606 A FISH DISEASE FROM GEORGE'S RIVER, 



practically pure culture in the intestine, and with the other two 

 bacteria in the organs. When suspended in normal saline and 

 inoculated into the muscles of a carp, it strongly affected the 

 experimental fish. In 24 hours its movements were slow; in 40 

 hours (the morning of the second day) it was found floating upon 

 its side near the surface of the water of the aquarium, respiring 

 rapidly and swallowing and ejecting air. It was apparently in a 

 dying condition. Four hours later it had sunk to the bottom of 

 the water and was respiring very slowly, still lying upon its side. 

 On the morning of the third day it was found dead, floating upon 

 the surface of the water. Death had probably taken place in 52 

 hours after inoculation. 



No lesions were observed on the epidermis with the exception 

 of a h;emorrhagic streak between the rays of the caudal fin. 

 The muscles were very hemorrhagic on the side upon which the 

 carp had been inoculated, and which had been downwards for 

 practically 24 hours. The muscle at the site of inoculation 

 (midway between the anal fin and the posterior end of the dorsal 

 fin) was a shade less hemorrhagic than the surrounding muscle. 

 The organs, with the exception of the kidneys, were apparently 

 normal; these were pulpy and swarmed with the inoculated 

 bacteria. A plate culture from this organ showed the bacteria 

 in pure culture. Cultures which were apparently pure were 

 obtained by stroke cultivation upon agar from the muscles on 

 both sides, from the spleen, the liver, and the heart blood. 



Since the organism, when inoculated into the experimental 

 fish, caused it to float upon the surface of the water (a somewhat 

 unusual symptom), and brought about death with a similar 

 hemorrhagic appearance of the muscles as occurred with the 

 original fish, there is no reason to doubt that it also produced the 

 death of the original bream. There are some differences in the 

 lesions, but these may be accounted for by a difference in the 

 species of fish or in the method of inoculation. To test the effect 

 of feeding, a carp was given infected vermicelli, but no symptoms 

 followed, and it is therefore probable that the original bream was 



