STUDIES ON BOVINE INFLUENZA

Abstract

In this Journal, Vol. 1, No. 3, I reported on the occurrence, symptoms and necropsy of some cases of bovine influenza, confirming that in the saliva, nasal discharge, lungs and other organs of an infected anmal a bipolar bacillus is always found, which is highly vilurent against mice, rabbits, sheep and cattle. The serological experiments carried out with the bacilli and the blood serum from infected cattle gave always positive results, consequently rendering it possible to distinguish the normal blood serum from the infected. As regards the treatment, I found that a serum taken from cattle highly immunized against the bacillus has a curative power for the disease. From the facts above mentioned I concluded that the bacillus is closely related with the disease.Fortunately an opportunity has come to me to make further investigations on this subject towards the end of March, last year, occurred among calves and cows in a dairy herd near the city of Tokyo an infectious disease which attacked 14 calves and 23 cows within a course of one month. By reasonable treatments and the application of an immune serum against the bacillus all the infected cows recovered from the disease but these measures were not effective in the calves; thus the number of cases among them increased continually till it reached 22, of which 13 have fallen victims to the. disease.