Bacillary White Diarrhea Research Articles

The Broad-Spectrum Endolysin LySP2 Improves Chick Survival after Salmonella Pullorum Infection.

Salmonella pullorum causes typical "Bacillary White Diarrhea" and loss of appetite in chicks, which leads to the death of chicks in severe cases; thus, it is still a critical issue in China. Antibiotics are conventional medicines used for Salmonella infections; however, due to the extensive long-term use and even abuse of antibiotics, drug resistance becomes increasingly severe, making treating pullorum disease more difficult. Most of the endolysins are hydrolytic enzymes produced by bacteriophages to cleave the host's cell wall during the final stage of the lytic cycle. A virulent bacteriophage, YSP2, of Salmonella was isolated in a previous study. A Pichia pastoris expression strain that can express the Salmonella bacteriophage endolysin was constructed efficiently, and the Gram-negative bacteriophage endolysin, LySP2, was obtained in this study. Compared with the parental phage YSP2, which can only lyse Salmonella, LySP2 can lyse Salmonella and Escherichia. The survival rate of Salmonella-infected chicks treated with LySP2 can reach up to 70% and reduce Salmonella abundance in the liver and intestine. The treatment group showed that LySP2 significantly improved the health of infected chicks and alleviated organ damage caused by Salmonella infection. In this study, the Salmonella bacteriophage endolysin was expressed efficiently by Pichia pastoris, and the endolysin LySP2 showed good potential for the treatment of pullorum disease caused by Salmonella pullorum.

Northeastern Conference on Avian Diseases from 1928-2021: 93 Years of Contributions to Organized Avian Medicine.

Bacillary white diarrhea in chickens was a major disease concern for the poultry industry during the early 1900s. Drs. L. F. Rettger and W. R. Hinshaw organized a meeting in 1928 to discuss methods for controlling this disease. In this meeting, representatives of five northeastern states discussed approaches to test for the presence of the etiological agent of bacillary white diarrhea, namely, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Pullorum. Meeting attendees decided to have a yearly meeting of the Northeastern Conference of Laboratory Workers in Bacillary White Diarrhea. The next year, the name was changed to Conference of Laboratory Workers in Pullorum Disease Eradication, which was changed to Northeastern Conference on Avian Diseases (NECAD) in 1957. Not only has NECAD been important for the control of pullorum disease but also, starting with the fifth Annual Conference in 1932, other poultry diseases became an official part of the program. As such, NECAD served for a long time as the premier organization to present new information on avian diseases. The success of NECAD was based on the work of the many committees, which are described in detail in this review. For example, the antigen committee started officially in 1929 and remained active until at least 1987. The main task of this committee was to evaluate Salmonella Pullorum strains to be used by all participants in the pullorum antibody testing programs. NECAD started as a closed organization with participants from universities and government organizations but did not allow representatives from commercial groups until 1968 when all American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) members in the Northeastern United States could participate. The journal Avian Diseases started with discussions by Dr. P. P. Levine with M. S. Cover, H. L. Chute, R. F. Gentry, E. Jungherr, and H. Van Roekel about the idea that NECAD would sponsor a journal dealing specifically with avian diseases. During the first few years of Avian Diseases publication, many articles including abstracts came from the NECAD Annual Conferences. The importance of NECAD as a precursor for other regional meetings and the AAAP and as a forum for graduate students to present their research are described. Several recipients of the award for the best paper presented by a graduate student have continued to work in avian disease research. The decline in the participation of scientists in the late 1990s and early 2000s was discussed extensively in 2006 and led to a merger of the NECAD meeting with the Pennsylvania Poultry Sales and Service Conference. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 92nd Annual Conference was a virtual meeting in 2020. Fortunately, the 93rd Annual Conference in 2021 was an in-person meeting held in State College, PA.

Pullorum Disease: Evolution of the Eradication Strategy.

