SriKoi'ii.irrdsis ok Sudanksk Fowls 



BY 



The DiRECTon 



Tlie principal points brought out in the preceding paper on tliis subject were as 

 follows :^ 



((/) The r61e of An/as jjcj-s/chu as a carrier of the disease. 



{b} Tlie occurrence of an "after phase," or sub-acute and chronic stage, characterised 

 l)y tlio presence of curious intra-corpuscular bodies, wliich were shown to be due, in all 

 probal)ility, to the invasion of the erythrocytes by spirocha?tes. 



(c) Tlie breaking up of these bodies, both in vivn and in, vitro, into tiny granules 

 ("spore" forms), which, it was suggested, might play a part in the life-cycle of tlie 

 parasites. 



It seems advisable to give a brief account of the literature on Fowl SpirochsEtosis 

 which has accumulated since the paper in tlie Third Report was written. 



1. Gareitschnoff' in 1907 described a case of fowl spirillosis in Bulgaria, a new locality 

 for the disease which is much more widespread than was originally thought to be 

 the case. 



2. (lalli-Yalerio,- in a preliminary note, signalised the production of spirochastosis in 

 fowls at Lausanne by means of ticks {Art/as pemicus) which had been fed on infected 

 fowls in Tunis. 



Later^ he returned to the subject, having carried out numerous experiments. As a 

 result, he came to the conclusion that there is a single form of avian spirochaetosis and that 

 therefore the spirochsBte with which he worked is Sp. marchouxi (jjallinarum). 



Of special interest hei-e is the fact that in a fowl bitten by A. persicus, and which 

 succumbed nearly a month afterwards without showing spirochajtes, the red cells were 

 found to harbour pyriform bodies whicli Galli-Valerio thinks resemble the after phase 

 bodies. Spirochaetes were not found in sections of the organs stained by the Levaditi- 

 Volpino method. Other forms, even more similar, were discovered in the erythrocytes of 

 a rat inoculated from an infected fowl and which also died. The author is doubtful as to 

 what interpretation to put upon them, but thinks they may be evidence of a feeble infection 

 passing into a chronic state. 



3. Comte and Bouquet* observed a spirochsetal disease of fowls in the oasis of Degache 

 and in the neighbourhood of Tunis, and found that it was transmitted by -4. persicus. 

 Bats were not susceptible, but geese and ducks could be infected. Brumpt has named 

 the infecting agent Sp. nicoUei n.sp., as, from its peculiar immunity reaction, he believes 

 it to be a distinct species. It does not protect against itself. 



> QareitschDoff, Q. (July, 1907), "Ein Fall voa Hiihnerspirillose in Bulsarien." fclerinaria Sbirka. 



' Qalli-Valcrio, B. (1908), " Spiroch^tiase des ponies determinee a Lausanne avec Argus persiciiji, Fischer, 

 Tiinisie." I'enl. f. Bakl., Ori'j. Abt. /., Bd. 46, H. 4. 



" Oalli-Valerio, B. (1909), " Recherchcs sur la Spi rochet iase des ponies de Tunisie et snr son atrent de 

 transmission: A njas persicus, FistOier.'" Cenl. /. Jinkl.,-Ori<j. Abt. I., Bd. 50, //. 2. 



' Comtc, C, and Bomiiiet, H. (1909), " Becherches expcritinMitnl.-^ -nr la apirillose (ins ]kiii1cs m '!'iiiii-;ic." 

 Arch. <U rinsl. Bct.il. ilc JViniJ*., p. 163. 



