FACIAL ECZEMA IN SHEEP.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1104, 18 April 1911, Page 8

FACIAL ECZEMA IN SHEEP.

"NOT CONTAGIOUS." . A week or two ago: (says an exchange) the Canterbury' A. and I'. Association wrote to the Live' Stock Department, asking that steps be taken to prevent the introduction of i'acial eczema among sheep to the South Island. At a meeting of the committee the secretary read a reply from Mr. C. J. Keakes, Director of Live Stock and Meat Division, which stated that there was no danger of the trouble being ' introduced to tho South Island through the importation of North -Island sheep,, seeing tliat it was not a contagions disease. The cause was of a purely dietetic nature. The trouble had been, prevalent in the North Island for two seasons, 1908-1910,■ and in each case was .associated-with the presence of .a plentiful growth of' more or less rankautumn grass, the result of.frequent rainfall, ' accompanied 'by warm weather. Much investigation.work hail been done at the Wnllacoville Laboratory in connection with this , disease,-and the officer in charge of the laboratory, Mr. Reid, had furnished a valuable report concerning it: His investigations, carried out-in conjunction with the writer (Mr. Reakes), all went to emphasise tho accuracy of tho opinion previously expressed, that the diseaso was not of a contagious. nature. Further proof of this was furnished by the fact that when outbreaks had occurred in tho North Island, and no internal . complications had existed, and prompt measures were, taken to transfer the sheep to other and more suitable pastures, the trouble had' subsided. In those cases where a heavy mortality had taken place the sheep had been left on :he same pastures, or investigations had ihown that tho. .animals (lying had beer, affected; by a condition of fatty infiltrii'tio'n oV degeneration'of the liver, this on' chc one hand ri:ducing their vitality, ant!' 3n the other hand impairing the proper carrying out of the digestive functions. The worst outward symptoms Were produced by a secondary caliM, namely, the entrance into the tissues of tho skin of the hfeatl of a micro-organism known, as necrosis-bacillus. This was -widely 'distributed in tho soil, and was a common' habitant of tho intestines of. all herbi-. vorous animals. Ordinarily it was harmless, b'fiing only able to exert its influence when ,it gained entrance to the tissue through wounds or abrasions of the skin. That it more frequently caused trouble in tho North Island than in the South Was "probably due to the fact that the warmer weather and more humid climatic condition:, present there enabled it to retain its vitality outside the animal body for a longer period than was possible in the drier, and cooler especially at .night, which prevail in tho South Island. •The Association could rest assured that in this and all other matters the Department was keeping a careful watch on tho interests of the stockownors in tho South Island as well as in other parts of the country. ■ On .the motion of the president (Sir Goo. Clifford) i.t was decided to write -to the Director ,'of the Live' Stock .Division thanking him for allaying tho apprehensions of members in the matter.