§ Miss Quennellasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what initiative his Department has taken to stimulate research into undulant fever.
§ Mr. PrenticeUndulant fever in man, and contagious abortion in cattle, are both due to infection with organisms of the genusBrucella. Cases of undulant fever in this country at the present time are commonly due either to infection from raw milk, or to direct contact with infected cattle.
Brucellosis in cattle has been the subject of research under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Agricultural Research Council for many years. As a result, contagious abortion in cattle, which was formerly one of the most serious causes of cattle losses, has been effectively controlled. Research directed towards the better control of Brucella is still in progress and is kept under review by the Council. Veterinary research workers 218W co-operate with workers on human undulant fever in the Public Health Laboratory Service and elsewhere.