Dermatophilus Dermatitis (Streptotrichosis) in Ontario. 1

Home , Dermatophilaceae

DERMATOPHILUS DERMATITIS (STREPTOTRICHOSIS) IN ONTARIO. 1. CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS* G. P. Searcyt and T. J. Hullandt INTRODUCTION lesced, and (iii) accumulation of cuta- neuos keratinized masses or cornified A DERMATITIS affecting cattle in the Bel- material forming "wart-like, bark-like gian Congo was described in 1915 by Van lesions" or "horn-like projections". Saceghem (46). The lesions were small Bovine streptotrichosis has also been but confluent, raised circumscribed crusts reported in Australia (1, 11, 26, 28), the on the skin composed of epidermal cells United States (6, 21, 30, 45), Canada (4) and coagulated serous exudate with em- and England (36). bedded hairs. He applied the name "Der- Streptotrichosis in horses has been matose Contagieuse" to the disease. The reported in Africa (16, 25), England (12, causative agent was said to be a bacterium 37, 42), and in the United States (4, 20). which could appear in two forms: (i) Kaplan and Johnston (20) described the Straight or curved filaments sometimes early lesions on horses as irregular patches branching and containing fine granules, of matted hair or as raised crusted areas, or (ii) Isolated cocci. with hairs protruding through the crusts. Van Saceghem named the organism Lesions in more advanced stages of de- Dermatophilus congolensis. In 1920, velopment were separated from the under- another report described a "Contagious lying epithelium. Removal of the crusts Impetigo" of cattle in Northern Rhodesia left a pink moist area or a soft smooth (20). Early lesions, usually noticed first skin. Branched hyphae divided in trans- on the back, resembled paint brushes due verse and longitudinal planes were demon- to matting of a few hairs. Scabs formed strated in smears prepared from scab with hairs protruding through them. When specimens. removed, they exposed a moist pinkish Mycotic dermatitis of sheep was reported surface which occasionally bled slightly. almost simultaneously in South Africa and The lesions would spread extensively over Australia by Bekker in 1928 and Seddon the body of susceptible animals and in 1929, respectively (3). Bull (7) first would coalesce. These animals often lost isolated and named the causal organism condition and died. Actinomyces dermatonomus. Lesions re- Streptotrichosis in African cattle was sembling those of streptotrichosis in cattle subsequently described by many workers have been described as affecting the lips, (8, 17, 27, 31, 38, 41, 47). Although ears, and coronets (17), but the majority various names were applied to the orga- of infections involve the wooled portions nisms demonstrated by these workers their of the body (3, 15, 29, 40). morphology resembled Dermatophilus In 1948, Harriss (14) described a derma- congolensis (Van Saceghem). titis affecting the legs of sheep in Scotland, Based on his observations of bovine known locally as "strawberry foot rot". The streptotrichosis in Africa, Szabuniewicz lesions were small, heaped up scabs situ- (43) distinguished three stages in the ated anywhere on the leg from the coronet development of the exudative dermatitis: to the knee or hock. Removal of the scabs (i) "matted together hairs" as "paint revealed fleshy masses with numerous brush" lesions (moist form), (ii) crust bleeding points. A gram positive filamen- or scab formation as the first lesions coa- tous organism which divided into parallel rows of cocci was proven later to be the *This work was supported in part by a causative agent (44). Medical Research Council of Canada Fellow- ship. Financial assistance from the Ontario Austwick (2) made the first significant Department of Agriculture and Food for this attempt to classify the Dermatophilus project is gratefully acknowledged. organisms and the diseases associated with fOntario Veterinary College, University of them. He proposed the following nomen- Guelph, Guelph, Ontario. clature:

CAN VET. JOUR., VOl. 9, no. 1, January, 1968 CANADIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL

Order Actinomycetales access to shelter. The remainder of the Family Dermatophilaceae premises were dairy farms and the hus- Genus Dermatophilus bandry practises were, in general, good. Species Dermatophilus congolensis On farms where several animals were Cause of streptotrichosis in cattle, affected an attempt was made to deter- horses, sheep, goats, and elands. Dermatophilus dernatonamus mine the mode of transmission, but on Cause of mycotic dermatitis in most farms it was not possible to draw sheep any concrete conclusions. On premises Dermatophilus pedis 1112 the infection on every animal Cause of strawberry foot rot in appeared first under the lower jaw. The sheep. watering troughs consisted of steel drums which had been cut into halves. The edges Recent comparative studies on Dermato- philus organisms isolated from these vari- were uneven and sharp and may have been responsible for excoriation of the skin, ous diseases have led to the conclusion thus allowing Dermatophilus organisms to that there is only one species Dermatophi- produce a dermatitis. lus congolensis, in the genus Dermatophilus (13, 35). Although only one animal on premises 979 exhibited lesions, these were clearly CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS confined to a clipped area on the hindquarters. During the period April 1, 1966 to On farms 978, 3183, and 3184 sucking cases of strepto- April 1, 1967, suspected lice (Linognathus vituli) were found on in horses and cattle were investi- trichosis the animals, and on farm 880 chorioptic animals were gated whenever possible. The mites were present in large numbers. on in south-western and farms located The distribution of lesions on cattle is central Ontario, within a 100-mile radius recorded in Table II. of Guelph. It must be emphasized that palpation was more important than visual inspection BOVINE STREPTOTRICHOSIS in obtaining an appreciation of the extent The incidence and seasonal occurrence of infection on an animal's body. of the disease on the various premises, The appearance of the lesions appeared as well as the ages of the animals, is re- to depend upon the length of time that corded (Table I). they had been in existence and are there- Premises designated as 704, 3183 and fore described as occurring in three 3184 were feedlots where the animals had different stages.

TABLE I INCIDENCE AND SEASONAL OCCURRENCE OF DERMATOPHILUS INFECTION ON PREMISES AND AGE OF CATTLE Premises No. of animals No. of animals identification in herd affected Age Season 206 30 1 Mature WN'inter 697 25 1 " " 704 30 6 Yearling Winter and Spring 880 40 4 Mature \Winter 978 25 1 979 50 1 1112 25 10 " Summer 1265 30 1 1812 16 1 Yearling 2185 50 7 One month Autumn to mature 2348 30 2 Yearling 3089 40 1 Mature 3183 25 1 Yearling 3184 25 1 " " 3617 104 3 Mature Winter Total 545 41 8 DERMATOPHILUS DERMATITIS

TABLE I I thicker and more darkly coloured scab. The DISTRIBUTION OF DERMATOPHILUS scabs were usually no larger than 1 cm. in l ESIONS ON CATTLE AND HORSES diameter. When adjacent apparently un- affected skin was rolled between the No. of animals fingers, thickening could often be detected. On premises 2185 the back of the udder Bodv area Cattle Horses was the only area of the body affected Head and neck 15 4 on several cows. On one animal, however, Back and sides 17 31 the skin over the medial surface of the Hindquarters 16 Udder 13 hind legs, adjacent to the udder, was also Legs 3 involved. Ventral abdomen 3 On premises 206, 2348, and 2185, pal- Generalized* 11 pation of other apparently normal cattle *All of the animals in which three or revealed an occasional small nodule on more areas on the animal were affected. one or two animals, they were usually located on the forequarters and neck, or along the back. Some were firm and dry Stage 1 while others were moist in the center. The first indication of dermatitis on Examination of material from these an animal was an erectness of the hair nodules usually revealed Dermatophilus into tufts. Palpation revealed roughening organisms in large numbers. of the surface of the skin and a greasy On premises 1112, 1265, 1812 and feeling at the base of the hair. 2185, the lesions never progressed beyond Inspection of the skin surface revealed Stage 1, as dehydration and sloughing a partially dried, to dry, serous exudate of the scabs occurred leaving an area of which was perforated by hair. As the alopecia. disease progressed this material formed crusts on the skin (Figure 1). These were Stage 2 often adherent and removal caused dis- Palpation at this stage revealed a very comfort to the animal. In such instances, roughened and thickened skin. The scabs the skin beneath the crusts would appear were greasy and often crumbled easily, moist and hyperemic with minor hemor- remaining loosely intact because of pro- rhage occurring in some cases. truding hairs. The best examples of lesions in their On casual inspection very little could early stages were those on the udders of be seen, especially if the hair coat was dairy cows where careful scrutiny revealed dense and long. Closer inspection, how- a thin layer of dried serous exudate at the ever, revealed dirty yellow scabs perfo- base of the hair. These lesions were sub- rated by a variable number of hairs ject to abrasion when located on the (Figure 2). When these lesions were lower part of the udder, resulting in a diffuse, slight fissuring of the underlying skin occurred over flexural surfaces. Crusts on the skin of the escutcheon of a cow are illustrated in Figure 3.