The history of pullorum disease is closely intertwined with the history of avian health research and that of the poultry industry. The seriousness of the disease galvanized the attention and brought together, for the first time, the pioneers of poultry health research to work cooperatively on different aspects of the disease. Control of the disease made it possible for intensive poultry production to develop as the basis for the modern poultry industry. During the early 1900s, bacillary white diarrhea (BWD) was a devastating disease of young chickens threatening the developing poultry industry. Dr. Leo F. Rettger isolated and described the bacterial pathogen, Salmonella enterica serotype Pullorum, for the first time in 1900. BWD was renamed pullorum disease in 1929. In subsequent years, Rettger and coworkers were able to reproduce the disease and fulfill Koch's postulates. Rettger et al. also showed that Salmonella Pullorum was vertically transmitted, which was the first time that a pathogen was shown to be vertically transmitted. The development of serologic tests was of crucial importance because it led to the development of effective eradication methods to identify carrier birds and to exclude these birds from the breeder flocks. The negative impact of pullorum disease on the poultry industry ultimately was one of the major reasons that the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) was developed by scientists, the poultry industry, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Needless to say, the work of the pioneering researchers formed the basis for the control of the disease. The NPIP started in 1935, with 34 states participating in testing 4 million birds representing 58.2% of the birds hatched. The program rapidly expanded to 47 states by 1948 and tested more than 30 million birds. In 1967, all commercial chicken hatcheries participating in the NPIP were 100% free of pullorum and typhoid disease caused by Salmonella enterica serotype Gallinarum. This historical overview of pullorum disease describes in some detail the progress made, especially during the early years, toward controlling this disease using methodologies that were often very basic but nonetheless effective. One has to admire the ingenuity and persistence of the early researchers leading to their achievements considering the research tools that were available at the time.

Prevalence and Characerizaion of <i>Salmonella pullorum</i> from Day Old Chicks Distributed to Farms in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

To investigate sources of Salmonella pullorum infections that cause frequent outbreaks of bacillary white diarrhea in poultry and sporadic human food poisoning in Nigeria, prevalence of the infection among day-old-chicks in Akwa-Ibom State, south-south Nigeria, was studied. From each depot/hatchery, 30 day-old chicks were randomly selected for their livers, spleens, kidneys, hearts, yolk sacs and intestines which were processed and cultured on appropriate bacterial media. Colonies that grew from the specimens were characterized based on their morphologies, staining characteristics, biochemical reactions and cultural characteristics. Gram positive isolates that were: short, plum shaped, rods, non-spore forming and non-capsulated were identified as Salmonella species. Motility test and biochemical tests on the Salmonella colonies identified those that were S. pullorum. Five percent of chicks being distributed in Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria were infected with S. pullorum, the agent of, bacillary white diarrhea (which causes high mortality in chicks) and food poisoning in man.

A case study on novel natural remedy (Trichosanthes dioica Roxb.) against bacillary white diarrhea in broiler chickens

The bacillary white diarrhea disease is one of the most threaten disease in poultry birds especially broilers caused by Salmonellapullorum The major sign of this disease are white diarrhea in appetence depression ruffled feathers closed eyes loud chirping vent pasting gasping and lameness The Trichosanthes dioica family Cucurbitaceae commonly known as ldquo Sespadula amp Pointed gourd rdquo in English ldquo Parwal rdquo in Hindi and ldquo Kovakka rdquo in Tamil is widely grown throughout India The leaves of this plant have also been used in traditional system of medicine for overcoming problems like constipation fever skin infection wound healing and also in gastric ulcer In the present study fine paste of leaves of T dioica was evaluated for its anti bacillary white diarrhea disease on broilers by four days medication Amoxycillin mg kg of body weight of broiler was used as the standard drug T Different concentrations to gm kg each concentration of treatment was given once and twice per day as T T respectively of T dioica were administrated with sterile water The treatment results revealed that the T T and T treatment doses were shown better curing activity against bacillary white diarrhea Further it simultaneously increases the feed intake rate as T gm T gm T gm and gradually increase weight of broiler chicken as T gm T gm T gm than T amp T and results are almost similar with the result of T standard In conclusion the present study provides preliminary records on anti bacillary white diarrhea potential of fresh leaves pastes of T dioica

