Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-08-24
Bovine tuberculosis.
Summary of an Important Bulletin Just
Issued by the Experiment station at
burlington.

Tuberculosis was discovered i'm the sta
ton herd i'm January last by means of the
tuberculin test. But two cows were out of
condition, yet "a animals reacted at this
and subsequent tests. The infected ami
mails were killed, and the post-mOrtems
confirmed the test throughout, while two
animals which did not react showed no
disease upon slaughter The distribution
of the disease was: Lungs, 90 per cent;
udder and its glands, % per cent; intes-
tines and mesenteric glands, 80 per cent.
Physical examination alone did not detect
disease in several cases. Six of the cattle
were brought from herds which we now
believe were affected with tuberculosis. The
disease was located at each end of the barn.
The barn was disinfected by burning sui
phur and by spraying a diluted solution of
corrosive sublimate over the wood work.
All the wood about the managers was re-
placed. Eighteen grade Jerseys were
bought in April from seven different herds,
subject to the tuberculin test. All were
found free from disease. 1t is intended
hereafter to periodically test the station
herd with tuberculin.
The station veterinarian has this year
made over thousand injections of tuber-
culin, mostly in this state Two hundred
and twenty-five animals were found dis
eased, 220 were slaughtered and found tu-
bercuous. Omitting two badly infected
Vermont herds but 80 animals were tuber-
culOus out of 662 tested in 81 different
herds. These figures should not be taken
as indicating the prevalence of the disease
in this state, since the injections were only
made in herds where it was found disease
| existed. The distribution of the disease
in 1870 post mortems showed 50 per cent in
the lungs, % per cent in the mesenteric
| glands and "a per cent in the udder
Prevalence, History and Cause.
Tuberculosis is the general name for
class of diseases which attack various or
gans and which both man and animal read
! lily contract. The human death rate
from all forms of the disease is about
one in four. Cattle are affected in vari
Gus proportions in different parts of the
world. The extent of bovine tuberculosis
in this country cannot be accurately stated
owing to the lack of systematic inspection,
| The disease has been known from antiq-
uity both in man and animal.
The sole and exciting cause of this dis
ease is germ called the bacillus tubercu-
loss. 1t is parasitic, microscopic, rod
shaped plant which lives in the animal
body, has great vitality, resists heat, cold,
moisture, drought, decay and often the
process of digestion. 1t is killed by boil
ing, by long continued heat at from $50 to
1907 as well as by sunlight, air and GER
tain chemicals. Infection occurs U by
breathing the germs; (2) by swallowing
the germs; (3) by their entrance through
a cut or wound. The three general sources
of infection are: () the dust of the dried
spittle of consumptives or other tubercu-
lous matter either breathed or swallowed
(2) contact with Iuberculous material OF
people; CD the meat and milk of tubercu-
| lOus animals.
Although the bacillus tuberculosis is the
sole cause of the disease, there are cond
tions so favorable to its development thai
they are well termed accessory causes
Among these conditions are: Q) Heredi
tary predisposition; (2) unhealthy sur
roundings, poor ventilation, uncleanly
dark, damp, hot and cold stabling, soilins
system, lack of exercise, climatic intiu
ences; (3) faulty feeding, under feeding
over feeding; feeding on unwholesome o
indigestible material, over production; a
faulty breeding, in and inbreeding, early
late and frequent breeding, intensive breed
ing, lack of constitution; (5) i'll health
temporary predsposition; (6) physical con
stituton.
The symptoms of bovine tuberculosis ar
more obscure than those of the human
disease and often battle detection. An
attempt to describe them would probabl
: prove misleading rather than instructive.
E Wherever the germs locate in the bod
they irritate the tissue, forming round nod
A ular masses. These newly formed tuber
Giles are usually soft and red. In chroni
cases they become cheesy, limy, and disin
l tegrate and run together, forming yellow
ish, Gaseous, pus-cOntaining masses of va
= rous sizes imbeded in the diseased organs
: The lungs, Innings of the chest and ABIDE
u men, the Emphatic glands and the bowe
a are most often diseased. Sometimes tn
/ tubercles are too small for the naked ey
y to see.
= The Tuberculin Test.
# Tuberculin is made from pure Gu
If lures of the tubercle bacillus, concentrated
If sterilized and filtered 1t contains IL
IS chemical poisOns created by the life fun
FL tions of the germs. Although a failure {
,e a cure for tuberculosis, it has been success
fully used to detect its existence in cattl
If small quantity is injected into t
bercuous animal it will produce feve
g bu, if the animal is healthy and it is pro
< erly used there should be no rise of ter
pefaIufe. An increase Oh TWO ucSIt
above the normal temperature after inje
h. ton is ground for suspicion. The tube
is culin test is not infallibe. Mistakes ha'
been made in its use, and it has sometim
failed in careful hands. 1t is, hOwevt
# much more reliable than any other know
he means of diagnosis. If properly ma
Id and used it cannot cause tuberculosis
C. Both human and bovine tuberculosis a
We infectious. Human tuberculosis atfeC
ee the lower animals, and bovine tuberculo'
or affects man. The latter has never be-
or directly proved, but many cases of ac
% dental infection have demonstrated its pr
de sbility. 1t has been claimed that TUBE
lg culosis does not exist where there are
cattle, and that tuberculous infection "
originally of bovine origin. EXperimeI
IN have shown that the disease-produci
III germ may be present in the milk, whetl
the udder is affected or not. If milk
= sterilized by heat, or ''pasteurized' it m
be considered safe to use.
Prevention.
Both human and bovine tuberculosis
preventabe, and the means which may
taken to prevent its spread are: ~ O
cial inspection of cattle, meat and mi
(2) the destruction or dsinfecton of
man spittle; (3) careful dsinfection
nlapas OppuDipd nv tuharculOus men or