FIGURE 1. Crusts from a cow with strep- FIGURE 2. Crusts on the nose of a steer totrichosis (Stage 1). (Stage 2). 9 CANADLAN VETERINARY JOURNAL

In generalized chronic cases of bovine streptotrichosis, thick horny scabs often were confluent forming a mosaic pattern (Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8).

r IGURE 5. Thc1 norny scabs forming a mosaic pattern on the back of a steer (Stage 3).

FIGURE 3. Scabs on the skin of the escutcheon of a cow (Stage 2). As was the case with Stage 1, infected animals could recover without progressing to Stage 3. 'z' S Stage 3 On casual inspection of cattle at this stage, alopecia and thick scabs were apparent. In contrast to the crusts of r IGURE 6. Lignt colorea scabs on tne ven- Stages 1 and 2, scabs at this stage were tral surface of the neck of a steer (Stage 3). usually devoid of hair. The colour of these scabs varied from brown to yellow. On palpation they were hard and horn-like in consistency, and if confluent the skin was no longer pliable but leathery to the touch. Two of the animals on premises 206 exhibited lesions under their neck chains which were firmly adherent to the underlying skin (Figure 4).

FIGURE 7. Small thin scabs forming a mosaic pattern on the ear of a steer (Stage 3).

...-.,,. FIGURE 4. Hard scabs on the dorsal midline FIGURE 8. Horny scabs on the back of a of the neck of a cow (Stage 3). steer (Stage 3). 10 DER;-MATOPHILUS DERMAA1THS

Regardless of the stage of this syn- drome the ease of removal of the scabs varied, depending upon the phase of the infection at that site. If the infection was active, as evidenced by the presence of large numbers of organisms, the scabs were difficult to remove and the underlying skin would exhibit a raw appearance with hemorrhage occurring occasionally. If, however, the area was recovering from the infection, the scab was more easily removed, and the skin appeared relatively normal. The majority of lesions on an animal could be classified within one of the stages described; in generalized cases, however, all stages could be present on the one FIGURE 9. Cracking and cellulitis of the animal. legs secondary to Dermatophilus dermatitis. If animals in Stage 1 recovered before progressing to Stage 2, they usually did EQUINE STREPTOTRICHOSIS so within a short time so that the entire course of the disease was no longer than The incidence and seasonal occurrence three to four weeks. Animals classified of infection on premises, and the age of within Stages 2 and 3 were invariably the animals are recorded in Table III. more chronically affected, and could ex- On the majority of the farms no mode hibit lesions for a period of several of transmission, other than direct contact months. of one animal with another could be estab- Animals with uncomplicated Dermato- lished. On premises 318, the horses were philus dermatitis did not exhibit pruritis, maintained out of doors throughout the in contrast to those with concomitant ecto- winter months and were not handled in parasitic diseases such as pediculosis and any way. On premises 688, 802, and A2 mange. the animals were housed throughout the Animals with chronic generalized strepto- winter months when the disease occurred. trichosis suffered weight loss. An animal On premises A2 the horses were main- on farm 1812 developed a Dermatophilus tained for the collection of pregnant mares' dermatitis involving the skin of the legs. urine. The husbandry conditions were Cracking of flexural surfaces resulted in a poor and the disease occurred during the cellulitis presumably due to infection with stabling period on two successive years. secondary bacteria (Figure 9). The clinical findings in horses were

