RABBIT POX : I. CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS AND COURSE OF DISEASE

The clinical manifestations and course of a highly contagious and acutely fatal disease designated as rabbit pox have been described. The general symptomatology of this infection varies within wide limits and accurate diagnosis rests on the occurrence of certain characteristic lesions. The most distinctive sign of infection is a pock-like eruption which is often outspoken and widespread over the body, but is sometimes poorly defined and detectable only after careful physical examination. Other lesions depend upon the involvement of particular organs and give rise to special symptoms. As a rule, the incubation period of the epidemic infection varies between 5 and 7 days. No evidence of the transmission of the infection by recovered animals could be obtained. Furthermore, breeding tests demonstrated that the reproductive capacities of most animals were not permanently impaired.