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Eleven incidents of bullae and vesicles on the snouts and less frequently the feet of white-skinned pigs on seven farms are described. Bullous and vesicular lesions up to 5 cm in diameter and containing clotted gelatinous fluid were located on the dorsal aspect of the snout, behind the flange. Lesions ruptured, became ulcerated, developed scabs and healed within three weeks. There was no transmission to other pigs or ruminants. The condition was associated with contact with green vegetable material containing parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) or celery (Apium graveolens), followed by exposure to periods of extended sunshine. Parsnips and celery are known to contain furocoumarins, potent phototoxic compounds. It is suggested that absorption of furocoumarins on the skin of the snout and feet after contact with parsnips and celery and exposure to ultraviolet light caused the lesions in the cases reported. It is postulated that a similar condition may have been responsible for national foot and mouth disease scares in pigs at Warkworth and Temuka in New Zealand and at Legana in Tasmania.

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Goat kids from a herd endemically infected with caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) virus were raised according to 3 methods. One group of ten goat kids was removed from infected does at birth before suckling or licking by the doe could occur (snatch birth technique). Kids were fed on goat colostrum, which had been heated to 57 degrees C for ten minutes and then held in a thermos flask for one hour. Subsequently the kids were fed reconstituted spray dried cows' milk powder. They were raised apart from infected goats with separation maintained by a wire fence. Contact occurred across-the-fence. Passively acquired serum antibody to CAE virus was detected in some kids at two to three months of age. Nine of the ten goats were negative for serum antibody to CAE virus when tested at 5-6, 9 and 12 months of age. One goat was positive at three and nine months of age but was negative when tested at 12 months of age. A second group of four kids was removed at birth and fed heat-treated goat colostrum, followed by milk from CAE virus-infected does. All four kids became infected with CAE virus; they developed serum antibody to CAE virus between 5-6 and 9 months of age. A third group of two kids was not removed from their infected dams. Both kids were infected at 5-6 and 9 months of age.

Malignant catarrhal fever was transmitted from affected to recipient red deer (Cervus elaphus) using blood or lymphoid suspension as inoculum. Incubation periods ranged from 11 to 26 days. The disease was also transmitted using lymphoid suspension stored overnight at 4 degrees C or at -70 degrees C for 8 months. The experimental disease was characterised by fever, depression, anorexia, diarrhoea and dysentry. The course of the disease was approximately 96 hours. Major lesions consisted of acute mesenteric lymphadenitis and acute haemorrhagic typhlitis and colitis. Lesions in the caecum and colon started as multifocal mucosal haemorrhages and progressed rapidly to massive mucosal haemorrhage.