Investigations into the Nature, Causation, and Prevention of Texas or Southern Cattle Fever Page: 127
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TRANSMISSION OF TEXAS FEVER.
stances several factors come into play, such as the probable destruc-
tion of the micro-parasite by drying and other unknown agencies,
and the probability that the quantity of blood is too small to contain
any parasites. Moreover, a single parasite, or even a few parasites,
may not produce anything more than a mild, unnoticed affection. The
possibility of direct inoculation by insects may depend on the distri-
bution of insects which draw blood. In the District of Columbia
Texas fever was not carried by insects, with the possible exception of
a single instance, to be described below, during the four summers of
work from 1889 to 1892, inclusive, although the very best opportunities
were offered them to carry on direct inoculation, especially during the
present summer. There may be parts of our country, however, where
such direct inoculation from sick to healthy natives in midsummer is
favored by the presence of certain insects not to be found near Wash-
ington.
If we consider for a moment the probability of an infection of native
from Southern cattle directly by means of flies, etc., we shall find it
very slight. Though we now know that Texas fever parasites exist in
the blood of presumably healthy Southern animals, we must regard
these parasites so scarce in number, if we are to be guided by the micro-
scopic examinations of the blood, that insects can not draw enough
blood to become dangerous. The infection of natives by Southern ani-
mals in this way must be considered probable only when authentic
cases of this disease are on record which appeared ten or fifteen days
after contact with Southern cattle, provided the ground has not been pre-
viously infected with ticks from other Southern herds. There seems to be
no carefully investigated outbreak of Texas fever on record which oc-
curred within thirty days of the ground infection or of contact with
Southern animals.
In case Southern droves of cattle contain animals actually diseased
with Texas fever, their blood would contain' more parasites than that
of the healthy, and hence might serve more readily as an inoculating
fluid for insects, but Southern animals and natives are not allowed to
mingle so as to bring this about. The disease is produced, in most cases,
where Southern and native cattle do not come in contact at all. If
insects distribute Texas fever they could only do it accidentally, and
hence the result would be a few isolated cases. But Texas fever at-
tacks 90 to 95 per cent of all natives.
Texas fever, as elucidated in the foregoing pages, is essentially a
disease of the blood. The parasite producing it must be transferred in
some manner from the blood of one animal to that of another. There
is no evidence to support the view that it may gain entrance by way
of the digestive tract, and hence several channels by which the micro-
parasite might get into the body are necessarily cut off. Though the
parasite is very likely present in the discharges and the urine of the
sick, and perhaps in smaller numbers in the excretions of Southern127
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Smith, Theobold & Kilborne, Fred Lucius. Investigations into the Nature, Causation, and Prevention of Texas or Southern Cattle Fever, book, 1893; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth143538/m1/127/?q=%221863%22&rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting University of Texas Health Science Center Libraries.