Management Practices, Disease Incidence, Uses of Indigenous Knowledge, and Conditions and Problems of the Poultry Farmers in Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Data on management practices, incidences of common diseases, uses of indigenous knowledge (IK) and conditions and problems of the poultry farmers in some selected areas of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, were investigated. Data from small, medium and large poultry enterprises situated in the urban, semi-urban and rural areas at six Upozillas of Rajshahi District viz., Boalia, Godagari, Motihar, Mohonpur, Poba and Rajpara were collected. An indigenous (IND), four exotic (EXO) viz. Cob 500 breed of broiler, Cockerel, Fayoumi (FAY), and Rhode Island Red (RIR), and a crossbred (CRO) called Sonali (derived from RIR cock × FAY hen) chicken breeds were included in the study. Eighteen parameters on management practices, 13 diseases, 20 indigenous knowledge (IK) items, 3 major conditions, 11 problems encountered and top 10 opinions of the poultry farmers were identified. Satisfactory to good management practices were recorded for IND in Godagari and that for EXO and CRO in Rajpara. All the remaining farms practiced moderate to unacceptable management practices. Bacillary white diarrhoea (39.56%), omphalitis (57.40%) and hypervitaminosis (55.56%) were the most frequent diseases whereas common cold (10.16%), bacillary white diarrhoea (32.82%) and bacillary white diarrhoea (27.62%) were the least frequent diseases for IND, EXO and CRO chickens, respectively. However, no incidence of bird flu (avian influenza) was recorded during the survey period. Uses of broody hens (82.25%), changing of waterier (62.45) and vaccination (49.19) were found to be the prevalent IK items for IND, EXO and CRO birds. Separating healthy versus diseased respectively, chicks (26.45%), feeding maize grain (52.45%) and feeding molasses (49.10%) were healthcare IK items for the chicken breeds, respectively. Majority of the poultry farmers of IND, EXO and CRO breeds had respectively primary (50.08%), graduate (47.18%) and higher secondary (45.77%) education levels. Agriculture (60.71%), miscellaneous (46.14%) and miscellaneous (35.50%) were dominant occupations among the three categories of poultry farmers. IND farmers predominantly had cultivable land (50.16%) in comparison with the cultivable landholdings by the EXO (21.69%) and homestead landholdings by their CRO (31.16%) counterparts. Poor housing (44.86%), disorganized and unreliable marketing system (52.05%) and lack of institutional credit facilities (47.89%) were identified to be the major problems for the IND, EXO and CRO farmers respectively, who opined strongly in favour of improved native breeds (30.04%), proper breeding facilities (49.90%) and government co-operation (48.01%). The impacts of these findings on the poultry enterprise in Rajshahi have been discussed. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jles.v7i0.20120 J. Life Earth Sci., Vol. 7: 43-49, 2012

Production Performance of Indigenous Chicken (Gallus domesticus L.) in Some Selected Areas of Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Aims: The present study on management practices, productive performance and profitability of indigenous chickens evaluated the existing indigenous rearing practices with the objectives to pave the way for improvement of this variety into sustainable income in favour of the small-scale urban, semi-urban and rural households in the study areas. Study Design: The current status of indigenous chicken householders of the urban, semiurban and rural areas was surveyed. Availability of a large number of chickens and good communications facilitated data collection from the study areas. Place and Duration of Study: The study areas included six Upazillas (Sub-Districts) of Rajshahi, Bangladesh viz., Boalia, Godagari, Motihar, Mohonpur, Poba and Rajpara. Data were collected during the period from July 2010 to June 2011. Methodology: Stratified random sampling techniques were used to collect the experimental data through direct interview schedules. A total of 150 households (6 Upazillas × 5 villages × 5 households per village) were selected where the average flock size was 30 birds, consisting of 12 chicks, 12 growers, 4 hens and 2 cocks. Results: Management practices, production performance, associations between production parameters and profitability of indigenous chicken rearing in Rajshahi, Research Article American Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 3(2): 308-323, 2013 309 Bangladesh were evaluated. The farmers raised their chickens in 6ft×4ft×4ft shed made of mud, straw, bamboo, wood and tin and they practiced traditional methods that included the uses of ash and lime to control ecto-parasites and floor disinfections, respectively. They also maintained regular vaccination programmes. The chickens of the study areas died of various diseases including bacillary white diarrhea (BWD, 39.56%), Newcastle disease (38.89%) and fowl cholera (32.29%). Moreover, disturbances from wild animals provided negative impact on rearing that caused appreciable mortality (3.15%) of the chicks. The indigenous poultry farmers opined that they are facing problems in terms of capital shortage, lack of institutional credit facilities, medicine and veterinary services. Weight of day-old chicks (WDC) was highest in Mohonpur and Rajpara and lowest in Boalia; growth rate (GR) was higher in Boalia and Mohonpur but lower in Godagari and Poba. The death rate (DR) was lower in all Upazillas except Boalia. The fertility rate (FR) and hatchability (HT) were higher in Boalia and Mohonpur and lowest in Poba. The higher first laying age (FLA) was found in Godagari and Mohonpur, whereas the average egg production (AEP) was found higher in Mohonpur, Poba and Rajpara but lowest in Boalia. The average chicken raised (ACR) was higher in Motihar and Poba while lower in Godagari and Mohonpur. The average marketable size (AMS) was highest in Boalia and lowest in Motihar. Most of the production parameters showed positive and significant correlations. With regards to rearing indigenous chickens, profitability calculated as cost-benefit ratio (CBR) was estimated to be 1.24 and 1.19 per family and per bird, respectively. Conclusion: The study revealed some vital information on management practices and productivity of indigenous chickens where profits for rearing indigenous chickens per family and per bird were BDT 0.24 and BDT 0.19, respectively. The raising of indigenous chickens in urban, semi-urban and rural areas of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, therefore appeared to be an efficiently feasible enterprise which requires better understanding of the socio-economic aspects of the small-scale poultry farmers.

