Diseases of cattle, sheep, goats and swineMoussu, G. (Gustave)
Science
Diseases of cattle, sheep, goats and swine
Moussu, G. (Gustave)
Veterinary medicine
The large intestine is almost or entirely empty, the mucous membrane is
reddish-brown in colour, lies in folds, is œdematous, and everywhere
covered with a coating of mucus. This coating varies in character at
different points; in places it forms more or less thickened patches of
greyish or yellowish colour, and of a resistant character, as though
mixed with coagulated fibrin. These patches are fairly well defined,
they are irregular in form, and vary in width from some millimètres up
to several centimètres. They are more or less adherent to the mucous
membrane, from which they can easily be stripped away. The mucous
membrane thus exposed is slightly depressed, and of a whitish colour,
thus markedly contrasting with the surrounding red coloration. This
depression represents a slight ulceration, which, though superficial, is
clearly visible to the naked eye.
Microscopic examination of the mucus patches reveals the existence, both
superficially and in the depths, of epithelial cells derived from the
mucous membrane, of vesicular cells derived from the Lieberkuhnian
follicles, of numerous blood and lymphatic corpuscles, and, distributed
irregularly throughout this mass of cells, of coccidia, resembling those
found in the dejections.
In thin sections of the intestine, made through the ulcerated
mucus-covered patches, and in a direction perpendicular to the mucous
membrane, one finds that the epithelial covering of the intestine has
disappeared.
The Lieberkuhn’s follicles are shortened, their orifices are irregular
and partly blocked with epithelial _débris_. In a large number of these
follicles the blind extremity is dilated, and more or less filled with
coccidia, varying in appearance according to their stage of development.
The epithelial cells normally lining these blind ends seem to have
disappeared, and to have been replaced by the parasites. This, however,
is not really the case. It is easy to prove by suitable dissection
(after maceration of the sections in 30 per cent. alcohol) that the
coccidia are lodged in epithelial cells which have become modified in
shape and undergone hypertrophy as the parasite has grown, whilst the
nucleus has been pushed to one end and undergone atrophy.
Alongside the deceased glands may be found others which are quite
healthy. In the parts which are most markedly affected the
interglandular connective tissue is infiltrated and slightly thickened.
Degoix has never discovered coccidia in the cells of the intestinal
mucous membrane itself. The lesions may be met with throughout the large
intestine, but are more numerous and grave as the rectum is approached.
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