Freidberger and Fröhner record a very contagious catarrhal affection of the vulva and prepuce in high bred rabbits, and conveyed from animal to animal by sexual congress. The characteristic symptoms were extensive swelling of the parts and an abundant muco-purulent discharge.
Injection of the genital passages with a sulphate of copper solution (1 to 2 per cent) for several weeks in succession effected a cure.
INFECTIOUS ULCEROUS STOMATITIS IN LAMBS AND KIDS.
Prevails in France. Predisposing causes, bad hygiene. Specific cause, streptococcus. Pathogenesis, to lambs and kids through sucking, drinking, feeding; inoculable on Guinea-pig, not rabbit. Lesions: like thrush, congested patches, with curd-like concretion; epithelium, leucocytes, microbe; in bad cases gastro-enteritis, hepatitis, or pneumonia. Symptoms: hyperthermia, refusal of teat, froth on lips, dulness, debility, emaciation, death in 15 days; in mouth, concretions and red raw sores; cough, hurried breathing, diarrhœa; subacute cases have little fever, or infection. Mortality 8 per cent. in acute cases, none in subacute. Prevention: separation and disinfection of fold. Treatment: antiseptics to mouth; borax, sulphites, chlorate of potash, sodium salicylate, iron chloride, copperas, silver nitrate. Feed through tube or syringe. Internally, sulphites.
This is found in all parts of France, as described by Besnoit.
Causes. The predisposition, as in the case of many other fatal internal inflammations, depends largely on faulty hygiene, foul, ill ventilated, hot, close, damp, overcrowded folds, without sunshine, drainage or free access to the outer air.
The specific cause is a large coccus, isolated or in chains of 2, 3, 4 or more (streptococcus), and found abundantly in the pultaceous buccal exudate, and in the internal lesions developed by autoinfection. It grows readily in bouillon in the form of a precipitate in the bottom of the liquid, in gelatine and glucose in very small, thin colonies, and on potato in creamy masses. It is stained by anilin and by Gram’s (iodine) preparation.
Pathogenesis. Inoculable on the Guinea pig, it is harmless to the rabbit. It is readily conveyed to lambs and kids by inoculation, or through the teats, by licking, drinking, feeding, etc. Acute cases are very virulent, subacute very little so. Isolated cases of the latter are not uncommon.
Lesions. The buccal lesions are like those of thrush (muguet). The mucosa is more or less congested and reddened with raised patches, of varying extent, of white, curdy looking concretions, composed of excess of epithelial cells and leucocytes with an abundant exudate. The specific coccus is present in great numbers and often in almost pure cultures. The internal lesions found in the more acute and fatal cases are mostly in the form of gastro-enteritis, hepatitis and pneumonia, containing the specific cocci, and due to the inhalation or swallowing of the virulent buccal products.
Symptoms. In the acute cases an intense hyperthermia is the first symptom, speedily followed by refusal to suck, the accumulation of froth around the lips, great dulness and lassitude, prostration, rapidly advancing debility, and emaciation, and death in 15 days in a condition of marasmus and inanition. When the mouth is opened the curdy white or yellowish white patches of exudation are seen with an abundant glairy mucus, and occasionally red, raw, angry patches from which the morbid growth has been detached. The symptoms of pneumonia or of muco-enteritis are usually in evidence, with or without diarrhœal or dysenteric discharges. Acute cases are extremely contagious.