- Email: [email protected]
Anthrax in the Horse and Dog.*
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL A XD
AUGUST, 1878 . ANTHRAX IN THE HORSE AND DOG.*" BY H . T OUSSAINT, PROFESSOR OF PHYSIOLOGY AT THE TOULOUSE VETERINARY SCHOOL. WI-lEX death occurs in the horse, as the result of inocul ation \\'itll Bactcridice or the intra-vascular injection of A nthrax blood, it has always for its initial cause the Bacte1'idice, though the lesions may vary in different animals. In one instance (that of an old horse) I obtained lesions id entical with those which I ha\'e described as observed in the rabbit and sh eep-that is to say, obl iteration of the capillaries; but I also found, in addition to th ese, an acut e inflammation of the intestines and omentum, as \\'ell as an acu t e Per itonitis, with sub-peritoneal sangu ineous extravasation and blood suffusion in the parietes of the hea rt. These lesions, whi ch will be accounted for hereafter, occasion ed th e greatest su ffering, and certainly hastened death by several hours. A second subject (an old ass), into one of whose labial coronary \'essels seven or eig ht drops of blood had b een injected, presented alterations in the connective tissue t o a much more serious extent.
* ,," ote presented to the Paris Academie des Scicnces,and translated by " R. S. L. ," Yelerill:l ry student, T olilouse. VOL.
vn.
6
70
The Veterilla7Y JourJlal.
There were a great number of ha: morrhagic extravasations; all the lympha tics of the intestin es-and particularly of the ca:cum and colon-were extremely di stend ed ; there was sub-acute P eritonitis ; the omentum was black, and here and there were blood-clots; there was also intense Pericarditis, and large ecchymoses on the heart. The p eriton eal fluid contained imm ense quantities of BacteriditE, as likewise did the engorged lymph atics and the glands situated along the course of these; there " 'ere literally heaps of them in the connective tissue adjoining the ecchymoses. The blood only contained a small quantity of them, and obliterated capilla ries were rare. In the two instances in which adult dogs were killed by the injection of fifteen drops of rabbit's blood into the saphena vein, the lesions were id entical. At the autopsies, the only lesions observed were a not very intense inflammation of the intest ine.:;, but extremely grave alterations in the heart. The ventricl es and septum were the seat of large ecchymoses, and about one-fifth of the whole of the muscular fibres of the organ had undergone fatty degeneration. In both cases there was subacute Pe rica rditis, with red corpuscles and innum erable very long Bactcr idil2 in the serum. The latter were only present in small number in the blood. The principal lesions in the ass and the two dogs were, therefore, inflammation of the vessels and their consecutive rupture. They were equally met with in the sheep and the horse, though in a much less degree. I have only once, in more than a hundred cases, found num erous and considerable vascular ruptures in the ra bbit. Inoculation, and subcutaneous and intravascular injections of Anthrax blood, did not always, however, give ri se to generalised Anthrax . An old ass resisted repeated attempts of this kind. I have also fa iled with dogs; and I have also not once succeeded in communicating the disease to pigs three to four months old, no matter what means were employed. But if these animals did not die of Anthrax, the local lesions produced were, nevertheless, of the greatest interest, as they throw lig ht upon a property po ~sesse d by the BacteriditE which enables us to explain th e inflammatory phenomena observed in variou s subjects. The local
A llthrax in tile H orse and D og.
71
",!feets du e to these organisms appear to me to result from the prc:;encC' of a solubl e matter (diastase 7) secreted or ex creted by t he pa rasi tes, and \\"hich enjoys t o a high d egree-thoug h thi s v:.t ri es according to th e species which nou ri sh the Eact~-ridi{,J phl of;oge nolls properti es, well exemplified in the following experim ents : 1. At the inner surface of th e thigh of two young pigs I i ltroduced, by pun ctures, rabbit blood containing B ac/iridi{;?" On th e following d ays there were pustules at the points of inoc ulation, with sIVoilen and painful inguinal glands, and sli ght k ucocytvsis. The pustul es "contain ed B acteridia; and finishing the ir course as abscesses, they healed in seven or eight day:;. The g land remained enlarged, and a month aften,"arcls one of t he pigs was kill ed, and in that structure was found an abscess a po rtion of the pus in which had alrea dy und erg ne calcareous degeneration. A nother pig, treated in the same mann er, was kill ed thirty hours aft er inoculation. The inguinal and sub-lumbar lymphatic glands were red and tum efi ed, but no B aetcridim were found. Inocu lation of a rabbit with the pulp of these glands did not yield any res ult. :!. An ass proved refractory to two intravenous inj ections. S everal successive su be utan eous injections or in oculations were made with Anthrax blood from a rabbit. Inflammation occurred at the poi nts of in oc ul ati on, with peripheral cedema, tumefacti on of th e g lands , and, finaliy, an abscess which ,\"a:; opened with th e bistoury; the pu s \I'as of g ood quality. The sa me ass had inject ed into th e inn er surface of the thigh three drops of Anthrax blood from a sheep. Next clay the temperature h ad risen from 37" to 39" (Cent.) ; the iollo \\"ing da y there was consiJe rab;e a nd painful ced ema, with serious gen eral sympto ms a nd int e,";se sh ive ri ng ; the temperature was 40' I ", pulse 70 and int ermi ttent i tile re were from t en t o fift een white corpuscles to on e hund red of th e red, and the blood contained num erous granu les. Th e urgent sympt oms gradually subsided, aii abscess form ed, :.t nL! the animal had completely recovered in seve n d ays. 3- \ Vith dogs refractory to intraven ous inj ection , ~ resorte d to t:h; same procedure, and constantly produced consid e,a blc c:::d ema
72
The Veterinary JOlwnal.
