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Lamb Dysentery Prophylaxis in 1928
640
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL
For the last 25 years I have been working in the laboratory and have inoculated many hundreds of animals in an endeavour to find a vaccine to produce immunity. It is impossible to completely immunize an animal against tuberculosis, but it is possible to confer a relative immunity which is quite sufficient to protect it against the ordinary infection it may meet with in its ordinary life. The vaccine which I use is prepared from dead cultures of human bacilli which have become attenuated through many years of continuous sub-cultures, and which a re a virulent and non-tuberculogenic. In other words, they are incapable of producing tuberculosis in an animal. The method of inoculation or vaccination of a newly-born calf is as follows. The calf must be separated from its mother at birth and fed on boiled milk or milk from a healthy cow. The first dose of vaccine is given hypodermically on the third day, and the second dose on the 14th day, under the skin of the abdomen . The calf is then protected and can mix in the herd . Young cattle with a negative reaction t o t uberculin can be treated in the same way. Over 2,500 calves and young cattle have been treated by competent veterinary surgeons during the last four years, and the results up to the present a re most encouraging. The duration of immunity is uncertain , but it is at least 18 months to two years, and probably more, but the process can be repeated if necessary, and is advisable. The method is harmless , and can never in a ny circumstances produce tuberculosis , as the vaccine is prepared from dead cultures, on the same principle a vaccination again st typh oid and para -typhoid with deacl cultures of t yphoid bacilli .
LAMB DYSENTERY PROPHYLAXIS IN 1928. By T. DALLING, j . H. MASON and W. S. GORDON Langley Court, Beckenham, Kent. WE have already recorded in brief some of the results of the use of vaccine and serum in the prevention of lamb dysentery during the 1928 lambing seasonYl A fuller account of the season's work can now be given.
Inoculation of Ewes. In past years the vaccines used for ewe inoculation have consisted of a toxin of the lamb dysentery anaerobe neutralisecl by its specific anti-toxin , and with or without the addition of a killed saline
LAMB DYSENTERY PROPHYLAXIS
641
suspension of strains of B. coli isolated from lambs affec ted with lamb dysentery. The . use of such vaccines has been followed by good results. (2l (Sl (~) . Many thousands of doses of the toxin-antitoxin mixture plus killed suspension of B . coli were used during th e 1927-28 season. This vaccine was issuerl to farmers through the veterin ary profession and, though we have not been in personal touch with all farmers who used it, we are informed that the same good results as recorded in previous years have been got from its use. We were able to arrange some experiments in which control uninoculated ewes were kept on the same farms as those inoculated ; e.g. on Farm A in Table I 321 lambs were born, 157 from inoculated and 164 from uninoculated ewes. Table I is a summary of the results obtained in the South of Scotland, and shows that of 2,055 lambs born from inoculated ewes, 14 or 0 · 68 per cent.
The toxin-antitoxin mixture was made as already described(3l titration being carried out in mice by intravenous inoculations and tests for antigenic value in guinea-pigs. In all experimental work two groups of control ewes were kept (a) uninoculated control ewes and (b) ewes inoculated with toxin-antitoxin mixture plus B. coli suspension.
642
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL
Table III shows the result of this experiment : Of 935 lambs born from ewes inoculated with the toxin-antitoxin without B . w li 10 or 1·07 per cent. died from lamb dysentery, while of 943 iambs born from ewes inoculated with the usual vaccine (toxin-antitoxin and B . coli) , 8 or 0· 84 per cent. died, and of 1,123 lambs born from ewes receiving no inoculati on, 113 or 10·06 per cent. di ed . These results confirm the inriication c.; received from some small experimen ts carried out in 1926-27 that the presence of B. coli suspension in the vaccin e is unn ecessary. " Toxoided" Whole Culture. In the litera ture there are references to th e use of " toxoided " whole culture in the establishing of immunity against some anaerobes. Lopez y Lopez(5 l, Cordier,(6 l Karmann (7), Leclainche and VaJleeC8 l, and M'Ewen (9 l, show that immunity can be produced against R. rhauvoei and Vibn:on septique by the use of such preparations. We have carried out experi ments which show that "toxoided " whole culture of the lamb dysentery anaerobe has as good a p rot ective value as toxin-antitoxin mixture. The " toxoided " whoie culture is made by growing cultures of th e anaerobe in meat broth. After filtration through sterile sand to remove the meat , 0 · 3 per cent. fo rmalin (10 per cent. form aldehyde) is added t o the filtrate which is kept a t 37 ° C. till 0·5 c.c. just kills a mouse when inj ected in t ravenously while lower amounts fail to kill . Tes ts for antigenic value are carried out in guinea-pigs in the usual way. Ewes were inoculated with " toxoided" whole culture in the usual way and on all experimental farms two groups of controls were kept as in the above experiments. Table IV is a summary of the results of the experiment anrl shows that of 1,224 lambs born from ewes inoculated with " toxoided " whole culture, 13 or 1.06 per cent. died of lamb dysentery , while of 1,215 lambs horn from ewes inoculated with the usual vaccine (toxin-antitoxin mixturP. with B. coli), 10 or 0 ·82 per cent. died, and of 1 ,333 lambs from uninoculated ewes, 191 or 1-1·33 per cent. died.