History of biological control of poultry diseases in the USA.

Reflection on the control of poultry diseases in the United States brings to mind the extensive cooperative forces that were brought to bear to promote the growth of the poultry industry, which provides our nation with an inexpensive source of protein and aids in feeding people around the world. That cooperative spirit radiated from the Agricultural Experiment Stations at the land grant colleges, worked in close association with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and it did not exclude the help and expertise of the commercial vaccineproducing laboratories. Poultry rearing became widespread in the United States in the latter part of the 19th century. Increased demand for chicks resulted in the development of artificial incubation of eggs and along with it the dissemination of a disease referred to as bacillary white diarrhea (BWD). The cause of the disease was discovered by Rettger (17) in 1899 and became classified as Salmonella pullorum, hence the name pullorum disease. The poultry men looked to the scientific personnel of the experiment stations to resolve the problem of the high chick mortality. It was discovered that this was an egg-transmitted infection, and the secret of its control was identification of the infected layers and elimination of such layers from the flock. The search for a biological test to identify the carrier birds in a flock was initiated at several experiment stations. The first major biological control for poultry diseases took the form of a tube agglutination test, developed by Jones (14) in 1913 for the detection of carriers of S. pullorum. This test set the stage for future developments.

The association between a large molecular mass plasmid and virulence in a strain of Salmonella pullorum.

Eight strains of Salmonella pullorum isolated from epidemiologically independent cases of pullorum disease (bacillary white diarrhoea) in young chickens possessed at least one large molecular mass plasmid in addition to smaller molecular mass plasmids. The 85 kb large plasmid, designated pBL001, of one of these strains was 'tagged' with an ampicillin resistance marker by the insertion of transposon Tn3. The plasmid was eliminated by passage in nutrient broth containing acridine orange. It was reintroduced into the strain from which it had been eliminated by mobilization using the F plasmid. Following oral inoculation of newly hatched Rhode Island Red chickens, the parent strain produced a high level of mortality (71%) with characteristic signs of pullorum disease. Following intramuscular inoculation of chickens of the same age, the bacterial LD50 was (log10 c.f.u.) 3.38 +/- 0.43 (mean +/- SEM). The derivative lacking pBL001 produced no mortality or morbidity when inoculated orally and the bacterial LD50 value increased to (log10 c.f.u.) 5.54 +/- 0.28. This increase was statistically significant (chi 2 = 13.6, P less than 0.01). Reintroduction of pBL001 restored virulence as gauged by oral inoculation of chickens (62% mortality) and by the intramuscular bacterial LD50 value (log10 c.f.u. = 3.78 +/- 0.25). These values were not significantly different to those produced by the parent strain (chi 2 = 0.59, P = 0.4 and chi 2 = 0.66, P = 0.5, respectively). Following oral inoculation, the pBL001-cured derivative was less invasive than the parent strain and following intramuscular inoculation it persisted for a shorter period than the parent strain in the liver, spleen and the leg muscle into which it had been inoculated. In addition, the parent strain, but not the pBL001-cured derivative, localized in large numbers in the myocardium where it produced lesions typical of pullorum disease. Both the parent strain and the pBL001-cured derivative were serum resistant in the presence of rabbit serum and grew equally well in chick serum and broth.

