NO UNDULANT FEVER IN DIAMOND HARBOUR HERD

Press, Volume C, Issue 29515, 17 May 1961, Page 8

NO UNDULANT FEVER IN DIAMOND HARBOUR HERD

The source of an undulant fever case reported in Christchurch three months ago has not been discovered. Extensive tests on the herd suspected of being responsible had all proved negative, the senior inspector of health in Christchurch (Mr J. B. Snoad), said yesterday. “The patient, who was a city resident (a male of 52 years), had been in the habit of consuming raw milk while holidaying at his bach in Diamond Harbour. As far as could be determined, this was the only raw milk which the patient consumed,” said Mr Snoad. “The department took a series of samples of the milk from the supplier’s herd, and the pathology department of the Christchurch Hospital carried out exhaustive tests to determine whether this milk contained the causative organism of the disease. Results now to hand indicate that these milk samples were free from such organisms. “I would like to express appreciation of the immediate action taken also by Canterbury Dairy Farmers Ltd., which arranged for all milk from the herd in question to be pasteurised and for an alternative supply to Diamond Harbour from a known brucella-free herd. At the same time, this firm had extensive tests carried out on the milk of each lactating cow and the blood from each cow in the herd. Results of these tests confirm our own negative results. “This herd can therefore reasonably be exonerated as having been the cause of the disease. Unfortunately, this means that the source of the trouble has not been located and the probability remains that at some time during the incubation period (normally three weeks) the patient unknowingly consumed raw milk or raw cream or some product containing some of these, and the herd producing this raw milk or cream

was infected with Brucella abortus. “The only other common way that a human being becomes infected with undulant fever is during the handling of infected cows, and this possibility has been ruled out in this instance.” Food Poisoning Investigation into a case of food poisoning reported last week also proved abortive, Mr Snoad said. In this instance the patient, a man of 51, did not consult his doctor for several days after becoming ill, and by that time it was almost impossible to find clues to the source of the trouble.