PSEUDOMEMBRANOUS STOMATITIS OF PIGEONS 

 AND CHICKENS. 



Contagious and destructive nature of tlie disease. Mode of extension 

 from the mouth and pharynx. Causes : bacilhis diphtherias colunibarum ; 

 its characters : pathogenesis to birds, mice, rabbits, Guinea pigs ; dogs, rats, 

 and cattle immune ; diagnosis from bacillus diphtherise. American disease. 

 Incubation. Symptoms: prostration; wheezing breathing ; sneezing ; diffi- 

 cult deglutition ; false membrane on fauces ; necrotic changes in mucosa ; 

 perforations ; lesions of internal organs ; blood infection ; nostrils stviffed ; 

 bill gapes; lesions on eye, tongue, gullet, crop, intestine ; diarrhcea ; vomit- 

 ing. Skin lesions. Course, acute, chronic. Paralysis. Mortality. Prog- 

 nosis. Diagnosis from coccidiosis, from croupous angina of Rivolta, from 

 aspergillus disease. Treatment : isolation ; destruction of carca.ses ; hatch- 

 ing ; destruction of dead wild birds and rabbits ; exclusion of living ; quar- 

 antine of new birds ; disinfection ; locally, anti.septics by inhalation, swab- 

 bing, and internally, iron in water. 



Tliis affection prevails in certain countries and catises lieavy 

 losses among young pigeons, so tliat it niiglit with great propriety 

 be inchided among animal plagues, which should be dealt with 

 by the State. The malady is a local inflammation leading to the 

 formation of false membranes and its usual course is to progress 

 from the mouth and pharynx, to the nasal passages, lachrymal 

 ducts and sacs, the larynx, trachea, bronchia, intestines and .skin. 



Causes. The es.sential cause of the disea.se is held by Eoeffler 

 to be the bacillus dipththerice columbarum , which is a short bacillus 

 with rounded ends, a little longer tlian the bacillus of fowl 

 cholera and not quite so broad. It is usually found in irregular 

 clusters, especially in the interior of the hepatic capillaries. It 

 is aerobic, non-motile, non-liquifying, and grows on nutrient gela- 

 tine, blood serum or potato. In gelatine it forms a white surface 

 layer, and spherical colonies along the line of puncture, which 

 show a 3^ellowish brown tint under the microscope. On blood 

 serum and potato it forms a grayish wliite layer. 



Pathogenesis. The bacillus is inoculable on other pigeons and 

 as it usually appears in the young birds in the nest, .still fed b}' 

 the parent bird, it is probable that no inflammation nor abrasion 

 is iiecessar}' to make it take. Pure cultures inoculated in the 

 mouth gave rise to the usual local type of the disease. When 

 inoculated subcutem it caused a local necrotic inflammation. 



