Apoplectiform Septicemia in Chickens. 395 



cytes, in the parenchyma and capillaries. The gall bladder was 

 usually distended with bile. The spleen had the large size and 

 well developed Malpighian bodies that characterize the well-fed 

 bird, but it showed still greater enlargement, combined with san- 

 guineous congestion and circumscribed blood extravasations. 

 With a hand lens were seen numerous round, semi-transparent 

 points, the size of pin holes, which the microscope revealed to be 

 centres of coagulation necrosis, surrounded by embryonic tissue. 

 The centres consisted of a granular debris with abundance of the 

 streptococcus. The kidneys were congested and swollen, and in 

 cases that had survived two cr three days there was granular de- 

 generation of the epithelium of the tubules, and the lumen of the 

 tubes contained casts with leucocytes and streptococci. The or- 

 ganism was also present in the capillaries. The lungs presented 

 areas of congestion and consolidation, exudation into the walls of 

 the bronchioles and the alveoli, and an abundance of streptococci 

 in the lesions. In the cranium were a subdural exudate and 

 meningeal congestion. For examination of the tissues they were 

 hardened in specimens of alcohol of encreasing strengths, em- 

 bedded in paraffin and stained with carbol fuchsin with a counter- 

 stain of methvlene blue. 



Bacteriology. The streptococcus was found in pure cultures in 

 all the diseased centres except in the intestinal contents. Smear 

 preparations were made from the blood, the abdominal exudate, 

 the intestinal contents, the bone marrow, the cerebral exudate 

 and the sanguineous effusions into the muscles. 



The coccus is .6 to .8/x in diameter, in short chains of 2 to 8 

 cells, or in some media much longer. Involution forms are com- 

 mon, and Norgaard claims to have seen indications of fission in 

 two directions to form tetrads. The organism stains in the usual 

 aniline dyes, as well as by Gram's and Gram-Weigert's method. 

 It is nonmotile, aerobic, facultative anaerobic, grows in solid and 

 liquid media that is neutral, or slightly acid or alkaline (not if 

 strongly acid), best at 98. 6° F., and slower at the room tempera- 

 ture. In alkaline peptonized beef bouillon in 24 hours it forms 

 threads and balls on the sides and bottom of the tube, leaving the 

 liquid clear. On agar there are formed small shining, grayish 

 colonies 1.5 mm. in diameter with brownish centre and bluish per- 

 iphery. With all the sugars it produces acid, but no gas. It 



