spiiioch.t;tosis of Sudanese fowls 
47 
After phase .—We will now consider certain curious appearances found in the blood of 
sick fowls, the precise nature of which was at first unknown, hut which eventually proved to 
be constantly associated with spirochastosis, and indeed to constitute a phase in the clinical 
picture of the disease. 
While looking for fowls suffering from spirochaetosis, I found a large proportion of birds 
in the Khartoum market exhil)ited intra-corpuscular bodies in their blood, the erythrocytes 
only being affected. Such birds might be brought in very ill indeed, with symptoms closely 
resembling those seen in spirochaetosis, as in the case of the cock shown in Fig. 5. This 
photograph was taken when the bird was practically in extremis, exceedingly emaciated and 
somewhat dyspncnic. The condition of the legs and feet is due to infection by the ascarid 
Sarcoptes mutans, and has nothing to do with the general disease. 
On the other hand, the birds, when the infection is slight, may scarcely show any sign of 
illness, though as a rule some emaciation is evident when one palpates the breast. It was 
soon apparent that the condition ended either in complete recovery or in death. In the 
January February 
Fig 7.—Chart showing temperature changes in spirochsBtal fever 
former case the bodies entirely vanished from the corpuscles and the birds became strong 
and healthy ; in the latter, the bodies might either remain about the same in number, or might 
rapidly increase both as regards infection of different red cells and as regards multiple 
infection of individual red cells, and the unfortunate bird passed into a truly pitiable condition 
of extreme marasmus. Appetite, however, was usually preserved nearly to the end of life. 
Death may occur quietly or be preceded by convulsions. 
It was noticed that the illness associated with the presence of these bodies differed fi’om 
spirochaetal fever. It was non-febrile, indeed the temperature might be slightly sub-normal, 
and usually fell several degrees before death {see Chart, which is that of a hen with a very 
severe infection which terminated fatally). 
The 
afier phase' 
Temperature 
curves 
