Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1948-08-20
Undulant Fever
BY DONALD A. DUKELOW,
Secretary Public Health Education Section of the
American Public Health Association

rt.b military surgeon who first bacteria that
il When this cattle it called Bangs disease after
veterinarian in Copenhagen who discovered the bacteria IN cat
tie 1t often abortion because of its most com
mon symptom cattle Sometimes is known as Malta Fever
because prevalence the goats in countries surround
ing the Mediterranean
This disease of many which affects not only man man
b also cattle occasionally horses and other
farm animals long and interesting history 1t is good ex
ample of how the discoveries made by people @ tv T % clear
picture disease condition David Bruce BRUSH mtay
toned the Mediterranean where his troops were getting
sick drinking goats milk
Bruceloss or undulsnt actually three diseases
caused by three closely species of bacteria There
goat cattle strain and swine strain All OF tnese can
ted to man In swine and goat strains the more
severe though disease produced by Of them can be most
troublesome
BruceIlosis Humans
UndnIant fever or Buceoss doctors prefer to
call NAV be either acute or chronic disease the
t.nt comnans of being tired and weak He
and in Characteristic unduans manner wncn mas
led to the undunt fever Chs characteristic while
the temperature rising profuse sweating is almost universal
while the falling the patient is left prostrated
aching headache common the pains
rheumatism Abcesses FORM and there may be swollen GLANDS
and of infection The bones particularly vulnerable
Tuberculoss malaria rheumatic influenza It's
diagnosis difficult Even laboratory tests are not always
conclusive Recovery disease tends enter
chronic stage While inactive the patient feel pretty good
and recurrence is for the chronic
stage of unduant fever to last several years
m accurate diagnosis Doctors the world have tried almost every
known drug Even the famous sulfa drugs anbotcs
weiknown Minnesota physician became world
his discovery combination of srepomycn and sufadazne
apparent method previously tried be that
way combat undulant fever has been discovered at last
Control OF Brucelloss
Bascay this disease is veterinarians problem Whcn Is
closely tied UP with the business Milk from
infected cows is unsatisfactory for human unless
ducton spend much time and trouble Bang testing cattle
herds 1t that the dairyman insists
any brought to his farm must be free from infectious
abortion And it of the reasons that farmers who raise
meat m nrs. animals racsD sr so concerned ABOUT keeping ne
Brucelosis in pigs is difficult problem way living
makes them infection the
farm comparatively short they often
sold packers the infection discovered Br
celoss can be transmitted from an infected carcass TO the oun
who handle that while 1t is still
farmers meat packers others handle
pigs both alive and freshly killed There is reason
Withstand period
storage that housewives handling fresh pork
might contract Bruceoss the pork fresh enough and came
from infected
obvious that the control Of Bruceloss in must
ssrn c ., on conronS this disease n animals makes
douby difficult to control in man Apparently farmers vet
the most likely to get undulant fever.
Raw milk is credited carrier Raw milk and have
been responsible for nearly 1000 and 10 deaths dozen
years danger very Pasteurzation of
all fluid milk and the milk from which cheese butter ice
and other milk products are manufactured would markedly re-
duce the amount of unduant fever
The which BruceosS may transmitted is well
illustrated odd situation which occurred few to
public health service officer well informed unduant fever
responsibility Of field investigations of this
scrupuously careful handling animals and
rubber gloves He invariably chose pasteued milk
when pasteurZed milk not available would drink
thing else But while engosed interesting
conversation he served and without thinking question its
drank glass milk AS result he contracted
unduant fever You how dangerous milk be-
Bruceloss
lot of farmers going that this lot of Tommy
that they have worked with their animals for and
they milk from their animals regularly and have
had nnduan fever Any physician we'll acquainted with the
population knows that farmers rule lot of
unexpanabe commonly
found who work hard other occupations
that associated with handling animals Blood
the population show higher proportion of them have
signs of past infection with of the strains of the Bru
celia bacillus than city populations II Is probably
that lot of these who claim they from unduant
fever actually have chronic infection which rarely makes them
actually ILL., but keeps them from enjoying the best OF health
summary might point that BruceosiS
dusnt the three closely
lated bacteria which commonly
This infection be transmitted through the handling of
live freshly killed infected animals and through the drinking
OF milk from infected goats should be emphasized
that the disease disabling disease for people and
that though does acute stage which makes
sick also has chronic phase which long me
The greatest danger Immediately the
fecon The least exerton change chronic
of the illness and another round of chls and
Recently treatment by the combined sua drug and
snboc holds promise but still is proved for
versa And lastly the prevention this disease depends
the OF rubber other protection when handling
diseased animals and insance by and that the milk
ASAI