Part 15

COCCIDIAN CATARRH IN RABBITS.

Coccidia in rabbit’s nose, etc., inflammation, fatality. Treatment, sulphur dioxide.

Zurn describes a contagious catarrh of rabbits caused by the presence in the mucosa of the nose, pharynx, Eustachian tubes and middle ears of myriads of coccidia. They create acute irritation and prove fatal in many cases. Embedded in the mucosa they are difficult to reach with medicinal agents, yet the free parasites may be destroyed by frequent fumigations with sulphurous acid, or by spraying or injecting the nose with its solution.

LARVA OF ŒSTRUS OVIS (GRUB) IN THE NASAL SINUSES OF SHEEP.

Season of attack by fly, hibernation, botfly of sheep, mode of attack, embryo, defensive acts of sheep, habitat of larva, mature larva, its exit, chrysalis in soil, its transformation. Symptoms, sneezing, snuffling, rubbing of nose, lachrymation, unsteadiness, discharge, respiratory digestive and febrile disturbances, emaciation, septic action. Lesions, larva, congestions of mucosa, brain. Treatment, warmth, errhine, parasiticides, mechanical extractors, trephining, injections. Prevention, newly turned furrow, quicklime, tar. Other larva in nose.

Sheep are especially subject to the attacks, in summer and autumn and in warm sunny barns even in winter, of the Œstrus (Cephalemia) Ovis, the larva of which hibernates in the nasal sinuses or turbinated bones.

The =sheep-bot-fly= is only about four lines in length, of a light yellowish or slightly brownish gray hue, hairy, with dull black transverse lines on the upper surface of the thorax, and a lighter color on the abdomen where the black lines are more broken. The transparent, colorless wings extend beyond the body: winglets are long and cover the poisers: abdomen is formed of five rings.

They appear during the whole summer hiding away in walls, stumps and grass, unless when pairing or pursuing the sheep to deposit their young. The mode of attack is difficult to follow on account of the small size, gray color and rapid flight of the fly and fear and shyness of the sheep. It cannot be doubted, however, that they approach and drop on the margin of the nostril, the larva previously hatched from the egg. The old authors describe the deposition of the egg on the margin of the nostril and its prompt hatching by the animal heat, but the observations of Brown, Kelly, Cockrill, Riley and Ormerod abundantly prove that the fly is viviparous. Cockrill obtained no less than 300 live hatched larvæ from one fly caught while pursuing a sheep.

The sheep seek to avoid the fly by resorting to dry dusty roads where they lie with the nose close to the ground, or they stand with the nose close to the soil and between their fore legs. At other times they will collect in a dense phalanx with their heads directed toward the centre of the mass and held low so that the fly cannot reach them. The moment the fly touches the nose they shake the head, stamp with the feet, and gallop off with the nose close to the ground, looking from side to side to see if the fly pursues and frequently smelling at the grass as if apprehensive of other flies hidden there. If such appear they instantly turn and scamper to other parts of the field or take refuge in a dry dusty place or gravel bank.

The =young larva= when deposited on the nostril speedily makes its way up and takes refuge in the cavities of the turbinated bones and the frontal and maxillary sinuses, where it passes the winter feeding on the mucus and the purulent discharges determined by its presence. When mature it leaves the nose and assumes the chrysalis form in the soil.

The =mature larva= is narrow anteriorly, broad behind: its upper surface is prominent and rounded, lower surface flat, and furnished at the anterior of each ring after the third, with a series of pointed tubercles or spines: the cephalic end bears the buccal organs directed downward, and bearing two great hooks connected with the hard framework of the pharynx and recurved downward, backward and outward; mouth small; antennæ thick and short placed above the buccal organs: the inferior part of the last ring projects beyond the upper portion and is furnished with two nodules with intervening spines: pentagonal patches of stigmata on the last ring: very small anterior stigmata between the first and second rings. The color is white with brown spines, stigmata and transverse striæ. Length seven lines to one inch.

When dropped from the nostril in the course of summer they pass into chrysalis in one or two days; and after a residence of six or eight weeks in the soil emerge as the perfect fly.

=Morbid Symptoms Caused by the Larvæ in the Head.= =Grub in the Head.= These bear a close relation to the number of larvæ present. If there are only two or three no trouble may result. If many there is muco-purulent discharge from the nose, sniffling breathing, frequent sneezing and snorting expelling mucus and even blood; shaking of the head; rubbing of the nose on the fore legs or other objects; weeping eyes; and occasional unsteadiness of the gait.

In the worst cases the respiration becomes sighing, wheezing or even snoring; the mouth open; head pendent; appetite fails; a dull, apathetic condition ensues with grinding of the teeth rolling of the eyes, and, rapidly advancing emaciation.