TABLE III INCIDENCE AND SEASONAI OCCURRENCE OF DERMATOPHILUS INFECTION ON PREMISES AND AGE OF HORSES

Premises No. of aniimals No. of aniimals identificationi in herd affected Age Season

318 3() 12 Mature WNinter 33() 2 688 1 1 802 3 1 2767 2 2 " Fall 3473 6 6 " " 18443 20 3 " WNinter A2 20 3 Total 84 30 11 CANADIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL much more consistent than in cattle and hence were not classified into stages. The distribution of the lesions on horses is recorded in Table II. The very early lesions in horses resembled those of cattle, and consisted of a serous exudate at the base of the hair which gave the hair coat a roughened appearance. The hair was firmly embedded and manipulation of the skin and hair was irritating to the horse. The majority of animals developed scabs on the skin which were usually 1 cm. or less in diameter. Since the hair was retained these scabs were only detected on palpation. When removed, they consistently exhibited a concave undersurface (Figure 10) which often contained a grey gelatinous material. FIGURE 11. Matting of the hair due to Smears of this material revealed large diffuse dermatitis over the croup of a horse. numbers of Dermatophilus organisms. outbreak occurred in two horses, topical application of an iodine solution' was used as well as penicillin and streptomycin systemically. The animals recovered within three weeks. Copper naphthenate2 was applied topically in one instance on cattle and in another on horses. The animals recovered, but following observations of untreated cases it is difficult to draw anv conclusions regarding the effectiveness of these treatments. The most important pre- requisite in treating this disease would appear to be the removal of all scabs before the application of a topical medici- nal. Discussion The habitat of Dermatophilus congolen- FIGURE 10. Scabs removed from the back sis in nature is unknown. Attempts to iso- of a horse. Note the concavities in the under- late it from soil have been unsuccessful surfaces of the scabs. (20, 33). It has been suggested that the mycotic When an area of skin was diffusely in- dermatitis lesion of sheep was the specific fected, the hair coat was matted as if it habitat for Dermatophilus organisms and had been continually wetted by rain that growth of the organism elsewhere was (Figure 11). Several horses on farm 318 unlikely (32). Other workers (20, 47) were infected in this manner over the believe that the disease exists in a quies- croup. By rubbing one's hand through cent foirm on animals, exacerbation occur- the hair coat in the opposite direction in ring under favorable circumstances. which the hair was lying, much of the The finding of Dermatophilus congolen- hair was removed in clumps leaving an sis in small nodules in the skin of cattle area of partial alopecia. would lend support to the above sugges- 1Weladol Shampoo. Pitman Moore, Division Treatment of Dow Chemical of Canada Ltd., Don Mills, On most farms no treatment was Ont-ario. attempted and the animals recovered un- 2Koppertox. Ray Chemical Companv, eventfully. On one farm in which an acute Windsor Locks, Connecticut. 12 DERMATOPHILUS DERMATITIS