Report on anaerogenic Salmonella enteritidis bioserotype Pullorum in chickens in the vicinity of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

ABSTRACT Bacteriological and aviculturological evidence is presented which demonstrates the presence of anaerogenic Salmonella enteritidis bioserotype Pullorum in chickens in the vicinity of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. This bacterium is the etiological agent of pullorum disease (bacillary white diarrhea) in chickens and salmonellosis in humans.

The Efficacy of Chemotherapeutic Drugs in the Control of Experimental Ulcerative Enteritis in Quail

white diarrhea of young chicks (fourth report). Storrs Agr. Expt. Sta., Bul. 77, 259, 1914. 7. Rettger, L. F., and F. H. Stoneburn. Bacillary white diarrhea of chicks (second report). Storrs Agr. Expt. Sta., Bul. 68, April, 1911. 8. Runnells, E., C. J. Coon, H. Farley, and F. Thorp. An application of the rapid-method agglutination test to the diagnosis of bacillary white diarrhea infection. Jour. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc., 70, 23, 660, 1927. 9. Schaffer, J. M., A. D. MacDonald, W. J. Hall, and H. Bunyea. A stained antigen for the rapid whole blood test for pullorum disease. Jour. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc., 79, 32, 236, 1931. 10. United States Department of Agriculture. The National Poultry and Turkey Improvement Plans. Misc. Pub. No. 739, Subpart B, 34, Sec. 147, 11, 1959. 11. Valley, G., and E. P. Casman. On the serologic diagnosis of pullorum disease in domestic fowls. II. The chemical nature and the mechanism of the cloudy reaction. Jour. Bacteriol., 19, 36, 1930. 12. Ward, A. R., and B. A. Gallagher. An intradermal test for bacterium pullorum infection in fowls. U.S.D.A. Bul. 517, 15 pp., Feb. 1917.

ON BREEDING CHICKS RESISTANT TO PULLORUM DISEASE WITHOUT EXPOSURE THERETO

Pullo~um disease, once more graphically labelled as bacillary white diarrhoea, is a disease, primarily of voung chiclts, caused by the bacterium, Snlnzonelln pzrllorz~m. ~ f f e c t e d chiclts show symptoms within a few days after hatching and thc peak of mortality is usually passed by nvo weelts of age. Resistance is lowered by chilling, especially during the first weelt of life. Because the causative organism can be transmitted from infected hens through their eggs to the next generation, the orthodox method of control is to exclude from breeding floclts all birds that react to agglutination tests for S. pzlllorznn. Another method, unorthodox but effective, is mentioned later. Evidence that chiclts differ genetically in resistance to pullorum disease has recently been reviewed elsewhere (Hutt, 1958). I t will suffice here to state ( I ) that Leghorns have been shown to be more resistant than Rhode Island Reds and other heavy breeds (Hut t and Scholes, 1941), ( 2 ) that the natural resistance of ~ e ~ h o i n s can be enhanced by selection, as Roberts and Card (1935) have shown and (3) that equally resistant stock can be developed similarly even in Rhode Island Reds (De Volt et nl., 1941). Some yeass ago the senior author began a search for any detectable difference between birds resistant to pullorum disease and those susceptible t o it. Followino the discovery that chiclts of a resistant breed (White Leghorn) 9 are able to r a m body temperature Inore rapidly during the first 10 days after hatching than Rhode Island Reds (Hutt, 1935; Lamoreux and Hutt; 1939), further investigations showed that this samc difference distinguishes resistant chiclts and resistant families from susceptible ones within a pure breed. Eventually, from the studies of Scholcs and Hut t (1912) and Ram and Hut t (1955), recently reviewed by Hut t ( 1958), it was concluded that genetic resistance to S. ~ Z L ~ ~ O T Z L ~ J ~ is associated wit11 superior control of the thermoregulatory mechanism. That superiority is shown not only (1) by a sustained febrile reaction after infection, but also ( 2 ) , in chiclts not infected, by more rapid transition from the poiltilothermic state of the embryo during incubation to thc 1~omoiothermic one of thc ten-day-old chick. Thc ratc of that transition can be measured by thc avcragc tcmpcrature of thc chick up to 10 days of agc, or even to 6 days of dgc. I n ,211 optimum environment, the a\7erage temperature of uninfectcd chiclts at 10 davs of age is 105 to 107°F. Sincc 1,amoreus (1935) has found tcmpcratbrcs over 109°F. in adult rvactors (prcsumably infcctcd), it was recognizcd that defence in the chiclt did not lic in attaining the thermal dcath point for S. pzdlori1~17, but more liltcly in the acceleration by higher temperatures of such dcfencc mechanisms as pl~agocytosis, bacteriolj~sis and the production of anti,l~odics.

