The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-05-11
CAUSE OF SPLEHETIC fever.
WHAT GOVERNMENT INSPEC.
TOR Bremen SAYS.
He Explains Why Southern Cattle
Are Guaranteed in the
North.

The public has been informed that
there IS a Government cattle inspector
located in this city, in the person of
DR.. Charles H. Bremen, whose duty it is
to inspect herds of cattle arriving here
for shi9ment out of the State. In an
| interview yesterday on the subject he
said to Record Union" reporter:
For many years. said DIR. Bremen,
lit has been an established fact among
the cattlemen of our Western States
and Territories that during the spring
and summer months cattle originating
in certain areas of the South when
taken North would transmit to North
ern cattle an infectious disease of a fatal
character. Strange to say, the cattle
from which this disease was transmit
ted We're. and continued to remain. in
an apparently healthy condition.
owing to the immigration in the
spring of the year of immense herds of
cattle from the south to the north for
grazing purposes and the great losses
sustained from this disease by northern
cattle coming in contact with the trails
and pastures where southern animals
had been placed, Investigations We're
conducted to ascertain and remedy the
cause.
In a special report on Splenetic fever,
issued in 1893 by the Bureau of Animal
Industry, United States Department of
Agriculture, II was shown that the
cause of the disease is a blood cor
puscle destroying micro organism, and
that the transmission of the miCro-or-
Canism from the southern to native
northern cattle in natural outbreaks is
effected by southern cattle ticks CBoo-
philis bovis) and by this means only.
From numerous microscoDical ex-
aminations it was shown that this
micro organism is constantly present in
the blood corpuscles Of the southern ami
NAL, but in dormant or inactive state,
the southern animal being immune to
the disease. Also the presence of this
micro-organism, in greatly increased
numbers, in the cOr0uscles of native
northern) cattle suffering from Sple-
netic fever.
1T was also shown that intravenous
Injections of blood from infectious
southern cattle into native northern
cattle resulted in the contraction OF
splenetic fever by the latter.
When native morthern) cattle were
exposed to tick-infested southern cat
tie the natives contracted splenetic
fever, young ticks We're found on them
and the micro-organism was present in
the blood In the case where native
cattle We're exposed to southern cattle
from which all the ticks had been re-
moved. the native cattle showed no
signs of the disease.
Still more conclusive were the tests
WI, .1Io in,
pasture that was infested with ticks
taken from southern cattle mo south
ern cattle had ever been admitted to
that pasture) The native contracted
and succumbed to the disease.
1T has also been fully demonstrated
that young ticks Matched artiicially
from eggs laid by adult ticks picked
from southern cattle. when placed on
susceptible cattle would transmit the
infection.
In an outbreak of splenetic or south
ern cattle fever, sufficient time (tOrty
to fifty days. will have to elapse from
the time the southern cattle were intro
duced into northern territory before the
disease will make its appearance, from,
the fact that it is the PROGENY of the
adult tick which infested the southern
animal, that is the direct tranSmttoc Of
the micro organism.
when fully gorged with blood the fe-
male tick loosens her hold on her host
and falls to the ground, and crawling
off to some dark corner her work soon
begins. Egg after egg does the little
creature lay, her pile constantly grow
ing larger, while her body constantly
contracts, until within a week little is
left but a yellowish. dried-up, shriveled
skin. a single mature tick averages
about 1000 eggs
THE harmlessness of southern cattle,
after being deprived of the cattle tick,
brings uD the very important question
whether such cattle cannot be freed
from ticks.
For a long time it appeared as
though no mixture could be obtained
that would kill these parasites without
severely injuring the cattle which were
treated. Recently il has been found
that a petroleum product (paraffin OLD
will destroy the ticks without endan
gering the cattle. 1t is thought that
two diDoings, at an interval Of several
days, will effectually destroy the ticks.
IF this be realized, the dipping of
cattle from the infected area would be-
come general, thereby saving millions
of dollars to the Southern States, but
until that object is accomplished,
Southern tick-infested cattle must be
kept separate, and placed in quarantine
yards when sent to Northern markets"
rHyT Nv