tions. The resemblance of these nodules in the epidermis. It is possible that mois- to those caused by Demodex bovis is note- ture may have been an important factor worthy. No demodicid mites were demon- in equine streptotrichosis as observed in strated in material collected from these Ontario, as on five out of eight premises nodules; the sampling technique, however, the disease occurred while the animals may have been inadequate. were on pasture. The opportunity arose to study an out- The authors' observations on the clinical break of demodicidosis in cattle. Most of findings of bovine streptotrichosis are in the nodules were similar to those from agreement with other workers (8, 21, 43). which Dermatophilus congolensis were The confinement of Dermatophilus lesions isolated; a few, however, were larger and to the backs of horses in this study is similar appeared to involve deeper layers of the to other descriptions (4, 20, 37); involve- skin. Due to the superficial involvement ment of the face and legs, as noted by of the skin in Dermatophilus dermatitis some workers (10, 12, 25), was not (39), coexistence of Dermatophilus observed. congolensis with Dermodex bovis would In order to assess the virulence of be the most likely cause of the nodules Dermatophilus congolensis for human skin, observed in this study. This phenomenon no precautions, such as the wearing of has been noted by other workers (27, 47). gloves, were taken when examining ani- These nodules would serve as an impor- mals and removing scab material. No tanit source of Dermatophilus organisms, dermatitis developed despite numerous should factors amenable to the establish- contacts, an observation in agreement with ment of dermatitis occur. other investigators (20). There are reports Streptotrichosis has frequently been of human Dermatophilus dermatitis in the referred to in the literature as a chronic literature (9, 19), however, which would disease (17, 18, 43, 47). Sporadic cases suggest that strains of Dermataphilus con- have been reported where acute or sub- golensis may vary in their virulence for acute cases were observed (18, 43). Of man. the 15 outbreaks observed in cattle in this Meads has reported the occurrence of survey, four were acute or subacute. The streptotrichosis in cattle and horses in lesions did not progress beyond Stage 1 eastern Ontario (39). It is therefore appar- and the duration of the disease did not ent, that this disease is more widespread extend beyond one month. On premises in this province than previously recognized 1112, all of the affected animals exhibited and should be considered by veterinarians clinical signs within one week after the when confronted with dermatidities in disease was detected in the herd. horses and cattle. There has been a rather consistent asso- ciation of streptotrichosis in tropical coun- tries with the warm and humid rainy SUMMARY season (8, 31, 41, 43). One worker (38), Streptotrichosis involving 41 cattle on however, was of the opinion that moisture 15 premises, and 30 horses on eight was not as important in the pathogenesis premises was observed within a period of of streptotrichosis in cattle as it was in one year in Ontario. The appearance of mycotic dermatitis of sheep. Macadam the skin lesions on cattle varied and were (22, 23, 24), by experimentation with described as occurring in three stages. cattle, was unable to demonstrate an en- The lesions on horses were more consistent hancement of Dermatophilus dermatitis both in appearance and location on the by moisture and concluded that the high body. No definite conclusions could be ectoparasite population coinciding with made in regard to the pathogenesis of the the rainy season appeared to be more disease due to variations encountered in important in promoting the spread of the husbandry practices, seasonal incidence, disease. Six of the 15 affected cattle herds and ectoparasite populations. observed in Ontario were housed continually in dry dairy barns so that in these instances factors other than moisture must RESUME have been responsible for enabling Derma- Les auteurs font part d'une etude, re- tophilus congolensis to become established partie sur une periode d'une annee, sur la 13 CANADIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL streptotrichose en Ontario. Ils diagnosti- by Actinomyces dermatonomus (Bull). querent la maladie chez 41 bovins repartis Aust. vet. J. 16: 120. 1940. dans 15 troupeaux differents, ainsi que 11. EGERTON, J. R. Mycotic dermatitis of chez 30 chevaux appartenant "a huit ecu- cattle. Aust. vet. J. 40: 144. 1964. 12. Fox, I. Dermatitis of the horse caused ries. Chez les bovins, les lesions s'avererent by "Dermatophilus" species. Vet. Rec. variables; en leur reconnait une evolution 73: 914. 1961. suivant trois stades. Chez les chevaux, par 13. GORDON, M. A. The genus dermatophi- contre, on observa plus de regularite, a lus. J. Bact. 88: 509. 1964. la fois dans l'aspect des lesions et dans leur 14. HARRISS, S. T. Proliferative dermatitis localisation sur la surface du corps. Les of the legs ("Strawberry Foot Rot") in auteurs n'ont pu deduire aucune conclu- sheep. J. comp. Path. 58: 314. 1948. sion precise sur la pathogenie de la mala- 15. HARMIS, A. N. A., and W. B. HARDING. Unusual outbreak of mycotic derrnatitis die, en rapport avec les differentes in lambs. Yb. Inst. Insp. Stk. N.S.W., methodes de gerance des troupeaux, avec 1950: 35-37; abstracted in Vet. Bull., 22: l'incidence saisonniere ou le degre d'infes- 67. 1920. tation par les ectoparasites. 16. HORNBY, H. E. A contagious impetigo of cattle. Vet. J. 76: 210. 1920. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 17. HUDSON, J. R. Cutaneous streptothricosis. Proc. R. Soc. Med. 30: 1457. 1937. The authors wish to thank the veteri- 18. JUBB, K. V. F., and P. C. KENNEDY. narians who reported cases of streptotri- Pathology of Domestic Animals, Vol. 2. chosis to them during this study. New York: Academic Press. 1963. 19. KAPLAN, W. Dermatophilosis: animal- REFERENCES man transmission. J. Am. med. Ass. 198 (13): 42. 1966. 1. ALBISTON, H. E. Mycotic dermatitis 20. KAPLAN, W., and W. J. JOHNSTON. irn the calf. Aust. vet. J. 9: 107. 1933. Equine dermatophilosis (cutaneous strep- 2. AuSTrWICK, P. K. C. Cutaneous strepto- totrichosis) in Georgia. J. Am. vet. med. trichosis, mycotic dermatitis and straw- Ass. 149: 1162. 1966. berry foot rot and the genus Dermato- 21. KELLEY, D. C., K. HUSTON, G. D. IMES, philus Van Saceghem. Vet. Revs. Annot. and K. D. WEIDE. Cutaneous strepto- 4: 33. 1958. thricosis in Kansas cattle. I and II. Vet. 3. AUSTWICK, P. K. C., and E. T. DAVIES. Med. 59: 73 and 175. 1964. Mycotic dermatitis in Great Britain. Vet. 22. MACADAM, I. The effect of humidity on Rec. 70: 1081. 1958. the lesions of streptothricosis. Vet. Rec. 4. BENTINCK-SMITH, J., F. H. Fox, and D. 73: 1039. 1961. W. BAKER. Equine dermatitis (cutaneous 23. MACADAM, I. Observations on the Streptothricosis) infection with Derma- effects of flies and humidity on the tophilus in the United States. Cornell natural lesions of streptothricosis. Vet. Vet. 51: 334. 1961. Rec. 76: 354. 1964. 5. BLOOD, D. C., and J. A. HENDERSON. 24. MACADAM, I. The effects of ectopara- Veterinary Medicine. 2nd Ed. London: sites and humidity on natural lesions of Bailliere, Tindall and Cox. 1963. streptothricosis. Vet. Rec. 76: 354. 1964. 6. BRIDGES, C. H., and W. H. ROMANE. 25. MACADAM, I. Streptothricosis in Nige- Cutaneous Streptothricosis in cattle. J. rian horses. Vet. Rec. 76: 420. 1964. Am. vet. med. Ass. 138: 153. 1961. 26. McTIER, L. A. W. Mycotic dermatitis 7. BULL, L. B. Dermatomycosis of the in cattle in New South Wales. Yb. Inst. sheep (lumpy or matted wool) due to Insp. Stk. N.S.W. 1948: 81; abstracted in Actinomyces dermatonomus (new spe- Vet. Bull., 20: 70. 1948. cies). Aust. J. exp. Biol. 6: 301. 1929. 27. MORNET, P., and G. THIERY. Strepto- 8. CHODNIK, K. S. Mycotic dermatitis of thricose cutanee des bovins. Bull. epizoot. cattle in British West Africa. J. comp. Dis. Afr. 3: 302. 1955. Path. 66: 179. 1956. 28. MOULE, G. R., and A. K. SUTHERLAND. 9. DEAN, D. J., M. A. GORDON, C. W. Mycotic dermatitis of cattle. Aust. vet. SEVERINGHAUS, E. T. KROLL, and J. R. J. 23: 95. 1947. REILLY. Streptothricosis: A new zoo- 29. NISBET, D. I., and C. C. BANNATYNE. A notic disease. N.Y. St. J. Med. 61: dermatitis of the sheep associated with 1283. 1961. an organism of the genus actinomyces. 10. EDGAR, G., and J. C. KEAST. A note on Vet. Rec. 67: 713. 1955. the susceptibility of horses and cattle to 30. PIER, A. C., F. C. NEAL, and S. J. infection with mycotic dermatitis caused CYSEWSKI. Cutaneous streptothricosis in 14 DERMATOPHILUS DERMATIMIS