The Use of Antitoxin on Young Lambs. Most of the 1928 experimental work with the antitoxin of the lamb dysentery a naerobe was carried out in Wales in collaboration with Dr. R. F. Montgom erie, Bangor, who kindly allowed one of his staff to perform the inoculations. Post-mm·tem examinations were carried out on all dead lambs and the diagnosis of lamb dysentery was based on th e results. We a re deeply indebted to Dr. Montgomerie for the accurate way in which these experiments were carried out and for the great interest he took in the work.
LAMB DYSENTERY PROPHYLAXIS
643
· The results of the use of antitoxin in Wales are recorded in T able V. It will be n oted that in the Llwyngwrill district no lamb receiving a ntitoxin died , while of 313 controls 65 or 20 · 76 per cent. died of lamb dysentery. It is of interest to note that on Farm R of the Meifod d istrict , th e only inocula ted la mb dying of la mb dysentery was inoculated at a period la ter than 12. hours after birth. Antitoxin was used in many districts in Scotland and England, and the gen eral report is that the death rate among inoculated lambs wa under 1 per cen t . vVe a re not in possession of all the de tails of in oculations carri ed out and doubtl ess on m a ny farms no controls were kept. Table VI has been prepared to show the results of a n experiment carried out in collabo ra tion with Mr. G. C. Ingli s, M.R.C.V.S., Alloa. It will he noted t hat practically half the number of lambs born each day only were inoculated. Th e table shows that the res ult of the experiment is that of 320 inoculated lambs, 4 or 1·25 per cent. died of Ja mh dysentery, whil e of 298 uninoculatecl l::tmbs, 61 or 20·4.7 per cent. died. We are indebted to Mr. L. Llewelyn Jones, M.R. C. V.S ., Lla nsantffraid, for the following particulars of the use of antitoxin on a farm 111 Montgomeryshi re. (a) 100 lambs were born before a ntitoxin was u se d ~ 40 died of lamb dysentery. (b) Antitoxin for 25 lambs was received- 25 out of 40 lambs were inoculated. All inoculated lambs lived , while four of the 15 uninoculated died . (c) A furth er supply of antitoxin for 40 la mbs was received- 40 out of 55 lambs were inocula ted. No inocula ted lamb died of lamb dysentery , while five of the 15 uninoculated died . (d) During a period when no antitoxin was available, GO la mbs were born and of them 20 died of lamb dysentery. (e) Antitoxin for 25 lambs was obtainecl- 25 were in oculated and alllived . · (f) Two lambs born later were not inocu la t ed and both di ed. Summary and Conclusions. (1) The inoc ula tion of ewes with vaccine as used in form er years (toxin-antitoxin of the lamb dysentery anaerobe plus killed B. coli suspension) has been again shown to give good results in protecting lambs against Jamb dysentery. {2) It has been shown that the addition of a killed s u pension of B. coli is unnecessary from a protection standpoint.
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL
644
(3) " Toxoided" whole culture of the lamb dysentery anaerobe used as a vaccine for ewe inoculation yields · a high degree of protection against lamb dysentery in lambs . (4) Antitoxin of the lamb dysentery anaerobe inj ected into you ng lambs prevents lamb dysentery in at least 99 per cent. of cases. TABLE I. Tab le sh owing compa rison m death rate a mong la m bs born from ewes inoculated with L.D . vaccine (T.A .M . + B . coli ) a nd la mbs born from uninoc ulated e wes. E wes a ll on the sam e fa rm s a nd no selection m a d e. U:--~ I:\'O CU LATED EwEs .
I NOCU LATED EWES. -·--- ~ ----
Farm.
1
L a mbs
Lambs
---- ----1-----I----
Per-
- - - - - - 1-~~n_.___D_i_e_d_. _ _c_ e,_lt_a_g_e._ A B
La mbs
1
I Lambs
o ·o o·o I ·8 o ·o I· 8
l 10
15
92 2S J66
13
JOO
I
57
J02
c
55 66
D
Per-
_B_o_ rn~~-D_t_e_ d ~ c entage. _ I64
24
s
r4·1 2S· 6 r6· 3
E F G H I
IlO
T ·0
1 30
S3 So 5s
o·o o·o
103
.)
3 10
s·.z
J
I]O
0 ·6
71
o·o o ·o
K L M N 0 p
I
2
I· ]
33 34 56 41
2
3
uS
Ig · l
- ·8
3s
10 '5 14 '7 rS·4
r6.) 76 24
r6· 6 Il '4
70
5' 9 r ·g
159
O·O
55
J
7 6
J O·? I O· () I ]·3
o·8
104
IS
o·o
go
J6
I7 . 7
R
·o
104
13
12 ' 5
s
go g6 79
O·O
75
8
T
_'i S
I· ]
J8
u v w
4s 4s
54
o ·o
ss
O·O
So
O·O
54 37
14 5 7
ro ·6 33') 24 · r
X
72
o·o
uS
9
y
50
O·O
6o
7
Q
I
I
- -
Total .. .
