NEW SICKNESS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 October 1929, Page 8

NEW SICKNESS

INFECTION FROM CATTLE. INVESTIGATION BEING MADE. WELLINGTON, Oct. 4. Medical attention in New Zealand has recently been focused on a disease called undulant fever. By a questionaire from the Health Division of the League of Nations, enquiring into the incidence of the malady in this country, it had been known for some time that in parts of New Zealand contagious abortion in cattle existed. It was also known that there is a very close relationship between the infecting organism of contagious abortion and the organism which causes undulant or Malta fever. Cases of undulant fever have been observed in which the infecting organism was not the bacillus of Malta fever, but the bacillus of bovine abortion.

The difficulty in recognising the disease is occasioned by- the fact that it may really be confused with typhoid fever ,tuberculosis, rheumatism, malaria, influenza, and other infective processes. It was not until deliberate investigation of some obscure illnesses was undertaken that it was shown that the bacillus of bovine abortion was the cause of the illness.

There have been reported in the New Zealand Medical Journal several cases oif human infections by the bacillus of contagious abortion. These cases have all occurred in the Auckland district but it is pointed out in the “Medical Journal” that the rural population of New Zealand, and of the Auckland Provincial District in particular, is mainly dependent on dairy farming for its livelihood, and that contagious abor tion is a common and very serious disease in the farm herds. The practice of drinking fresh milk is widespread in this country, so that the chances of infection are great. In order to discover i'f cases were occurring in the country, laboratory tests have been made with blood from as many patients as possible suffering from obscure and unexplained fever. In this manner the above-mentioned cases were discovered.