Iowa cattle. J. Am. vet. med. Ass. 142: 39. SEARCY, G. P. Pathogenesis studies on 995. 1963. bovine streptotrichosis. M.Sc. Thesis, 31. PLOWRIGHT, W. Cutaneous streptothri- University of Guelph. 1967. cosis of cattle. I. Introduction and epi- 40. SEDDON, H. R. Mycotic dermatitis. Dis- zootiological features in Nigeria. Vet. eases of domestic animals in Australia, Rec. 68: 350. 1956. Vol. II, Commonwealth of Australia De- 32. ROBERTS, D. S. The life cycle of Derma- partment of Health Service Publication, tophilus dermatonomus. Aust. J. exp. Number 10: 434. 1953. Biol. med. Sci. 39: 463. 1961. 41. SOLTYS, M. A. Cutaneous streptothrico- 33. ROBERTS, D. S. The release and survival sis in cattle in the Sudan. Sudan J. vet. of Dermatophilus dermatonomus zoo- Sci. 5: 20. 1964. spores. Aust. J. agric. Res. 14: 386. 42. STAPLEFORTH, A. W. Cutaneous strep- 1963. tothricosis. A case in Great Britain. Proc. 34. ROBERTS, D. S. The influence of carbon R. Soc. Med. 30: 1455. 1937. dioxide on the growth and sporulation of 43. SZABUNIEWICZ, M. Cutaneous strepto- Dermatophilus dermatonomus. Aust. J. thricosis in cattle. Sthwest Vet. 18: 40. agric. Res. 14: 412. 1963. 1964. 35. ROBERTS, D. S. Cutaneous actinomy- 44. THOMPSON, R. E. M. A species of cosis due to the single species Dermato- rhizobium isolated from Strawberry Foot philus congolensis. Nature, Lond. 206: Rot in the sheep. J. Path. Bact. 68: 445. 1068. 1965. 1954. 36. ROBERTS, J. E., and T. F. VALLELY. 45. TUCKER, W. E. A case report of cu- Streptothricosis in cattle. Vet. Rec. 74: taneous streptothricosis in a Florida bull. 693. 1962. The Practicing Veterinarian, 1966: 143. 37. SCARNEL, J. Clinical observations on Pitman-Moore Division of the Dow dermatitis of the horse caused by "Der- Chemical Co., Indianapolis, Ind. 1966. matophilus" species. Vet. Rec. 73: 795. 46. VAN SACEGHEM, R. Dermatose con- 1961. tagieuse (Impetigo contagieux). Bull. 38. SCHULZ, K. C. A. Mycotic dermatitis Soc. Path. exot. 8: 354. 1915. (Senkobo skin-disease) of cattle in the 47. ZLOTNIK, I. Cutaneous streptothricosis Union of South Africa. Bull. epizoot. Dis. in cattle. Vet. Rec. 67: 613. 1955. Afr. 3: 244. 1955.