with, most frequently, inflammation of the lymphatic glands; in one instance there was an enormous abscess which caused death. \ Vith the blood from a dog affected with Anthrax, I have produced in another dog a considerable-sized abscess, which opened spontaneously at the moment when the symptoms were so grave that we thought the anim al must have died. In all these experiments. the bl ood was injected in a perfectly fresh state. Comparative injections with healthy blood never produced the slightest inflammation. 4. In order to ascertain more exactly the part played by the Bac/eridiu: and their excreta, I had the Anthrax blood filtered, and inj ected the filtrate. This experiment only led to the production of a slight inflammation, altogether local. Th e inoculat ion or injection of Baeterid£ce, cultivated according t o Pasteur's method, has given rise to the same inflammatory phen omena as the Anthrax blood produces. The difference in the t\\"O experiments was due to the fact that the Bacteridice had lived for a certain m1' place, and in becoming multipli ed had produced a certain quantity of phlogogenous matter. From the result of th ese experiments it appears to me that along with th ese Bactcridi([] there exists a substance endowed with intense phlogogenous properties, which should be largely taken in to account in interpretin g the lesions which are obsen'ed in Anthrax. These experim ents also demonstrate that the phl ogogenous matter is m ore or less active, according to the subj ects from which the lJl7ctcridiU? are ob tained. The animals \yhic h I h ave st udi ed ma y be ranked in the follo\vin g order: rabbit. guineapig, sheep. ass, h orse and dog. In this order are di spo.>e:d the inflamm atory lesions of Anthrax and those which are c1c\'eloped by subcutaneous inj ect ions in the refractory anim als.
SPERl\TATIC
A~EUR I S:\1
IN
A~
Ox.
T;Y 1'. BE ATTI E, Y.S ., BO\TER " ADE1WEE:;'STIIRE.
OX read ing Professor \\'alley's communication on Spermatic An eur is m in the June Humber of the V ctcrillmj' Journal, and think ing that a few rema rks on a similar case I met with some
AUGUST, 1878 . ANTHRAX IN THE HORSE AND DOG.*" BY H . T OUSSAINT, PROFESSOR OF PHYSIOLOGY AT THE TOULOUSE VETERINARY SCHOOL. WI-lEX death occurs in the horse, as the result of inocul ation \\'itll Bactcridice or the intra-vascular injection of A nthrax blood, it has always for its initial cause the Bacte1'idice, though the lesions may vary in different animals. In one instance (that of an old horse) I obtained lesions id entical with those which I ha\'e described as observed in the rabbit and sh eep-that is to say, obl iteration of the capillaries; but I also found, in addition to th ese, an acut e inflammation of the intestines and omentum, as \\'ell as an acu t e Per itonitis, with sub-peritoneal sangu ineous extravasation and blood suffusion in the parietes of the hea rt. These lesions, whi ch will be accounted for hereafter, occasion ed th e greatest su ffering, and certainly hastened death by several hours. A second subject (an old ass), into one of whose labial coronary \'essels seven or eig ht drops of blood had b een injected, presented alterations in the connective tissue t o a much more serious extent.
* ,," ote presented to the Paris Academie des Scicnces,and translated by " R. S. L. ," Yelerill:l ry student, T olilouse. VOL.
vn.
6
70
The Veterilla7Y JourJlal.
There were a great number of ha: morrhagic extravasations; all the lympha tics of the intestin es-and particularly of the ca:cum and colon-were extremely di stend ed ; there was sub-acute P eritonitis ; the omentum was black, and here and there were blood-clots; there was also intense Pericarditis, and large ecchymoses on the heart. The p eriton eal fluid contained imm ense quantities of BacteriditE, as likewise did the engorged lymph atics and the glands situated along the course of these; there " 'ere literally heaps of them in the connective tissue adjoining the ecchymoses. The blood only contained a small quantity of them, and obliterated capilla ries were rare. In the two instances in which adult dogs were killed by the injection of fifteen drops of rabbit's blood into the saphena vein, the lesions were id entical. At the autopsies, the only lesions observed were a not very intense inflammation of the intest ine.:;, but extremely grave alterations in the heart. The ventricl es and septum were the seat of large ecchymoses, and about one-fifth of the whole of the muscular fibres of the organ had undergone fatty degeneration. In both cases there was subacute Pe rica rditis, with red corpuscles and innum erable very long Bactcr idil2 in the serum. The latter were only present in small number in the blood. The principal lesions in the ass and the two dogs were, therefore, inflammation of the vessels and their consecutive rupture. They were equally met with in the sheep and the horse, though in a much less degree. I have only once, in more than a hundred cases, found num erous and considerable vascular ruptures in the ra bbit. Inoculation, and subcutaneous and intravascular injections of Anthrax blood, did not always, however, give ri se to generalised Anthrax . An old ass resisted repeated attempts of this kind. I have also fa iled with dogs; and I have also not once succeeded in communicating the disease to pigs three to four months old, no matter what means were employed. But if these animals did not die of Anthrax, the local lesions produced were, nevertheless, of the greatest interest, as they throw lig ht upon a property po ~sesse d by the BacteriditE which enables us to explain th e inflammatory phenomena observed in variou s subjects. The local
A llthrax in tile H orse and D og.