2,055
-
I4
I
9'3
IS ·g ]•6 II
·6
---1--- ~·-·-- I ----
0 · 6S
2,442
326
I3 · 34
------~--~----~--------------~ ------
NoTE.-·The figure s given in this t abl e a nd those followin g are not selected ; every farm under our control is includ ed.
LAMB DYSENTERY PROPHYLAXIS
645
TABLE II. Resul t of the Use of Vaccine o n Ewes in \ Vales. Ewes lnocuIated.
Farm.
... ... ...
A B
c
I Lambs Born . 6o I32 II7
I {I ·7 % ) I (0· 7 %) 2 {I ·7%)
,_____ 35I
1
EwesNot J J nocuLambs Ia ted. Born.
Died L.D.
I
55 15I 145
Total
I
30g
!4
{I. 3 % )
D ied L.D .
-----, 38 62 47
147
48 55 2S
I
I3I
I
8 (I6·7 % ) 5 (9·1 %) 2 (-j· I %)
Ij (II '4 % )
TABLE III. Table showing comparison in death rate among Ja mbs born from e wes in:oculated with T.A .M . without B. coli and with T.A.M. with B. coli a nd Ja mbs from uninoculated ew~s. Ewes a ll on same farms and no selection made .
-,-,-·------T.A .lVI. ALONE.
Farm.
A B
c
D E F G H I
.T K L M N
Total
T .A.M. + B. coli.
UNINOCULATED .
Lambs P erLambs PerLambs PerL a mbs Died cent- L a mbs Died cent- Lambs Died ce ntBorn L.D. age Born L.D. age Born L.D. age 102 g4 go 55 55 30 31 3I 54 g7 S9 So s3 44
2
2
I· 0 I·I 2•2 o·o I ·9 O· O O· O 3 '2 r. 9 I ·O 2 ·3 o·o o·o o·o
102 lOS roo ::>-s 5s 21 30 34
+I
90 g6 S3 72 so
2
I
2
O·O r·8 l ·O 1•7 1• 7 o·o O·O 5'g o·o O·O I ·O o·o o ·o o·o
IJO 97 130 38 51 57 63 70 55 go 104 So IIS 6o
2
I3·6 3'1 Ig·2 10·5 3' 9
2
3'5
'5 3 2j
+
·6 '4 10· 9 I 7•7 12 •5 2 ·5 7•6 II ·6 I
8 6 r6 13 2 g 7
II
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - ro r ·o I 943 s o·S I,I21 Io · o 113 93.')
THE VETERINARY J OURNAL
646
TABLE IV. Table showing comparison in death ra te among lambs born from ewes inoculated with "toxoided" whole culture and with T.A.J\II. + B . coli and lambs from uninocula ted ewes. Ewes a ll on the same farms a nd no selection mad e. TOX01DED .WHOLE CULTURE.
coli .
T.A .M. + B .
Farm . --- ~--- -;,er- - - - - - -
P er-
UNINOCULATED.
--- ~ ----·~- Per-
Lambs Lambs cent- Lambs Lambs cent- Lambs Lambs centBorn. Died. age. 1 Born. Died . age. Born. Died. · age . A B
c
D E
F G H I
J
K L
;vr N
1·2 o·o o·o
2
164 57 ro8 8r r 68 76 I 54 1!0 7I 20 47 46 59 63
83 170-
J·2 I·3 r. 3 1·8 o·o
2 2
O·O
6·5 O·O
I
T otal I ,224
I·
6
O·O
3
O·O O·O
_--
I ·o6 1,215
I3
164 92 166 103 I63 76 I 59 104 75 27 38 54 58
0·6 I, 4 I ·g o·8
] I
156 II8 79 32 30 58 48' 48
O·O
3
2
IIO
O·O
2
o·o 1·8 I·8
157 55
10
0·€) I· ] o ·o
24 13 27 6 24 14 17 18 8
14 '7 14 ·I 16 · 3 5·8 14'7 18·4 10• 7 I?· 3 10 ·6 3'9 5'2 33'3 24 ·I
2 18 14
~~~ -=--~ o·82 I,333 I rgr · q · 33
1
TABLE V. ·UsE OF SER U M I N THE PREVENTION OF LAMB D YSEN TERY .
E ,·ery other Lamb born inoculated- Lambs inoculated within 12 hours of birth . (a) U wyngwrill Dist?·ict. Farm.
Lambs Inoculatecl .
Lambs Born.
---- ----A B
c
... ... ...
I24 36
... .. . ...
52
H
...
I
...
J
...
22 124 42 33 24 92 8]
T otal
636
D E F G
...
62 19 26 II
63 22 17 J2 48 43 I
323
I
Died.
