Part 68

The centrifuge used on the urine may also succeed when kidneys, bladder or prostate are affected, but the bacilli are rarely found in the absence of disease of these organs. The smegma bacillus is a source of fallacy.

The serous effusions in the affected serosæ (pleura, peritoneum, pericardium, synovial cavities) may also be centrifuged and the presence of the bacilli revealed.

The agglutination test of Arloing and Courmont though often giving positive results, (95.5 per cent. in pulmonary tuberculosis, 50 per cent. in surgical, Arloing and Courmont; 40 per cent., Knopf; 25 to 50 per cent., Lartigan); yet proved too unreliable, and frequently gave positive results when tuberculosis was absent. The best medium for cultures to be so used is 6 per cent. glycerine bouillon, and the age of the tuberculosis culture 8 to 12 days. One part of fresh blood serum of the suspected animal in a sterilized capillary tube is added to ten parts of the bacillus culture, and the tube placed in an oblique position. In 2 to 24 hours a fine sand-like material precipitates along the sides of the tube, and the microscope shows the bacilli in clumps, absolutely still without even Brownian movements. Gallemaerts found that it proved very satisfactory with the serum of Guinea pigs after three days from intraperitoneal inoculation, was less marked after inoculations subcutem, and that in man the agglutination appeared in influenza and pneumonia in the entire absence of tuberculosis. Such an uncertain test cannot be utilized in veterinary sanitary work.

Experimental inoculation with milk, expectoration, morbid discharges, the scraping of nodules, etc., is much more searching, and will detect more cases than the microscopic examination. But it fails entirely in cases in which the milk of unquestionably tuberculous animals is free from bacilli, or in which the local nodule or discharge tested is itself free from tubercle. It is a test of the local lesion and not of the entire animal system.

In choosing a subject for inoculation, the first consideration is that it must come from a healthy stock and be itself free from tuberculosis. Next, it must be of a species actively susceptible to the habitual tuberculosis of the animal from which the inoculated matter is taken. Thus for man, ox, dog and parrot, the Guinea pig is especially appropriate, while for gallinaceæ and horses, the rabbit is to be preferred. Inoculation is usually made into the peritoneal cavity.

As a period of two or three weeks is usually necessary to allow of an extensive development of tuberculosis, the method must be too often discarded on account of the delay in obtaining results.

Tuberculin test. Many stock owners still entertain an ignorant and unwarranted dread of the tuberculin test. It is quite true that, when recklessly used by ignorant or careless people it may be made a root of evil, yet as employed by the intelligent and careful expert it is not only perfectly safe, but it is the only known means of ascertaining approximately the actual number affected in a given herd. In most infected herds, living under what are in other respects, good hygienic conditions, ⅔ or ¾ are not to be detected without its aid, so that in clearing a herd from tuberculosis and placing both herd and products above suspicion the test becomes essential.

Tuberculin is the bouillon in which the tubercle bacillus has been grown, charged with the toxic products of its growth, but which has been raised to a boiling temperature to destroy all germ life, and from which the dead germs have been removed by passing it through a porcelain filter. When a physiological dose of this has been injected, subcutem, into the suspected animal, it has no effect on the non-tuberculous, while in the tuberculous it produces, in the course of the next 24 hours (usually from the 8th to the 16th), a steady rise of temperature by 2° F. or more, followed by a slow subsidence to the normal. This may last for from three to ten hours in different cases.

Among the precautions may be named:

1. The temperature of the animal is best taken at intervals, or at least, morning, noon and night, on the day preceding the injection to see that the animal shows no habitual rise at any time of the day. Yet in busy field work the one night temperature taken just before injecting will rarely fail to give a satisfactory normal as a standard for the animal. Any quotidian rise almost invariably reaches its climax at night.

2. The subject must be in good general health. If there is present in the system any concurrent disease it may undergo an aggravation within twenty-four hours and give a rise of temperature that will be mistakenly set down for tuberculosis. At the very start, therefore, it is important that the general health of the subject should be first assured by a critical professional examination. If some other disease is present the tuberculin test had best, as a rule, be delayed until that has subsided, while if tuberculosis is found the test will be superfluous.

3. The subject must not be within three weeks of parturition, nor about to abort. In many cases, though not in all, as preparations are made for calving, the system becomes unduly susceptible to the presence of tuberculin and that agent will cause a rise of temperature, though no tuberculosis is present. Unless this source of error is carefully guarded against the most valuable cows in the herd may be condemned unjustly.

