Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 269, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 November 1911 — FEVER FROM GOATS [ARTICLE]

FEVER FROM GOATS

Disease Has Been Known to Exist for Many Years. 0 - - . Belief I. General In Section. Where ft | Prevails That It I. Connected With inauexry ndo Many Names. Austin, Tex.—Some weeks ago the presence of Malta fever in Texas was announced by the Journal of the American Medical Association. Further InUnited States army show the presence of thia disease in a considerable section of Texas, in which goat raising is an important industry; An area approximating 300 miles along the Rio Grande and extending 90 miles tp the north, including the Nueces and lower Pecos river countries was examined. For the past 35 years the raising of goats has been the principal occupation of this section. Careful inquiries" through this section show that for many years there has existed, principally in the Nueces and lower Pecos river countries, a continued fever characterized by frequent relapses, pains in the jointsand a very low mortality. This fever has been known to exist in ty, at the head of the Nueces river, for a period of at least 25 years. li has been known there as slow fever, continued fever and occasionally by the significant term of goat fever. During the summer of 1894 about 25 cases of fever occurred in the Nueces river canyon, almost entirely in families that had goat pens immediately surrounding the houses. More recently a number of cases have occurred near Barksdale each year. Many people have believed that the disease was in some manner contracted from goats and occasionally have applied to it the term “goat fever.” It has also been called “dust fever" on the theory that it came from working in dusty goat pens. Since the disease is during the months of May, June and July, when the prevailing wind is from the south, some of the goat herders have located their goat pens on the north side of their houses to avoid the dust The Mexican goat herders have long believed that slow fever was due to drinking unboiled goat's milk, and for this reason, and also because it improves the taste, practically all Mexicans drink only milk which has been boiled.

The disease appeared in the Pecos river country about ten years ago, and it has been known there as slow fever or Rio Grande fever. Owing to the fact that the country is vdfy sparsely settled in that locality, the disease has failed to attract much attention, but it is certain that a few cases have occurred there each year for several years past.

In order to ascertain the source of Infection definitely a careful examination of the goat herd at Langtry was made. Twenty-three female goats were the result that height out of 23 goats (34.7 per cent.) were found to be Infected.

Malta is prevalent throughout the older goat-raising sections of Texas,—and probably a large proportion of the cases will be found to be suffering from Malta fever. All cases of Malta fever found have occurred in the territory devoted to goat raising and all patients either have a history of drinking unboiled goat's milk or were actively connected with the goat raising industry,