Diagnosis. The diagnosis is not difficult, provided that the circumstances preceding the appearance of the pulmonary lesions are known.
Prognosis. The prognosis is very grave.
Treatment. Treatment very often proves useless, because the patients have little resisting power and are exhausted, and also because they are suffering from a slowly progressive septicæmia. It may, however, be worth while in the early stages to apply blisters to the chest and administer general stimulants: alcohol in doses of 8 to 12 drachms per day, divided into two parts and mixed with milk; acetate of ammonia in doses of ½ to 1 ounce; and tinctura digitalis 5 to 6 drops.
The primary disease of the intestine is masked by the pulmonary symptoms, but should not be overlooked. Rice water, subnitrate or salicylate of bismuth may be added to the milk or albuminous solutions constituting the diet. When an epizootic of broncho-pneumonia complicates the diarrhœa it is necessary to take all the preventive measures which have been suggested in connection with white scour and umbilical diseases in calves. These comprise disinfection of the premises and local disinfection of the animals affected.
SCLERO-CASEOUS BRONCHO-PNEUMONIA OF SHEEP.
The sheep suffers from a special form of broncho-pneumonia, which is seldom seen except in isolated cases, but which, under exceptional circumstances, may nevertheless attack a certain number of animals in a particular flock. It was first noticed and described by Liénaux in 1896, and has more recently been studied by Sivori (1899). Moussu has only seen it in flocks in the north of France.
Causation. The causes of this disease are still imperfectly understood.
Sivori’s researches show that the disease may be referred to a microorganism, but we do not yet know exactly by what path infection occurs.
The agent of sclero-caseous broncho-pneumonia in the sheep appears similar to that described by Preisz and Guinard in 1891, and identical with the microbe of ulcerative lymphangitis of the horse (Nocard, 1897). It is probable that infection occurs through the respiratory apparatus.
Symptoms. The clinical development of the disease is difficult to describe, because its course is slow and unaccompanied by well-marked external signs.