1-~0
0 0
Lambs not Inoculatecl.
0
3I3
0 0
PerI centage.
12 10 3 0 12 3 I 5 4 15
II
0
0 0
Died .
------ ----62 17 26 61 20 I6 I2 44 44
0
I
I
65
19'4 5 8· 8 II. 5 o ·o I 9 ·6 15'0 6·3 4I ·6 9·1 34'1
I
20•76
LAMB DYSENTERY PROPHYLAXIS
647
( b) M ei(od Distr·i ct.
Farm.
Lambs Born.
Lambs lnocuIa ted.
23 So
14 52
-
66
I
Died.
Lambs not lnocuIa ted.
Percentage.
Percentage.
Died.
- -A* ". B ...
-·---
Total
*
103
I '9
rt
22•2 zS·6
2
9 zS
s
- - -- -
I
1·5
-
I
JO
37
-
-
-
27•1
T his man k eeps only 25 ewes ; 12 lambs had been born before serum inoculation was started : of these 4 had died of L.D .
·t Received serum later t h an I2 hou rs a fter birth.
TABLE VI. DETAILS OF THE RES ULTS OF I NOCULA TIO ~ OF LAMBS W ITH SERUM ON ON E FARM.
I Date .
April
s ... 9 10 I l
12
I3 ~- -l
... '"
... .. .
Ij
... '"
...
'1 9
.
.20 .21
...
.22
23 24 .-, -
-J
26 27 2S 29
"
... ...
...
... ... ... ... "'
...
Total ...
12
9 JO
-
13 16 15 rS r6 20 23 22 20 29 30 25 20 20 17 -
30 36 32 40 45 44 37 49 55 45 40 36 40
[ 7 .. . 'JS
I
L a mbs Inocula t ed.
20 25
32
.. . ...
[6
Lambs Born.
-
-·
-
-
-
-
-
I I
Died LD.
Lambs not I Inoc ulated.
-
6 10
-
12
J
-
3
-
I6 I5 IS r6 20 22 22 17 20 25 20 20 16 13 -
-
--
I
-
-
I
-
I
I
I
I
-
320
, 4 = 1'25% I
-
-
I
3 4 5 3 4 4 6 3 2 4 3 2 3 4 3 2 J
·- -
6I8
Died L.D. ·
298
---- 01 = 20.47%
648
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
(8) (9)
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL REFERENCES Da llin g, Mason a nd Go rdon . Veteri1zary R ecord, 1928, · Jun e 30th, p . 532 . D allin g, Allen a nd Mason . Veterinary R ecord, 1925, Jul y 11 th, p . 561. D alling, T . ] ourn. Comp. Path . and Therp., 1926, Vo l. XXXIX, p . 148. D alling, Mason a nd Gordon . ] ottrn . Comp. P ath. and Therap., 1927 , Vol. XL, Part 3, p. 217 . Lopez y Lopez . Revista de H tgiene e Sanidad pecuarias, 1926, Janu a ry . Co rdi e r, G. Comptes rend·us de la Societe de Biologic , 1926, 95, p . 848. K armann , P. Z eitschrift fu r l nfelltionsk. der H austiere, 1927, 31, p . 226 . L ecla inc he a nd Vallee. Rev . Gen . de Med. Vet., 1928. Feb. · 15th, No. 434. p. 65. M'Ewen , A. D. ] ourn . Comp. Path and Therap ., 1926, Vo l. 39, p . 2f.3 .
VALUE OF VACCINATION AGAINST BLACK QUARTER. By G. H. LEADER, M.R.C.V.S., Bridgnorth, Salop. ON November 20th a client left a m essage that he had a young heifer which he suspected of having foot-and-mouth disease (lameness, excessive salivation , etc.), and he wished me to go out immediately. On anival I found a heifer calf about eight or nine months old dead, but she had obviously only just died. The history and appearances of the body were absolutely typical of any case of black quarter except in one respect, and that was the tongue. There was a lesion developing in the muscles of the leg which she had been lame on (no sign whatever of foot-and-mouth as at first suspec ted b y the owner) , soreness of the part , etc., and death within a few hours. of the onset of symptoms. And now I come to the interesting point : the tongue was. enormously swollen and typical of what one would expect to see if it had a blackleg lesion developing in it. It showed all the characteristic of such a lesion and the swelling was so bad that I would not care to say whether death was th e result of th e disease or of asphyxiation . On inquiry I discovered that some of these calves had not been vaccinated this year (including this one) and I know th e farm to be· a noted one for black quarter. I treated the remainder with agressin the following day and have had no more troubl since. I have been trying since then to find a similar case reported or· to discover mention of blackleg affecting the tongue, but I cannot do· so up to now. I feel confident that that was wh at it was, and although it neve r· occurred to me before it has since struck me to wonder why more cases of this t ype are not found, since one of the probable methods of · fection with blackleg is by ingestion and at that age young animal · _~are likely to have abrasions of th e gums from the shedd ing of teeth .