Chick rearing: VII. The control of epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea

A feeding test performed on Hanns Hall Farm chicks demonstrates that a diet conducive to intestinal putrefaction fed to chicks after 14 days from birth initiates an epidemic of bacillary white diarrhoea (pullorum disease).If is proposed that measures for the control of epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea of chicks (pullorum disease), which consist of the detection and removal of reacting hens from the flock by means of a diagnostic and sensitive antigen, cannot be effective unless accompanied by an alteration in nutrition for the purpose of reducing intestinal putrefaction.Experiments at this laboratory show that the agglutination test for bacillary white diarrhoea cannot differentiate between fowls which produce diseased chicks and fowls which produce chicks resistant to disease.Experiments at this laboratory show that B. pullorum as a potential pathogen does not remain viable to an extent that it is able to produce bacillary white diarrhoea in chicks from an incubator or brooder which has held diseased hatches or broods, respectively.

Chick rearing: V. The influence of diet on epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea (pullorum disease)

Evidence is presented, based on feeding tests, that at Hanns Hall Farm it has been impossible to control bacillary white diarrhoea of chicks (pullorum disease) by blood testing when foods of c. 20% protein content have been fed as the sole diet of chicks.Evidence is presented, based on feeding tests, that at Hanns Hall Farm epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea (pullorum disease) has occurred in brother chicks when fed foods of c. 20% protein content and that epidemic bacillary white, diarrhoea has not occurred in sister chicks which have been fed crushed oats for the first 72 hr. and thereafter have been fed a diet of c. 14% protein intake.Evidence is presented, based on feeding tests, that at Hanns Hall Farm epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea (pullorum disease) not only did not occur in sister chicks in which B. pullorum had been demonstrated to be present in one of their number, but also epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea failed to develop despite the lack of hygienic precautions when these chicks had been placed in an uncleansed brooder from which the survivors of a severe epidemic of this disease had just been removed, and when they were brooded adjacent to chicks which suffered severe mortality from the disease, thereby undergoing all the chances of infection by wide dissemination of B. pullorum within a small area.

Chick rearing: VIII. The preparation of a sensitive and diagnostic stained antigen for the rapid whole-blood test for bacillary white diarrhoea of chicks

A method is presented for the preparation of a sensitive and diagnostic stained antigen for the detection of fowls suspected of infection by the organisms found in epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea (pullorum disease).Evidence is presented that an antigen prepared from organisms grown in a medium which provides for the peculiar growth requirements of the anaerobic organism associated with anaerogenic pullorum, is more sensitive than antigens prepared from organisms grown on media which lack these peculiar growth factors.A stained antigen has been prepared which is agglutinated by pullorum antisera in 15 sec. at 4°C. and in 6 sec. a t 15°C. and which is not agglutinated by normal sera in 5 min.The author wishes to thank the Directors of Messrs J. Bibby and Sons, Ltd., for permission to publish these papers.In particular he would thank Mr J. Pye Bibby for his keen interest in the investigations and for his loyal support throughout.In addition he wishes to thank Miss Margaret Davies for her assistance in the bacteriological investigations, and Miss Margaret Shafto for laboratory work and the compilation of relevant data.