4. The cow must not be within three days of the period at which “heat” would naturally occur. Under the excitement of œstrum the body temperature usually rises two or three degrees, and if tuberculin has been used this rise may be attributed to tuberculosis and a sound animal may be condemned. Nor is it always enough that the animal is supposed to be pregnant. Abortions sometimes take place unexpectedly and unknown to the owner. If, therefore, a cow under the test and which is not well advanced in pregnancy should show a rise of temperature it should be at once ascertained whether the animal is not in “heat.” If symptoms of “heat” are found she should be set aside along with any calving cows to be tested again when such a source of error is no longer present.

5. The tested animal must not be exposed to a hot sun in a closed area. In excess this will cause heat apoplexy, and the fever heat which ushers this in, may easily be mistaken for the indications of tuberculosis.

6. Cattle taken from pastures must not be enclosed in a hot, stuffy stable. While they must be tied up to allow of the temperature being taken at short intervals, coolness and ventilation should be secured in summer by a sufficient air space and the requisite ventilating openings.

7. Exposure to cold draughts between open doors and windows, or to wet or chilly blasts out of doors should be carefully guarded against. A chill proceeding from any source and alike in the presence or absence of tuberculin causes a rise of the internal body temperature.

8. Heavy cows unaccustomed to stand on hard boards may have a rise of temperature in connection with resulting tenderness of the feet. One must avoid hard floors on the day of the test or make examination of feet and allow for attendant fever.

9. Omission of the previous milking or a change of milker and consequent retention of part of the milk will raise the temperature of a nervous cow, and in careless hands secure an erroneous condemnation.

10. Privation of water at the regular time will often cause rise of temperature especially when on the dry feeding of winter. I have seen a general rise of two degrees and upward from the delay of watering for a single hour, while after watering the temperature went down to the normal and remained so. Water always tends to a temporary lowering of temperature but in the presence of tuberculosis it soon rises again.

11. Change of food is liable to produce a slight indigestion and rise of temperature. This should be avoided as far as possible, and when a herd is taken up from pasture for the test, it should have grass, ensilage or other succulent food.

12. Cattle just from a long journey by road or rail, or other cause of violent exertion are liable to have an elevated temperature from the leucomain poisoning. Such should be left at rest until the transient fever shall have subsided.

13. Violent handling of nervous cows in taking the temperature must be carefully avoided. The operator who cannot handle them gently is not fit for this work.

14. There must be evidence that the animals have not been repeatedly tested at short intervals shortly before. In a number of instances I have found a proportion of the cattle irresponsive to tuberculin, though a post mortem proved the presence of tuberculosis. Unscrupulous men, wishing to sell on a guarantee, can avail of this in animals so unaffected by the test.

15. The operator must have absolute control, even of the feeding and watering of the animals on the day of testing. Otherwise the rise of temperature may be prevented by a liberal use of antipyretics and a false guarantee may be secured.

16. An unthrifty animal, having general symptoms suggesting tuberculosis, must be subjected to the most critical examination in addition to the tuberculin which in such animals often fails to cause hyperthermia. Fortunately in such animals the tubercles are usually numerous and extensive enough to be discovered through objective symptoms.

17. Animals excluded from the test by reason of some individual unfitness at the time (parturition, œstrum, abortion or any other disease) must be marked and held for the test later after such disqualification shall have passed.

18. The operator must bear in mind the possibility of transferring other diseases from animal to animal, by contact, by the use of the same hypodermic needle on two in succession, and above all by the clinical thermometer. Diseases like contagious abortion, which present no obvious symptoms in the intervals, are especially liable to be carried in this way, and instances of the active extension of this after a test, have come under my notice. The operator should always enquire carefully as to the existence of abortions and sterility in the herd, put the aborting animals by themselves, using a special thermometer upon them, and carefully washing the hands before going to other cattle. It is well further to clean the thermometer after each animal and disinfect it with carbolic acid solution (5:100).

Dose of Tuberculin. Of the usual American preparation 2cc. (30 drops) is adapted to a cow or ox of 1,000 to 1,200 pounds. For larger and smaller animals a moderate encrease or reduction must be made, yet a considerable latitude is allowable. The new-born calf will take five drops and the animal of 700 pounds 25 drops.