Malta fever is gradually assuming a prominent rôle among the infectious diseases of this country. In 1906, Craig1 reported the first case of Malta fever contracted in the United States from a natural source and not through laboratory infection. From 1905 to 1924, several reports of similar cases appeared in the American literature (Yount and Looney,2 Gentry and Ferenbaugh,3 Lake4 and others).
Although there may be some doubt about the source of infection in the case described by Craig,1 the infection in the subsequent cases could with considerable certainty be traced to goat's milk.
Although Bacillus abortus of Bang had been recognized as a cause of abortion in cattle for many years, and infection by the organism was known to be widespread among cattle in many countries, including the United States, it was not until the work of Shaw5 and the later investigations of Evans6 that it became evident that