Chick rearing: VI. The bacterial syndrome encountered in epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea of chicks (pullorumdisease)

The bacterial syndrome encountered in epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea of chicks (pullorumdisease) is initially one of invasion by faecal type organisms, this is followed by invasion by anaerogenicB. pullorum.Evidence is presented to show that ostensibly pure cultures of anaerogenicB. pullorum, consist of two organisms, a true aerogenicB. pullorumin symbiosis with an anaerobe, morphologically of thewelchiitype.Evidence is presented to show that variation in fermentation reactions of ostensibly pure cultures of anaerogenicB. pullorumdepend upon the degree of symbiosis exerted between the anaerobe and the aerobe and this degree of symbiosis is greatly affected by methods of cultivation on solid media.It is proposed that the ovarian blight peculiar to adult hens which are carriers of bacillary white diarrhoea infection is caused by putrefaction of ovarian materialin vivoby the activities of a morphologicallywelchiitype organism.It is proposed thatB. pullorumexists in one form only, namely, the aerogehic form, and that this organism is a potential pathogen only.

Studies on Incubator Hygiene : II. Germicidal Effect of Formaldehyde, Released by Potassium Permanganate and Cheesecloth

ON MANY Illinois farms, progress in the prevention of pullorum disease in newly hatched chicks has been made by the application of sanitary measures in flock management. The essentials of hygiene, though of proven value in the control of pullorum disease, have not, however, been widely applied to farm flocks which furnish eggs to commercial hatcheries in Illinois. S. Pullorum infection in eggs††Flock tests over a period of years reveal from 0 to 75 percent infection with an average of approximately 18 percent. and the centralization of the hatching industry in recent years have facilitated the spread of the disease in incubators. Chicks hatched from eggs from pullorum tested flocks as well as from untested flocks have been found by the Illinois Experiment Station to be infected with pullorum disease. The assumption follows that the chicks from healthy flocks contracted the disease in the incubator.To assist the hatcheryman in pullorum disease prevention the value of sanitation and testing‡‡Illinois Experiment Station Circular 328 (Bacillary White Diarrhea of Chicks). has been repeatedly emphasized. Recently attention has been given to pullorum .

Studies on Coccidiosis: II. The Effects of Coccidiosis upon the Weights of Chickens Artificially Inoculated During the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Weeks

THIS paper is a continuation of the studies reported in a previous paper by Mayhew (1932) on the results obtained when chickens were inoculated during the seventh week. The birds herein reported upon were raised under the same conditions of feeding, temperature, and in the same equipment. Two of the three lots were inoculated during the thirteenth and the other during the fourteenth week. The eggs producing these chickens were all from the same flock of Single Comb Rhode Island Red hens which had been tested for bacillary white diarrhea and found free.Conditions of InoculationThe inoculations were made while the chickens were confined to the sunporches described in the paper referred to. On the fifth or sixth day after inoculation each chicken was isolated from one to two weeks depending upon the severity of the infection and the rapidity of recovery, after which they were returned to the .

Bacillary White Diarrhoea, Infection, in Adult or Pullorum Hens

Bacillary White Diarrhoea, Infection, in Adult or Pullorum Hens

Studies on Coccidiosis: I. The Effects of Coccidiosis upon the Weights of Chickens Artificially Inoculated During the Seventh Week

SINCE coccidiosis is probably one of the most serious diseases of young chickens an intensive study of the effects of the disease upon the birds has been undertaken. The data reported in the following pages are the results upon the weights of artificially inoculating chickens with the sporulated oöcysts obtained either by culturing the droppings of inoculated chickens or the contents of the intestine or caeca of infected chickens at postmortem.General MethodsThe chickens used in these experiments were Single Comb Rhode Island Reds. The eggs from which the different lots were hatched were obtained from the same flock of hens and were incubator hatched. These hens have been tested by the Animal Pathology Department of Louisiana State University and found free from bacillary white diarrhea for the past two years. A battery brooder was used during the first six or seven weeks, after which they were moved to .