71
",!feets du e to these organisms appear to me to result from the prc:;encC' of a solubl e matter (diastase 7) secreted or ex creted by t he pa rasi tes, and \\"hich enjoys t o a high d egree-thoug h thi s v:.t ri es according to th e species which nou ri sh the Eact~-ridi{,J phl of;oge nolls properti es, well exemplified in the following experim ents : 1. At the inner surface of th e thigh of two young pigs I i ltroduced, by pun ctures, rabbit blood containing B ac/iridi{;?" On th e following d ays there were pustules at the points of inoc ulation, with sIVoilen and painful inguinal glands, and sli ght k ucocytvsis. The pustul es "contain ed B acteridia; and finishing the ir course as abscesses, they healed in seven or eight day:;. The g land remained enlarged, and a month aften,"arcls one of t he pigs was kill ed, and in that structure was found an abscess a po rtion of the pus in which had alrea dy und erg ne calcareous degeneration. A nother pig, treated in the same mann er, was kill ed thirty hours aft er inoculation. The inguinal and sub-lumbar lymphatic glands were red and tum efi ed, but no B aetcridim were found. Inocu lation of a rabbit with the pulp of these glands did not yield any res ult. :!. An ass proved refractory to two intravenous inj ections. S everal successive su be utan eous injections or in oculations were made with Anthrax blood from a rabbit. Inflammation occurred at the poi nts of in oc ul ati on, with peripheral cedema, tumefacti on of th e g lands , and, finaliy, an abscess which ,\"a:; opened with th e bistoury; the pu s \I'as of g ood quality. The sa me ass had inject ed into th e inn er surface of the thigh three drops of Anthrax blood from a sheep. Next clay the temperature h ad risen from 37" to 39" (Cent.) ; the iollo \\"ing da y there was consiJe rab;e a nd painful ced ema, with serious gen eral sympto ms a nd int e,";se sh ive ri ng ; the temperature was 40' I ", pulse 70 and int ermi ttent i tile re were from t en t o fift een white corpuscles to on e hund red of th e red, and the blood contained num erous granu les. Th e urgent sympt oms gradually subsided, aii abscess form ed, :.t nL! the animal had completely recovered in seve n d ays. 3- \ Vith dogs refractory to intraven ous inj ection , ~ resorte d to t:h; same procedure, and constantly produced consid e,a blc c:::d ema
72
The Veterinary JOlwnal.
with, most frequently, inflammation of the lymphatic glands; in one instance there was an enormous abscess which caused death. \ Vith the blood from a dog affected with Anthrax, I have produced in another dog a considerable-sized abscess, which opened spontaneously at the moment when the symptoms were so grave that we thought the anim al must have died. In all these experiments. the bl ood was injected in a perfectly fresh state. Comparative injections with healthy blood never produced the slightest inflammation. 4. In order to ascertain more exactly the part played by the Bac/eridiu: and their excreta, I had the Anthrax blood filtered, and inj ected the filtrate. This experiment only led to the production of a slight inflammation, altogether local. Th e inoculat ion or injection of Baeterid£ce, cultivated according t o Pasteur's method, has given rise to the same inflammatory phen omena as the Anthrax blood produces. The difference in the t\\"O experiments was due to the fact that the Bacteridice had lived for a certain m1' place, and in becoming multipli ed had produced a certain quantity of phlogogenous matter. From the result of th ese experiments it appears to me that along with th ese Bactcridi([] there exists a substance endowed with intense phlogogenous properties, which should be largely taken in to account in interpretin g the lesions which are obsen'ed in Anthrax. These experim ents also demonstrate that the phl ogogenous matter is m ore or less active, according to the subj ects from which the lJl7ctcridiU? are ob tained. The animals \yhic h I h ave st udi ed ma y be ranked in the follo\vin g order: rabbit. guineapig, sheep. ass, h orse and dog. In this order are di spo.>e:d the inflamm atory lesions of Anthrax and those which are c1c\'eloped by subcutaneous inj ect ions in the refractory anim als.
SPERl\TATIC
A~EUR I S:\1
IN
A~
Ox.
T;Y 1'. BE ATTI E, Y.S ., BO\TER " ADE1WEE:;'STIIRE.
OX read ing Professor \\'alley's communication on Spermatic An eur is m in the June Humber of the V ctcrillmj' Journal, and think ing that a few rema rks on a similar case I met with some