AVIAN TUBERCULOSIS. — SYMPTOMS AND PATHOLOGICAL ANATOMY. 533 



the existence of tuberculous lesions, and bacteriological examination 

 revealed the presence of the characteristic bacilli. For our inoculations 

 we utilised growths from the liver. Fragments of the viscus were 

 crushed in sterilised water, and the emulsion thus obtained was in- 

 jected into a certain number of animals. Unless otherwise indicated, 

 all inoculations will be understood to have been made into the peri- 

 toneal cavity. 



Inoculation of Fowls. — That the Gallinacese may be inoculated with 

 avian tuberculosis has been placed beyond doubt by the study of epizo- 

 otics in fowl runs, and by a certain number of experimental researches. 

 We did not therefore undertake numerous experiments on this point. 



Six fowls were inoculated with spontaneous avian tuberculosis. Two 

 received the virus in the axillary vein ; they fell away in condition, and 

 died at the end of thirty-nine and fifty-three days respectively. The 

 liver and spleen were crammed with tubercles ; in one abundant fibrin- 

 ous ascites and peritoneal granulations were discovered. The four others 

 were inoculated in the abdominal cavity ; they died at the end of from 

 forty-one to ninety-three days. Post-mortem examination revealed the 

 presence of numerous granulations in the liver, spleen, and on the 

 peritoneum ; in two cases the abdominal cavity contained a rather 

 abundant fibrinous liquid. In all these animals histological examina- 

 tion of the liver showed the presence of bacilli and of lesions similar 

 to those found in cases of spontaneous* tuberculosis. 



On another occasion we attempted to transmit in series these 

 tuberculous products ; the result was negative : the second fowl, killed 

 at the end of 165 days, showed no lesion. This result should, how- 

 ever, be regarded as absolutely accidental, and was probably due to a 

 peculiar resistance on the part of the animal inoculated. The history 

 of other infectious diseases reveals analogous occurrences. In another 

 case we performed series of inoculations, and were able to transmit 

 tuberculosis in succession to four fowls. 



Inoculation of Rabbits. — Numerous experiments carried out in France 

 with avian cultures showed that the rabbit is very sensitive to this form 

 of tuberculosis. Intra-peritoneal inoculation produces visceral granu- 

 lations, and intra-venous inoculation has the same effect, provided too 

 large a quantity of virus be not injected, otherwise the animal dies with 

 lesions of the Yersin type. 



The results of avian inoculation in the rabbit being already fairly 

 well known, we only made a few experiments. Five rabbits were inocu- 



* As already mentioned, by spontaneous tuberculosis is here meant disease not produced 

 by experimental inoculation.— Jno. A. W. D. 



