CHAPTER VII

PREPARATION OF ANTI-HOG-CHOLERA SERUM AND HOG

CHOLERA VIRUS

WE are indebted to Dr. Marion Dorset and Dr. W. B. Niles of the United States Bureau of Animal Industry for developing our present method of preparing anti-hog-cholera serum. The discovery that hog cholera is caused by a filterable virus dismissed further efforts to immunize against it with products of various bacteria, but it suggested hope for a protective serum analogous to that used against rinderpest, a filterable virus disease of cattle. That hope was realized in 1908 when Dorset announced his discovery, and although the immediate control of hog cholera which some predicted did not materialize, the obstacles encountered have not been due to any fundamental defect in the serum itself. When properly prepared and used it is one of the most effective biologics known to preventive medicine.

Anti-hog-cholera serum production is highly organized and carefully controlled in the United States and many laboratories are in operation which are models for convenience, cleanliness and

PLATE 7. Bleeding room in anti-hog-cholera serum laboratory. (Courtesy Pitman-Moore Biological Laboratories)

sanitation. All laboratories which make interstate shipments must secure licenses from the federal government and submit to regulations which have been formulated to protect those who use the products. The laboratories must meet certain well-defined requirements before they are allowed to operate, and thus despite great deviation in detail, the same fundamental processes are used in all of them. We will consider first the essential requirements for preparing the protective defibrinated blood, which has been called anti-hog-cholera serum, and which forms the basis of all the more or less refined products used to prevent hog cholera in the field.

Buildings. The buildings should be suited to the conditions under which the laboratory is to operate. These conditions vary so widely that uniformity is neither to be expected nor desired, but certain governing principles should be observed in all construction. In general, simplicity, convenience in operation, and provisions for cleanliness are the primary considerations. Future upkeep costs should also be reduced to a minimum in the original construction. Under most conditions concrete is the best material to use.

The walls, ceiling and floors should be finished so that water will not injure them. The floors should be drained in a sanitary manner. Steam or hot water heat should be provided, the

PLATE 8. Corner of anti-hog-cholera serum laboratory. New York State Veterinary College at Cornell University

building should be plumbed for hot and cold water, and all outside doors should be screened in summer. Ample light and ventilation are required.

The minimum requirements for reasonable convenience and cleanliness in a serum laboratory consist of preparation room, bleeding room, serum laboratory proper, office, dressing room and lavatories, store room and refrigerator room, as well as furnace room and coal bins so situated that dust from them will not contaminate other parts of the building.

Quarters for the hogs should be suited to local requirements. In any event they should be at least seventy-five feet from the laboratory building, and even a greater distance is desirable. The floors should be of concrete, well drained, and ample light and ventilation should be provided. Room for exercise on the ground is desirable, and pasture for hogs that are to be kept for several weeks is a great asset. Provision should be made for sanitary disposal of manure, and other waste from the laboratory and hog quarters. In general, convenience for those who care for the animals, and cleanliness and comfort for the animals themselves are the chief considerations.

The equipment of the laboratory is likewise governed by individual needs. Too much equip