The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-07-03
THE TEXAS fever
HOW CATTLE TICKS SPREAD 1T
FROM COW TO cow.
BY Exter1ninating the Ticks the Dis
ease Can Be Stamped Out and the
Quarantine Removed.

The microscopic parasite which
causes the disease known as Texas
fever or tick fever of cattle is found
in the blood of affected animals and
is transferred from one to another
by means of the fever tick. A re-
markabe feature of this transaction
is that the disease-producing para
sites are transmitted through the
eggs of the tick that draws the blood,
and not directly by the old tick, as
an engorged tick after dropping
from the host (cow) dies without
ever attaching itself to another ami
NAL. But its offspring, produced by
the eggs laid after it drops off and
before it dies, carry the Infection
and inoculate the first cow they get
on.
The length of time elapsing be-
tween the exposure Of susceptible
cattle to infection by ticks and the
appearance of Texas fever among
them is dependent upon the climate
and the development of the ticks.
Thus, if northern cattle are placed
on pastures, highways, or in pens
cars, etc, in summer Immediately
after the premises have been 1nfest-
ed with ticks from Southern cattle,
Texas fever may occur in from thir-
ty to sixty days, as the female ticks
which drop from Southern cattle
must lay eggs and these must hatch
before the Northern animal becomes
infested with ticks and thereby inoc-
ulated with the disease. After the
seed ticks become attached to the
animal the disease will appear IN
about ten days in summer or some
what longer period in winter. In
fact, the disease may occur before
the ticks are large enough to be
seen without very careful search.
One objection that has been ad-
vanced against the fact that the cat
tie tick is carrier of Texas fever
is that cattle are sometimes found
to be suffering with the disease with
out showing the presence of ticks
on their bodies. This condition In
the case Of Southern cattle may be
explained by the fact that the animal
already had its blood infected with
the parasites and under normal con-
ditions was resistant to Texas fever;
however, as a result of lowered Vi
tality caused by some other disease,
or by exposure, privation, injury,
rough handling, ETC., this resistance
has been reduced and finally over
come, and the parasites at last sue
ceed in producing the disease. On
the other hand, when this disease
is observed in Northern animals, the
Young seed ticks may be so small
and so few in number as to be un-
observed.
Under certain conditions, as when
living on horses, mules, etc., the
ticks lose their infectiousness, and
when Southern cattle not previously
infested with any but these nonin-
fectous ticks come in contact with
infectious ticks they are Just as sus-
ceptible as cattle raised on tick-free
pastures.
Many cattle appear perfectly
healthy and yet are infested with
ticks and have the fever parasite
in their blood. Sometimes the own
ers can not understand why such
animals should be regarded as dang
erous to others, and consider 1t un-
lust that they should be subjected
to quarantine restrictions. The fact
is that such cattle have usually con-
tracted the disease in a very mild
form at an early age and have be-
come immune to further attacks al
though still carrying the parasite IN
their blood They are dangerous
because the fever parasites in their
blood may be transmitted at any
time to susceptible cattle by ticks.
While the disease may be produc-
ed artificially by inoculating suS-
cep,ible animal E':'' 'Ge blood OF an
infected one, It is spreac natural:E
ONLY by the ticts. Hr eNtermlnatlnS
the ticks. therefore, the disease can
be stamped out, and the Gna:an'lne
:,n then be removed.
The discovery of the part played
bv the tick in the spread OF IeXas
fever was made by the bureau Oh
Animal Industry OF the United States
Department Of Agriculture in 1871
and the same principle has since
been found to apply to the transmits
sion of malaria and yellow fever
from man to man by mosquitoes, and
to the spread of certain other dis
eases.
Publications containing full infor-
nation about the ticks and giving
directions for getting rid OF them
may be obtained free, on appllca-
rion TO the bureau Of Animal Indus
try, Department Of Agriculture
Washington. ID. c.