ABSTRACT Schoenaers, F., Kaeckenbeeck, A., and El the losses in calves attributable to coli- Nageh, M. (1967). (Prophylaxis of colibacillosis on the same farms had risen on bacillosis in calves by vaccinating the average to 24.48%. After the inoculation, cow.)-Annls. Med vet. 111, 3-15 the mortality rate during the first month (F.e.g.fl.) (Fac. Med. Vet., Cureghem, of life decreased to 3.12%, with 1.46% due Brussels). to colibacillosis and 1.66% attributable to other factors. After re-vaccination during An experiment was planned with the a subsequent pregnancy, these losses were object of controlling colibacillosis in calves reduced to 1.97%, with 0.19% due to coli- through the preventive inoculation of cows bacillosis and 1.78% attributable to other during pregnancy. In three years, 2,610 factors. Another paper by the same authors cows on 172 infected farms were inocu- (pp. 12-22) describes the diagnostic ap- lated experimentally towards the 7th plication of the fluorescent antibody tech- month of pregnancy with a multivalent nique to E. coli infection in calves. vaccine prepared from five Escherichia coli serotypes (078, 055, 086, 015, 0137) and containing Freund's adjuvant. During Reprinted from "The Veterinary Bulletin", the year which preceded the vaccination, Vol. 37, No. 8, August, 1967.