Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-08-28

Some Experiments with Tuberculim.
An English committee has recently
reported some valuable observations
on tuberculin and tuberculosis. Elk
periments were made for the purpose
of determining the effect Of repeated
doses Of tuberculin and the length of
time after infection before a reaction
to tuberculin takes place. For this
purpose apparently healthy animals
were selected and tested with tuber.
culin. IL they failed to react they
were inoculated with the tubercle
bacillus and tested ut intervals after
ward, in order to determine how soon
they would react to tuberculin. One
animal that gave q decided traction
when tested on October subsequent
ly failed to react, or reacted alter
nately. For two months 1t received
large quantities of tuberculin and en-.
tirely ceased to react. The animal
was inoculated with tubercle bacilli
on February 6 and reacted to tuber-
culin eight days after incubation.
The animal was then treated to large
doses of tuberculin without reaction.
When killed on May 20 no trace OF
tuberculous lesion was found except
a casefied and inert tubercle in
mesenteric gland. In other expert.
ments 1t was found that in many
cases reaction to tuberculin did not
occur until from 40 to so days after
the animals were inoculated with tn.
berculosis. In several cases which
reacted decidedly on the first test,
complete failure to react was noted
If the test was repeated within short
time. The experimenters expressed
their belief that repeated injections OF
tuberculin may have some curative
effect, or may retard the progress of
the disease to some extent, and that
the matter Is largely influenced by the
individuality OF each animal. few
animals could not be inoculated with
virulent tubercle bacilli, although
they had not been previously treated
with tuberculjn and appeared to be
entirely resistant to tuberculosis.
cne Way Of Spreading Charlton.
II all danger ended with the ex-
piring breath Of charbonous animals.
all would be well, as is perhaps often
thought to he the case by many
stock owners; unfortunately this Is
not so, but on the other hand, the
dead animal is, through Its infected
blood and tissues, the most danger.
Gus source of future infection. An
outbreak generally starts with one
dead animal that has caught the In
lection from grazing over pasture that
has been previously contaminated by
the discharges from charbonous
carcass. With the myriads of blood
sucking flies surcharged with the
germ-infected blood of this first vic
tim. they are now prepared to start
the deadly work Of inoculating healthy
but susceptible animals. There are
many other agencies that are capable
of transmitting the virus, In fact any
thing that can carry charbonous blood
can do II, but we believe that the
norsefiies, and perhaps other blood
sucking insects, are more responsible
for the extensive spread of this dis
ease in our state than all other
agencies combined, which opinion
will, we think, be borne out by any
careful observer familiar with this
plague. But, provided there were no
charbonous carcasses left exposed,
then the chief source from which the
various transmitting agencies pro
cure their deadly freight would not
exist, and necessarily it could not be
carried. II we were asked our opin.
inon as to the most important factors
in producing our periodic outbreaks
or epizootics of Charlton in Louis
lana, we would say, unhesitatingly,
first, original victims that have been
carelessly hauled out and left ex
posed. Second, horse-flies to convey
the charbonous blood from the re
Gently dead animal to healthy stock.