Fatal cases are not uncommon but most frequently the larvæ reaching maturity are dropped and health is promptly re-established. Septic poisoning from decomposition of dead larvæ and debris is a dangerous complication.

Lesions. These consist in the presence of the larvæ in the sinuses, with violently congested, purple ulcerated mucous membranes and collections of pus. The mere presence of the grub is not conclusive as the majority of the sheep harbor two or three from October to June.

Treatment. It is advised to place the sheep in a warm building to encourage the parasites to come out of their recesses and then introduce some agent to destroy them or to induce their expulsion by sneezing. The value of the hot building is probably hypothetical unless the larvæ are approaching maturity. The following agents are used:—moderately strong solutions of salt, vinegar, carbolic acid, creosote (1 part to 100 parts of water), or carbonate of ammonia, lime water, snuff, or even such irritants as quick lime, oil of turpentine or hellebore. These last must be used with caution as they are liable to induce fatal inflammation of the air passages though no larva is present.

By passing a feather up the nostril twisting it round and then withdrawing it some grubs can usually be withdrawn and there is no harm in first dipping the feather in some of the milder agents mentioned above. But the larvæ in the sinuses can never be reached in this way.

In dangerous cases it is best to trephine the outer plate of bone covering the frontal sinuse and wash out freely with tepid water, lime water, or benzine. The operation may be performed close in front of the root of the horn if there is one, or to the inner side of the lower part of the eye if there is not. A semi-circular flap of skin is to be turned upward and backward sufficiently large to allow the use of a trephine ⅓ inch in diameter, which is to be used as for Cœnurus Cerebralis. The opening being made the sinuse is to be syringed freely for some time until the parasites come from the nose in the stream of liquid. The wound heals very promptly. In the absence of a trephine use a gimlet.

Prevention. Some turn up a furrow in the pasturage, in which the sheep may burrow their noses and evade the fly, others lay down quicklime in covered boxes which has the further advantage of inducing sneezing and favoring expulsion of the entering parasites. But perhaps the best plan is to procure a log and bore a number of holes in it with a two inch augur; place salt in the holes and smear their margins with tar, and renew it often. The sheep then takes a protective dressing with every lick of salt.

=Œstrus Purpureus= (Brauer) is a species which infest the nose, etc., of the Syrian sheep, and =Cephalemia Maculata= (Wedl) one which infests the nasal chambers of the Egyptian buffalo and camel.

NASAL CATARRH IN DOG AND HORSE FROM LINGUATULA (PENTASTOMA) TAENIOIDES. RHINARIA TAENIOIDES.

Form. Family. Habitat when mature, and immature. Development. Symptoms, sneezing, discharge, irritability, ill-temper, shaking the head, rubbing nose, parasites in discharge. Treatment, injections, trephining. Prevention.

This parasite has a worm-like body, but is closely allied to the mites and belongs to the Arachnida. It differs from the mite in having but four short limbs retractile and protractile and furnished with sharp claws. The body is thickest toward the anterior end and prolonged and narrow posteriorly; marked by about 90 rings; head rounded off abruptly, mouth broadly open, with a horny lip; integument with numerous openings or stigmata (respiratory); male 7 lines long by a line broad in its anterior part genital orifice on the front part of the abdomen in the median line; female 3 to 4 inches long, by 3 or 4 lines broad anteriorly; genital opening at the end of the tail. Reproduction oviparous.

Habitat. Nasal chambers and sinuses of the dog, wolf, goat, and horse.

Pentastoma Denticulata. The young partially developed P. Taenioides. Has all the rings except the two first, garnished with fine sharp recurved spines; legs more slender with accessory booklets; length 2 lines; breadth ½ line.

Habitat. Cysts in the lungs, liver, mesenteric glands, etc., of the hare, porpoise, goat, sheep and other mammals, not excepting man.

Development. Leuckart found that the adult Pentastomata copulate in the nasal chambers, as many as half a million of eggs being fertilized in a single female; that these eggs are discharged with the nasal mucus and falling on vegetables are taken in by herbivora; their shells are digested and destroyed in the stomach, and the liberated embryos perforate the intestinal walls and encyst themselves in various organs. The encysted embryo varies from ¹⁄₅₀₀ to ¹⁄₄₀ inch in length, is rounded and blunt anteriorly but very thin posteriorly with the tail slightly curved toward the ventral aspect. It is several months before the feet, cutaneous spine and generative organs are developed, and during this period it undergoes several moultings. Finally it leaves its cyst and may live free in the cavities in the body of its host, and if it does not escape from the body it finally constructs a new cyst and then dies. If the host is eaten by a carnivorous animal the liberated pentastomata reach the nose either from the lips or pharynx and in a few months more acquire their complete development. They must reach the nose of the horse by their presence in the food or water.