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL
For the last 25 years I have been working in the laboratory and have inoculated many hundreds of animals in an endeavour to find a vaccine to produce immunity. It is impossible to completely immunize an animal against tuberculosis, but it is possible to confer a relative immunity which is quite sufficient to protect it against the ordinary infection it may meet with in its ordinary life. The vaccine which I use is prepared from dead cultures of human bacilli which have become attenuated through many years of continuous sub-cultures, and which a re a virulent and non-tuberculogenic. In other words, they are incapable of producing tuberculosis in an animal. The method of inoculation or vaccination of a newly-born calf is as follows. The calf must be separated from its mother at birth and fed on boiled milk or milk from a healthy cow. The first dose of vaccine is given hypodermically on the third day, and the second dose on the 14th day, under the skin of the abdomen . The calf is then protected and can mix in the herd . Young cattle with a negative reaction t o t uberculin can be treated in the same way. Over 2,500 calves and young cattle have been treated by competent veterinary surgeons during the last four years, and the results up to the present a re most encouraging. The duration of immunity is uncertain , but it is at least 18 months to two years, and probably more, but the process can be repeated if necessary, and is advisable. The method is harmless , and can never in a ny circumstances produce tuberculosis , as the vaccine is prepared from dead cultures, on the same principle a vaccination again st typh oid and para -typhoid with deacl cultures of t yphoid bacilli .
LAMB DYSENTERY PROPHYLAXIS IN 1928. By T. DALLING, j . H. MASON and W. S. GORDON Langley Court, Beckenham, Kent. WE have already recorded in brief some of the results of the use of vaccine and serum in the prevention of lamb dysentery during the 1928 lambing seasonYl A fuller account of the season's work can now be given.
Inoculation of Ewes. In past years the vaccines used for ewe inoculation have consisted of a toxin of the lamb dysentery anaerobe neutralisecl by its specific anti-toxin , and with or without the addition of a killed saline
LAMB DYSENTERY PROPHYLAXIS
641
suspension of strains of B. coli isolated from lambs affec ted with lamb dysentery. The . use of such vaccines has been followed by good results. (2l (Sl (~) . Many thousands of doses of the toxin-antitoxin mixture plus killed suspension of B . coli were used during th e 1927-28 season. This vaccine was issuerl to farmers through the veterin ary profession and, though we have not been in personal touch with all farmers who used it, we are informed that the same good results as recorded in previous years have been got from its use. We were able to arrange some experiments in which control uninoculated ewes were kept on the same farms as those inoculated ; e.g. on Farm A in Table I 321 lambs were born, 157 from inoculated and 164 from uninoculated ewes. Table I is a summary of the results obtained in the South of Scotland, and shows that of 2,055 lambs born from inoculated ewes, 14 or 0 · 68 per cent.
The toxin-antitoxin mixture was made as already described(3l titration being carried out in mice by intravenous inoculations and tests for antigenic value in guinea-pigs. In all experimental work two groups of control ewes were kept (a) uninoculated control ewes and (b) ewes inoculated with toxin-antitoxin mixture plus B. coli suspension.
642
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL
Table III shows the result of this experiment : Of 935 lambs born from ewes inoculated with the toxin-antitoxin without B . w li 10 or 1·07 per cent. died from lamb dysentery, while of 943 iambs born from ewes inoculated with the usual vaccine (toxin-antitoxin and B . coli) , 8 or 0· 84 per cent. died, and of 1,123 lambs born from ewes receiving no inoculati on, 113 or 10·06 per cent. di ed . These results confirm the inriication c.; received from some small experimen ts carried out in 1926-27 that the presence of B. coli suspension in the vaccin e is unn ecessary. " Toxoided" Whole Culture. In the litera ture there are references to th e use of " toxoided " whole culture in the establishing of immunity against some anaerobes. Lopez y Lopez(5 l, Cordier,(6 l Karmann (7), Leclainche and VaJleeC8 l, and M'Ewen (9 l, show that immunity can be produced against R. rhauvoei and Vibn:on septique by the use of such preparations. We have carried out experi ments which show that "toxoided " whole culture of the lamb dysentery anaerobe has as good a p rot ective value as toxin-antitoxin mixture. The " toxoided " whoie culture is made by growing cultures of th e anaerobe in meat broth. After filtration through sterile sand to remove the meat , 0 · 3 per cent. fo rmalin (10 per cent. form aldehyde) is added t o the filtrate which is kept a t 37 ° C. till 0·5 c.c. just kills a mouse when inj ected in t ravenously while lower amounts fail to kill . Tes ts for antigenic value are carried out in guinea-pigs in the usual way. Ewes were inoculated with " toxoided" whole culture in the usual way and on all experimental farms two groups of controls were kept as in the above experiments. Table IV is a summary of the results of the experiment anrl shows that of 1,224 lambs born from ewes inoculated with " toxoided " whole culture, 13 or 1.06 per cent. died of lamb dysentery , while of 1,215 lambs horn from ewes inoculated with the usual vaccine (toxin-antitoxin mixturP. with B. coli), 10 or 0 ·82 per cent. died, and of 1 ,333 lambs from uninoculated ewes, 191 or 1-1·33 per cent. died.
