) for 15 other districts in the same area where 'block'
inoculation had not become completely enforced until
1934; and (c) for the district of Mt. Currie where 'block'
inoculation of cattle had never been practised: (d) for
the province of Natal where 'block' inoculation was
carried over parts of the territory while in other parts
inoculation had been carried out only if a case of anthrax
occurred or had occurred in previous years; and (e) for
the rest of South Africa where control was not very
effective, about ⅓ to ½ of the cattle population only
being inoculated each year mostly at the option of the
farmers.
The data collected represent figures for each year from
1925 to 1941 and comprise of the total number of animals
in the locality, the number inoculated, the number of
outbreaks reported and the number of deaths from an
thrax. As an index to the accuracy of reports of cattle
mortality the authors use the number of smears sent up
for examination, which has convinced them that the
returns reflect the actual state of affairs as regards the
Transkei and Natal from the year 1935.
A critical examination of the data collected has led the
authors to make the following observations:
"There is much less anthrax in well-controlled and
well-inoculated areas than in those where inoculation,—
although on a considerable scale—is more haphazard.
In the Transkei, once a heavily infected part, annual
inoculation of all cattle is associated with a low incidence
of anthrax. There is evidence that anthrax decreased
more rapidly in the districts where 'block' inoculation
was first carried out ". Anthrax was now only rarely
seen in the Transkoi, many districts having been clean
for several years. The decrease of anthrax in Natal,
although notable, was not so marked as in the Transkoi
probably because 'block' inoculation of the entire cattle
population was not practised. As regards the rest of
South Africa the position was much more worse corres
ponding with the more haphazard nature of the inocu
lations. [V. R. R.]
Sulfaguanidine feeding as a control measure for
cecalcoccidiosis of Chickens. MARION M. FARR
and REX W. ALLEN (1942). J. Amer. vet. med.
Ass., 100, 47-51
THE authors have demonstrated the prophylactic action
of sulfaguanidino against cecal coccidiosis in very young
chicks (12 to 16 days old). When fed with 1 or 2 per
cent sulfaguanidine mash for three days before and nine
days after inoculation with Eimeria tenella (43,000 oocysts
birds showed no symptoms, lesions or coccidial forms,
This drug has no curative effect since birds receiving
three or five per cent medicated mash daily at the first
appearance of blood in the droppings showed no signifi
cant benefit. It was observed that birds which were
procted from an initial infection by sulfaguanidine were
highly susceptible to a reinoculation of 95,000 oocys ts
29 days later. The average gain in weight showed by
the inoculated controls was found to be less than that
of the birds receiving prophylactic doses of sulfaguanidine
and 'greater than that of the birds receiving medicated
mash as a curative agent.' [H. N. R.]
Observations on the control of bursate nematode
by the chemical treatment of manure. T. W.
M CAMERON, and I. W. PARNELL (1939). Vol.
Jub. Yoshida, 2, 319-29
BURSATE round worms affect both human beings and
domestic animals. Attempts to destroy parasitic stages