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MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 388 



2. Diagnostic Service. During the year, 2,264 specimens were examined in 

 533 consignments. Personal delivery of specimens was made in 335 cases. The 

 specimens may be classified as follows: 1,878 chickens, 256 turkeys, 38 canine 

 feces, 24 pheasants, 11 each of foxes and goat feces, 7 pigeons, 6 trout, 4 bovine 

 semen, 3 each of crows, peafowl, and ruffed grouse, 2 each of bovine organs, 

 bovine skin scrapings, calves, canine, equine nasal swabs, mink, rabbits, and 

 sheep, 1 each of bovine rumen contents, canary, equine, and pork. 



The incidence of the more common and important disease conditions observed 

 in chickens during the past five years is as follows: 



1936-37 1937-38 1938-39 1939-40 1940-41 Total 



Avian tuberculosis 1 1 3 1 1 7 



Coccidiosis 35 64 97 82 63 341 



Enterohepatitis 2 7 6 7 7 29 



Epidemic tremor 8 35 22 19 12 96 



Fowl cholera 11 3 16 12 13 55 



Fowl coryza 5 2 1 3 11 



Fowl paralysis 37 45 77 47 51 257 



Fowl pox 8 30 21 7 9 75 



Fowl typhoid 4 2 11 4 1 22 



Infectious bronchitis 40 31 48 57 31 207 



Infectious laryngotracheitis 12 9 19 14 13 67 



Internal parasites 23 21 41 26 34 145 



Kidney disorders 17 15 37 21 19 109 



Leukemia 7 3 6 3 5 24 



Nutritional encephalomalacia 1 7 13 8 6 35 



Paratyphoid 1 2 3 1 7 



Perosis 4 2 4 3 3 16 



Pullorum disease 39 46 49 32 28 194 



Reproductive disorders... . 22 14 20 21 17 94 



Rickets 8 6 19 19 10 62 



Tumors 53 46 79 53 66 297 



Ulcerated gizzards 1 15 14 15 10 55 



Unknown disease 9 11 24 26 3i 103 



Unknown pullet disease. . . 6 6 11 9 14 46 



The 256 turkeys were received in 44 consignments. Paratyphoid, coccidiosis, 

 enterohepatitis, and ulcerative enteritis were the conditions most frequently 

 encountered. Pullorum disease was observed only once for the second consecutive 

 year and these poults came from a source outside of the State. Pullorum disease 

 was, however, established in a Massachusetts flock through necropsy of a reacting 

 turkey. Swine erysipelas and fowl cholera were each identified once. This is 

 the first time that fowl cholera has been recorded in a Massachusetts flock. Cap- 

 illaria contorta was identified twice in one flock. This parasite produced symp- 

 toms in quite a number of birds in both instances. 



Capillaria plica was observed in one fox. We are indebted to the Zoological 

 Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, United States Department of Agriculture 

 for identification of the parasites in the fox and in the turke>'s. 



Listerellosis was identified in a canary. All females (eight) in the aviary died 

 within a two-week period. The males in a separate cage were not affected. 



3. Flock Mortality Studies. These studies have been continued to obtain 

 additional data on causes of adult mortality and to furnish information for 

 genetics experiments. Necropsy examinations were made on 208 morbid and dead 

 birds from the flock which was hatched in the spring of 1940 at the Experimental 