The Use of Antitoxin on Young Lambs. Most of the 1928 experimental work with the antitoxin of the lamb dysentery a naerobe was carried out in Wales in collaboration with Dr. R. F. Montgom erie, Bangor, who kindly allowed one of his staff to perform the inoculations. Post-mm·tem examinations were carried out on all dead lambs and the diagnosis of lamb dysentery was based on th e results. We a re deeply indebted to Dr. Montgomerie for the accurate way in which these experiments were carried out and for the great interest he took in the work.
LAMB DYSENTERY PROPHYLAXIS
643
· The results of the use of antitoxin in Wales are recorded in T able V. It will be n oted that in the Llwyngwrill district no lamb receiving a ntitoxin died , while of 313 controls 65 or 20 · 76 per cent. died of lamb dysentery. It is of interest to note that on Farm R of the Meifod d istrict , th e only inocula ted la mb dying of la mb dysentery was inoculated at a period la ter than 12. hours after birth. Antitoxin was used in many districts in Scotland and England, and the gen eral report is that the death rate among inoculated lambs wa under 1 per cen t . vVe a re not in possession of all the de tails of in oculations carri ed out and doubtl ess on m a ny farms no controls were kept. Table VI has been prepared to show the results of a n experiment carried out in collabo ra tion with Mr. G. C. Ingli s, M.R.C.V.S., Alloa. It will he noted t hat practically half the number of lambs born each day only were inoculated. Th e table shows that the res ult of the experiment is that of 320 inoculated lambs, 4 or 1·25 per cent. died of Ja mh dysentery, whil e of 298 uninoculatecl l::tmbs, 61 or 20·4.7 per cent. died. We are indebted to Mr. L. Llewelyn Jones, M.R. C. V.S ., Lla nsantffraid, for the following particulars of the use of antitoxin on a farm 111 Montgomeryshi re. (a) 100 lambs were born before a ntitoxin was u se d ~ 40 died of lamb dysentery. (b) Antitoxin for 25 lambs was received- 25 out of 40 lambs were inoculated. All inoculated lambs lived , while four of the 15 uninoculated died . (c) A furth er supply of antitoxin for 40 la mbs was received- 40 out of 55 lambs were inocula ted. No inocula ted lamb died of lamb dysentery , while five of the 15 uninoculated died . (d) During a period when no antitoxin was available, GO la mbs were born and of them 20 died of lamb dysentery. (e) Antitoxin for 25 lambs was obtainecl- 25 were in oculated and alllived . · (f) Two lambs born later were not inocu la t ed and both di ed. Summary and Conclusions. (1) The inoc ula tion of ewes with vaccine as used in form er years (toxin-antitoxin of the lamb dysentery anaerobe plus killed B. coli suspension) has been again shown to give good results in protecting lambs against Jamb dysentery. {2) It has been shown that the addition of a killed s u pension of B. coli is unnecessary from a protection standpoint.
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL
644
(3) " Toxoided" whole culture of the lamb dysentery anaerobe used as a vaccine for ewe inoculation yields · a high degree of protection against lamb dysentery in lambs . (4) Antitoxin of the lamb dysentery anaerobe inj ected into you ng lambs prevents lamb dysentery in at least 99 per cent. of cases. TABLE I. Tab le sh owing compa rison m death rate a mong la m bs born from ewes inoculated with L.D . vaccine (T.A .M . + B . coli ) a nd la mbs born from uninoc ulated e wes. E wes a ll on the sam e fa rm s a nd no selection m a d e. U:--~ I:\'O CU LATED EwEs .
I NOCU LATED EWES. -·--- ~ ----
Farm.
1
L a mbs
Lambs
---- ----1-----I----
Per-
- - - - - - 1-~~n_.___D_i_e_d_. _ _c_ e,_lt_a_g_e._ A B
La mbs
1
I Lambs
o ·o o·o I ·8 o ·o I· 8
l 10
15
92 2S J66
13
JOO
I
57
J02
c
55 66
D
Per-
_B_o_ rn~~-D_t_e_ d ~ c entage. _ I64
24
s
r4·1 2S· 6 r6· 3
E F G H I
IlO
T ·0
1 30
S3 So 5s
o·o o·o
103
.)
3 10
s·.z
J
I]O
0 ·6
71
o·o o ·o
K L M N 0 p
I
2
I· ]
33 34 56 41
2
3
uS
Ig · l
- ·8
3s
10 '5 14 '7 rS·4
r6.) 76 24
r6· 6 Il '4
70
5' 9 r ·g
159
O·O
55
J
7 6
J O·? I O· () I ]·3
o·8
104
IS
o·o
go
J6
I7 . 7
R
·o
104
13
12 ' 5
s
go g6 79
O·O
75
8
T
_'i S
I· ]
J8
u v w
4s 4s
54
o ·o
ss
O·O
So
O·O
54 37
14 5 7
ro ·6 33') 24 · r
X
72
o·o
uS
9
y
50
O·O
6o
7
Q
I
I
- -
Total .. .
