CASEOUS LYMPH-ADENITIS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20893, 6 December 1929, Page 4

CASEOUS LYMPH-ADENITIS.

TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE. SOME PREVENTIVE MEASURES. Some weeks ago these columns contained an outline of the disease known as caseous lymph-adenitis in sheep, with particular reference to its nature and the preventive methods to be used in order to limit its occurrence as far as possible. Now'that the authorities in Britain are paying special attention to the discovery of this disease in imported mutton and lamb carcasses, including the thawing-out of a certain percentage of these, it is imperative that every endeavour be made to prevent as far as possible any affected carcasses reaching the. overseas market. The Department of Agriculture is accordingly strengthening its meat inspection staff to this end, and extreme vigilance will be observed at freezing works, But in addition to this, and in order that the very moderate incidence of the disease in New Zealand may be reduced, with a view to its eventual elimination, the cooperation of all sheep farmers is essential. At the department’s veterinary laboratory experimental work in this disease showed that the chief means by which the disease is transmitted is the entrance of the casual organism through wounds or abrasions of the skin. It is therefore obvious that wounds incurred during the operations of castration, docking, shearing. crutching, etc., are all sources by which the germ may gain entrance and set up the disease. All blades used in shearing should be sterilised by boiling before the work commences, and dipped-in an antiseptic fluid at frequent intervals during the operations. For this purpose machine oil to which carbolic acid has been added in the proportion of one to 10 is effective. All wounds inflicted should be Immediately dressed with Stockholm tar, which, while not one of the strongest antiseptics, has the advantage of sticking to and forming a cover over the wound. The floor of the shed should also receive attention. This may probably have been used for seasons without being thoroughly cleaned. Before operations commence the floor should be thoroughly scrubbed with an antiseptic fluid. - All posts and division rails inside the shed should be similarly treated. Through years of frequent use the yards are liable to become infected with the germ of the disease. It is essential, therefore, that this area should also receive careful attention. The surface soil should be well turned over, after which it should be liberally sprinkled with an antiseptic solution, following which a dressing of quicklime should be applied. All gates, posts, rails, etc., should receive a coating of tar, or lime-wash containing carbolic acid. The holding-paddocks adjacent to shearing sheds are also frequently much soiled, and should be periodically, as opportunity occurs, ploughed up and allowed to lie to the sun before resow- • *When docking and castrating lambs care should be taken to see that the operation is not carried out for any two seasons in succession on the same area. The shearing yards should be avoided as a site for this operation. Knives, instruments, and the hands of the operator should be sterilised before operating, and all antiseptic precaution taken during operations. Althoughj naturally, the infection of lymph-adenitis may be present on any part of a farm, we feel sure that the shearing shed and its vicinity, through frequent crowding of sheep, is the place whete the risk is greatest, and that if the precautions here outlined were put in practice the incidence of the disease would be very considerably reduced.