l^U./^^C^'UCAVv^ \ U \& SF 967 .fi3 W5 Copy 1 "V^.X^jJ^-H ^^^Qj^^^SJSJ^ ,,Wt( Glasse s r ^7 Bonk ^ . A 3 W5 BULLETIN or THE No. 106 Contribution trom the Bureau of Animal Industry, A. D. Melvin, Chief. September 12, 1914. (PROFESSIONAL PAPER.) THE GRANULAR VENEREAL DISEASE AND ABORTION IN CATTLE. By W. L. \\'iLLiAUS,^ Professor of Surga'y, Veterinary Department, Cornell University.' INTRODUCTION. Early in 1909 the writer had publicly announced the existence in a dairy herd in New York of the granular venereal disease, nodular j vaginitis, or vaginitis folliculorum chronica contagiosa. Later ob- servations showed that it was general, if not universal, among the herds of the State. This disease having been held responsible by many continental European veterinarians of high authority for the I abortion and sterility of cows, it was deemed important that fu'st I of all it should be determined how widely and extensively this malady exists among the cattle of theUuitedStates. In order to accom- plish this, it was decided to make post-mortem observations upon the genitalia of cows, heifers, and heifer calves on the lolling floors cf abattoirs at some of the principal slaughtering centers. The inspec- tors in charge of the Federal meat inspection at these stations, under I instructions from the Chief of the Bureau of ^^Luimal Industry, United States Department of Agriculture, cooperated most heartily, and a [ large volume of most interesting material was furnished in the most convenient manner possible for inspection. The importance of abortion and sterility in cows is rapidly becom- ing more acutely felt by breeders, and is each year playing a more serious part in the national economy. By interfering more and more with the reproductive powers of cows, these diseases exert an unfavor- able influence upon the production of meat, milk, and dairy products, decreasing the supply and increasing the cost. ' In conjunction with the Pathological Di-\ision, Bureau of Animal Industry, United States Depart- ment of Agriculture. NoTH. — This bulletin describes a very common affection of breeding cattle, as to which there is a wide diversity of opinion. The paper is the result of extensive study, and is of interest to veterinarians and cattle raisers generally. 43378°— 14 1 Monograph 2 BULLETIN 106, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUKE. The loss to the dairy industry is very great, although difficult to estimate. In those cases where fairly good records have been placed at our disposal pertaining to herds where it is aimed to raise and breed all or nearly all heifer calves, as is the case in pedigreed herds of private owners and in the herds of experiment stations, the losses from abortion and sterility fluctuate between 5 and 50 per cent per amium, with an average of perhaps 15 to 20 per cent. But these statistics are deceptive, and not safe for general deductions. These herds consist too largely of heifers, in which abortion and sterility are most common. As nearly as we have been able to estimate, an estimate which is admittedly inseciu^e, the annual losses in the dairies of New York from abortion and sterility are approximately 10 per cent, which probably exceeds $5 per cow for the total number in the State, or an approximate economic loss of perhaps $10,000,000 annually. Our inquiries regarding losses in other States, in beef as well as in dairy herds, indicate that there are no material differences in the ratio of losses in the various regions. Innumerable reasons have been assigned to account for abortion and sterility in cows. Abortion has been regarded as the result of blows, goring, kicks, slips, falls, various feeds, waters, drugs, etc., and finally, when the abortions are numerous, to contagion. Sterility has been attributed also to a great variety of causes — to the character of the feed or water, to poverty, and overfatness, and, as with abor- tion, when the cases are numerous, to contagion. Veterinarians who have investigated abortion in cows in recent years have agreed that in a very large percentage of cases it is due solely to contagion. The British Royal Commission for the investi- gation of this malady believes that more than 90 per cent of the abortions among cows in England are due to contagion, while Bang in Denmark, Hess and Zschokke in Switzerland, and other veterina- rians of Europe hold similar- views. Similar views are also held re- garding sterility in cows by Hess of Switzerland, Albrechtscn of Denmark, and other leading investigators. The basis of diagnosis relied upon in this report for determining the presence or abseiice of the gramdar venereal disease was the visi- ble presence or absence in the mucosa of the vulva of the granular or nodular elevations generally regarded as a result of the uifection. The number or size of the nodules visible to the naked eye was not taken into account as determining whether the animal was affected or not. If the nodides were visibly present the animal was classed as affected; if nodules were absent or were not to be detected the animal was marked negative or free. d: of P/, SFP-2i rS(4 A Q 9 5 5 9 FiQ. 2.— Influence of the number of the pregnancy on the percentage of abortic GRANULAR VENEREAL DISEASE AND ABORTION IN CATTLE. 29 i K E Z a c E Z Q z c c z «o cc Bii i III 1 r-i^ . ■" to o too I"""" ■"" " i 1 &■§■§ z : : •3 S 1 ■3 B Z a' a 1 a' Z a' fe-a Z a Z a' E Z is.| i ii i ip «co !0 " ■" NO ■""' " '' 3 E Z 1 z : : Z E c Z i 1 £ c z z a' a 1 '■ c 11 Z-^ 1 < i£| St is 1 IP r~ o «,««> ■" rt -«■ " ■" " CO coc^ ^1 i !■ 1 E c c Z : : E c Z c 1 z z 1 a s-1 fe-c Z !•= z Be Z a' z c •c a a z m Si :S Ah c " W3<0 "'■"' "" ^ "^ CO +""" c- o)-?.- § 3 Z Z z ; s z E Z Is &•« z B< Z §•§•§ z ; g z E z i z a : fe : z : o25 1 1 i ii ip ' ^ " M« CN «- " '^ ^ ""=^ - «- - : i . 1 1 ' 1 « , 1 ■n T •c E Z •z g- ll <:z 4 13 73^ 'Z T E Z ■3 e z a' a o z 1 z ■^ .2-5 ■ga <;z -i s^i i s is iP ^^«co « " 05N« "" " c^ - ^ ___^ Year born. 1881 1882 1883 1884 1884 1884 1884 1884 1885 1885 1885 1886 1886 1887 1887 1887 1887 1887 III iiiliiiiiiiiil 73 s B p 3 c ■! 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