2,055
-
I4
I
9'3
IS ·g ]•6 II
·6
---1--- ~·-·-- I ----
0 · 6S
2,442
326
I3 · 34
------~--~----~--------------~ ------
NoTE.-·The figure s given in this t abl e a nd those followin g are not selected ; every farm under our control is includ ed.
LAMB DYSENTERY PROPHYLAXIS
645
TABLE II. Resul t of the Use of Vaccine o n Ewes in \ Vales. Ewes lnocuIated.
Farm.
... ... ...
A B
c
I Lambs Born . 6o I32 II7
I {I ·7 % ) I (0· 7 %) 2 {I ·7%)
,_____ 35I
1
EwesNot J J nocuLambs Ia ted. Born.
Died L.D.
I
55 15I 145
Total
I
30g
!4
{I. 3 % )
D ied L.D .
-----, 38 62 47
147
48 55 2S
I
I3I
I
8 (I6·7 % ) 5 (9·1 %) 2 (-j· I %)
Ij (II '4 % )
TABLE III. Table showing comparison in death rate among Ja mbs born from e wes in:oculated with T.A .M . without B. coli and with T.A.M. with B. coli a nd Ja mbs from uninoculated ew~s. Ewes a ll on same farms and no selection made .
-,-,-·------T.A .lVI. ALONE.
Farm.
A B
c
D E F G H I
.T K L M N
Total
T .A.M. + B. coli.
UNINOCULATED .
Lambs P erLambs PerLambs PerL a mbs Died cent- L a mbs Died cent- Lambs Died ce ntBorn L.D. age Born L.D. age Born L.D. age 102 g4 go 55 55 30 31 3I 54 g7 S9 So s3 44
2
2
I· 0 I·I 2•2 o·o I ·9 O· O O· O 3 '2 r. 9 I ·O 2 ·3 o·o o·o o·o
102 lOS roo ::>-s 5s 21 30 34
+I
90 g6 S3 72 so
2
I
2
O·O r·8 l ·O 1•7 1• 7 o·o O·O 5'g o·o O·O I ·O o·o o ·o o·o
IJO 97 130 38 51 57 63 70 55 go 104 So IIS 6o
2
I3·6 3'1 Ig·2 10·5 3' 9
2
3'5
'5 3 2j
+
·6 '4 10· 9 I 7•7 12 •5 2 ·5 7•6 II ·6 I
8 6 r6 13 2 g 7
II
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - ro r ·o I 943 s o·S I,I21 Io · o 113 93.')
THE VETERINARY J OURNAL
646
TABLE IV. Table showing comparison in death ra te among lambs born from ewes inoculated with "toxoided" whole culture and with T.A.J\II. + B . coli and lambs from uninocula ted ewes. Ewes a ll on the same farms a nd no selection mad e. TOX01DED .WHOLE CULTURE.
coli .
T.A .M. + B .
Farm . --- ~--- -;,er- - - - - - -
P er-
UNINOCULATED.
--- ~ ----·~- Per-
Lambs Lambs cent- Lambs Lambs cent- Lambs Lambs centBorn. Died. age. 1 Born. Died . age. Born. Died. · age . A B
c
D E
F G H I
J
K L
;vr N
1·2 o·o o·o
2
164 57 ro8 8r r 68 76 I 54 1!0 7I 20 47 46 59 63
83 170-
J·2 I·3 r. 3 1·8 o·o
2 2
O·O
6·5 O·O
I
T otal I ,224
I·
6
O·O
3
O·O O·O
_--
I ·o6 1,215
I3
164 92 166 103 I63 76 I 59 104 75 27 38 54 58
0·6 I, 4 I ·g o·8
] I
156 II8 79 32 30 58 48' 48
O·O
3
2
IIO
O·O
2
o·o 1·8 I·8
157 55
10
0·€) I· ] o ·o
24 13 27 6 24 14 17 18 8
14 '7 14 ·I 16 · 3 5·8 14'7 18·4 10• 7 I?· 3 10 ·6 3'9 5'2 33'3 24 ·I
2 18 14
~~~ -=--~ o·82 I,333 I rgr · q · 33
1
TABLE V. ·UsE OF SER U M I N THE PREVENTION OF LAMB D YSEN TERY .
E ,·ery other Lamb born inoculated- Lambs inoculated within 12 hours of birth . (a) U wyngwrill Dist?·ict. Farm.
Lambs Inoculatecl .
Lambs Born.
---- ----A B
c
... ... ...
I24 36
... .. . ...
52
H
...
I
...
J
...
22 124 42 33 24 92 8]
T otal
636
D E F G
...
62 19 26 II
63 22 17 J2 48 43 I
323
I
Died.
