CATARRHAL ENTERITIS IN BIRDS. 



Causes : microbes, diagnosis from fowl cholera, less virulent rapid and 

 deadly, and comparatively harmless to the rabbit, debility, youth, age, un- 

 suitable food, illhealth : bacillus gallinorum, bacillus coli communis, bacillus 

 of duck cholera, spirillum Metchnikowi. vSymptoms : dullness, fever, langor, 

 inappetence, thirst, pale comb, greenish faeces, erect plumage, drooping 

 wings and tail, sunken head, gaping, staggering, somnolence, bloody faeces, 

 violet comb, low temperature, death in one to three weeks. Diagnosis : by 

 restriction to one flock, or species, and immunity of rabbits. Mortality 

 80%. Prevention : separation of sick and healthy, disinfection of roosts and 

 yards, pure food and water boiled or acidified, immunization. Treatment : 

 boiled food with antiseptics, antiseptic enemata, .stinmlants, tonics. 



Causes. A number of different microbes are implicated in pro- 

 dticing and maintaining catarrhal enteritis in the domestic 

 poultry. All forms of the disease are therefore closely related to 

 the well kno\\'n fowl cholera, which is however to be differen- 

 tiated, by its more intense virulence, rapid progress, and its deadly 

 effect when inoculated on the rabbit. As in other forms of micro- 

 bian enteritis, that of fowls is undoubtedly favored bj^ general 

 and local debility, youth, old age, unsuitable food and other 

 health depressing causes, yet as the specific pathogenic microbe 

 has been in many cases identified, it is well to consider some of 

 the different species. 



Bacillus gallinorum found by Klein {1889) in the blood of 

 chickens suffering from an infective diarrhoeal enteritis, is ovoid, 

 with rounded ends, from 0.8 to 2/x long and 0.3 to 0.4/x thick ; 

 often in pairs. Stains in the aniline colors, ^robic (facultative 

 anaerobic) non-liquifying, non-motile, asporogenous. Culture 

 easy in neutral, alkaline or slightly acid media at room temper- 

 ature, or better in thermo.stat. On gelatine plate films, it forms 

 grayish white, superficial colonies, becoming flat homogenous 

 white discs, brownish luider transmitted light. The deeper 

 colonies are small spherical and brown or yellowish by trans- 

 mitted light. On agar it forms a thin gray layer with irregular 

 margins, wliich extends over the entire surface. In bouillon it 

 cau.ses turbidity and in 24 hours a precipitate of bacilli to the 

 bottom. 



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