Investigations into the Nature, Causation, and Prevention of Texas or Southern Cattle Fever Page: 143
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DISTRIBUTION OF TEXAS FEVER.
their colorlessness. They do not move within the corpuscles. Stained with methyl
violet their interior shows a peculiar line of division. The microbes are more tubu-
lar (tubisch), with ends rounded off, and they often hang together by means of a fine
thread. Stained blue, the bodies are spherical and the chromatic substance is found
more on the periphery. The parasites are colored brown in chromate of potash.
It will be observed that this description accords much more closely
than the one given in his first communication with that given in this
report of the Texas-fever microorganism. Babes has detected no
movement or changes of form of the microSrganism within the corpus-
cles. This may be due to the failure to examine the blood during the
life of the animal. In fact, his description of these bodies indicates that
he has thus far seen them only post-mortem. He also adds the follow-
ing information concerning the transmissibility of the disease from one
animal to another.
Blood of sick or dead cattle 2 or 3 days old may still produce the disease, but fre-
quently a considerable quantity of fresh blood does not infect them. Undoubtedly
this depends upon other conditions of development of the parasite in the animal
body. Thus the parasite can only be transmitted once from cow to cow and inocu-
lations from rabbit to rabbit can only be carried through two to three generations
with success. Of twelve inoculated beeves only four contracted the disease.
In our experiments the infectious agent has been transmitted from a
Southern cow (No. 214) to a Northern cow (No. 222) and from this sub-
sequently to four other Northern cows (Nos. 197, 200, 227, 228) without
any diminution of virulence. In fact, three of the four died. As the
evidence for the above statement of Babes that the transmission of the
disease can be effected but once from cow to cow is not presented we
can not examine into it more closely.
As to the cultivation of the microorganism, Babes is more cautious
in his statements in this second communication. Of 200 inoculated
tubes only twelve showed a feeble growth of diplococci of various sizes.
These are said to produce the characteristic disease in rabbits with a
hemorrhagic cedematous exudate of the peritoneum and great masses
of parasites in the same, exceptionally in blood corpuscles. This sounds
more like the more chronic forms of the ordinary septiccmia hemorrha-
gica in rabbit. As to the nature of the microorganism Babes now hes-
itates to express an opinion, and inclines to the view that it may stand
between the bacteria and the protozoa.
It is difficult not to come to the conclusion that this disease is identi-
cal with Texas fever. The pathological changes are almost precisely
the same, and any minor differences are explainalle by the assumption
that Babes may have largely examined animals after the acute attack
had passed away. The microorganisms of both diseases, their general
appearance, their habitat are strikingly alike. The fact that Babes cul-
tivated his organism and produced disease in rabbits is not a strong
argument against their identity, for it seems very probable that he may
have had under observation one of those not very uncommon bacteria
accidentally associated with various disease processes whose form is143
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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/m1/143/: 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.