1-~0
0 0
Lambs not Inoculatecl.
0
3I3
0 0
PerI centage.
12 10 3 0 12 3 I 5 4 15
II
0
0 0
Died .
------ ----62 17 26 61 20 I6 I2 44 44
0
I
I
65
19'4 5 8· 8 II. 5 o ·o I 9 ·6 15'0 6·3 4I ·6 9·1 34'1
I
20•76
LAMB DYSENTERY PROPHYLAXIS
647
( b) M ei(od Distr·i ct.
Farm.
Lambs Born.
Lambs lnocuIa ted.
23 So
14 52
-
66
I
Died.
Lambs not lnocuIa ted.
Percentage.
Percentage.
Died.
- -A* ". B ...
-·---
Total
*
103
I '9
rt
22•2 zS·6
2
9 zS
s
- - -- -
I
1·5
-
I
JO
37
-
-
-
27•1
T his man k eeps only 25 ewes ; 12 lambs had been born before serum inoculation was started : of these 4 had died of L.D .
·t Received serum later t h an I2 hou rs a fter birth.
TABLE VI. DETAILS OF THE RES ULTS OF I NOCULA TIO ~ OF LAMBS W ITH SERUM ON ON E FARM.
I Date .
April
s ... 9 10 I l
12
I3 ~- -l
... '"
... .. .
Ij
... '"
...
'1 9
.
.20 .21
...
.22
23 24 .-, -
-J
26 27 2S 29
"
... ...
...
... ... ... ... "'
...
Total ...
12
9 JO
-
13 16 15 rS r6 20 23 22 20 29 30 25 20 20 17 -
30 36 32 40 45 44 37 49 55 45 40 36 40
[ 7 .. . 'JS
I
L a mbs Inocula t ed.
20 25
32
.. . ...
[6
Lambs Born.
-
-·
-
-
-
-
-
I I
Died LD.
Lambs not I Inoc ulated.
-
6 10
-
12
J
-
3
-
I6 I5 IS r6 20 22 22 17 20 25 20 20 16 13 -
-
--
I
-
-
I
-
I
I
I
I
-
320
, 4 = 1'25% I
-
-
I
3 4 5 3 4 4 6 3 2 4 3 2 3 4 3 2 J
·- -
6I8
Died L.D. ·
298
---- 01 = 20.47%
648
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
(8) (9)
THE VETERINARY JOURNAL REFERENCES Da llin g, Mason a nd Go rdon . Veteri1zary R ecord, 1928, · Jun e 30th, p . 532 . D allin g, Allen a nd Mason . Veterinary R ecord, 1925, Jul y 11 th, p . 561. D alling, T . ] ourn. Comp. Path . and Therp., 1926, Vo l. XXXIX, p . 148. D alling, Mason a nd Gordon . ] ottrn . Comp. P ath. and Therap., 1927 , Vol. XL, Part 3, p. 217 . Lopez y Lopez . Revista de H tgiene e Sanidad pecuarias, 1926, Janu a ry . Co rdi e r, G. Comptes rend·us de la Societe de Biologic , 1926, 95, p . 848. K armann , P. Z eitschrift fu r l nfelltionsk. der H austiere, 1927, 31, p . 226 . L ecla inc he a nd Vallee. Rev . Gen . de Med. Vet., 1928. Feb. · 15th, No. 434. p. 65. M'Ewen , A. D. ] ourn . Comp. Path and Therap ., 1926, Vo l. 39, p . 2f.3 .
VALUE OF VACCINATION AGAINST BLACK QUARTER. By G. H. LEADER, M.R.C.V.S., Bridgnorth, Salop. ON November 20th a client left a m essage that he had a young heifer which he suspected of having foot-and-mouth disease (lameness, excessive salivation , etc.), and he wished me to go out immediately. On anival I found a heifer calf about eight or nine months old dead, but she had obviously only just died. The history and appearances of the body were absolutely typical of any case of black quarter except in one respect, and that was the tongue. There was a lesion developing in the muscles of the leg which she had been lame on (no sign whatever of foot-and-mouth as at first suspec ted b y the owner) , soreness of the part , etc., and death within a few hours. of the onset of symptoms. And now I come to the interesting point : the tongue was. enormously swollen and typical of what one would expect to see if it had a blackleg lesion developing in it. It showed all the characteristic of such a lesion and the swelling was so bad that I would not care to say whether death was th e result of th e disease or of asphyxiation . On inquiry I discovered that some of these calves had not been vaccinated this year (including this one) and I know th e farm to be· a noted one for black quarter. I treated the remainder with agressin the following day and have had no more troubl since. I have been trying since then to find a similar case reported or· to discover mention of blackleg affecting the tongue, but I cannot do· so up to now. I feel confident that that was wh at it was, and although it neve r· occurred to me before it has since struck me to wonder why more cases of this t ype are not found, since one of the probable methods of · fection with blackleg is by ingestion and at that age young animal · _~are likely to have abrasions of th e gums from the shedd ing of teeth .