OTHER FLAGELLATES 



117 



from the jejunum and duodenum. The 

 smears should be mixed with physiological 

 salt solution and examined while fresh. 

 Hexanilta can be readily differentiated 

 from TrichoDionas, Giardia or Cochlosoma 

 by its small size, absence of a sucker or 

 undulating membrane, and characteristic 

 motion. Impression smears can also be 

 made of cross sections of fresh small in- 

 testine, dried rapidly and stained with 

 Giemsa's stain; the protozoa are often 

 found in groups in the crypts. Hexaiiiita 

 can also be found in the bursa of Fabricius 

 and cecal tonsils in carrier birds. 



Cultivation : Hexamita nieleagridis 

 has not been cultivated in artificial culture 

 media, but Hughes and Zander (1954) cul- 

 tured it axenically in the chorioallantoic 

 fluid of chick embryos. 



Treatment : No treatment has appar- 

 ently been uniformly successful for hexa- 

 mitosis. McNeil (1948) recommended 

 replacing the drinking water for several 

 days with a mixture of 3% dried whey in 

 1-2000 aqueous copper sulfate solution. 

 It must be begun early in an outbreak to be 

 effective, and Wilson and Slavin (1955) did 

 not find it to be of value in their studies. 



Almquist and Johnson (1951) found in 

 preliminary tests that streptomycin was 

 ineffective, but that penicillin, chlortetra- 

 cycline and oxytetracycline were of some 

 value. Enheptin also gave good results 

 when fed as 0.1% of the mash for 14 days. 

 Wilson and Slavin (1955) said that they 

 tested every antiprotozoal drug available 

 commercially in England (including anti- 

 malarials, trypanocides, amoebicides and 

 antiluetics) without success. Enheptin was 

 only about 50% effective in experimentally 

 infected poults. The most promising drug 

 was di-n-butyl tin dilaurate, which ap- 

 peared to control mild field outbreaks and 

 to lower the death rate in more severe 

 ones. 



Mangrum et al. (1955) reported that 

 furazolidone reduced mortality in exper- 

 imentally infected turkey poults. McNeil 

 (1958) mentioned that nithiazide had been 

 used successfully by Merck, Sharp & 

 Dohme Research Laboratories in a com- 



bined outbreak of histomonosis and hexa- 

 mitosis. 



Prevention and Control : Hexamitosis 

 can be prevented by proper management 

 and sanitation. Poults should be separated 

 from adults, and separate caretakers should 

 be used for the two groups. If feasible, 

 breeding birds should be sold 2 weeks before 

 any poults are hatched. Separate equipment 

 should be used for different groups of birds. 

 Attendants should keep out of the pens, and 

 the feeders and waterers should be placed 

 where they can be reached from the outside. 

 Feeders and waterers should be placed on 

 wire platforms. Young birds should be kept 

 on wire. Ranges frequented by pheasants, 

 quail and chukar partridges should be 

 avoided. General sanitation and fly control 

 should be practiced. 



OTHER SPECIES OF HEXAMITA 



Hexamita columbae (NoUer and Butt- 

 gereit, 1923) (syn. , Octo»iitus coliiuibae) 

 occurs in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum 

 and large intestine of the pigeon. It is 5 

 to 9|u long and 2. 5 to 7 p. wide. It is path- 

 ogenic, causing a catarrhal enteritis. 

 Noller and Buttgereit (1923) found it in 

 great masses from the gizzard to the anus 

 in a pigeon with catarrhal enteritis in Ger- 

 many, and McNeil and Hinshaw (1941) 

 found it in affected pigeons in California. 

 They were unable to infect turkeys with 

 this species. 



Hexam ita -was found by Kotlan (1923) 

 in the intestinal mucus of the domestic 

 duck in Hungary. He called it "Hexamitus 

 intestinalis (?)". It was usually piriform, 

 10 to 13/i long and 4 to 5(u wide. Kimura 

 (1934) found Hexamita in the ceca and large 

 intestine of domestic ducks in California. 

 McNeil and Hinshaw (1941) infected domes- 

 tic ducks experimentally with H. melea- 

 gridis from the turkey. It is uncertain 

 whether the duck form is a separate species. 

 It has not been adequately described, and 

 its pathogenesis is unknown. 



Hexamita muris (Grassi, 1881) (syns. , 

 Octomitus muris, Syndyomita nniris) occurs 

 in the posterior small intestine and cecum 



