ERADICATION OF PULLORUM DISEASE 1931-32 27 



chicks were identical with those of 5. pullonim, except the organism was capable 

 of producing indol. Carbohydrate fermentation reactions were not reported. 

 Three adult pheasants fxom the infected flock were tested by the agglutination 

 test employing an antigen containing the isolated organism. The antigen was 

 agglutinated in a dilution of 1 :25. One serum possessed a stronger titer than the 

 other two. An organism identical to the one isolated from the embryos and 

 chicks was recovered from the ovary of the pheasant which possessed the strong- 

 est titer. The author was of the opinion that 5. piiUorum presents a series of 

 varieties in relation with the different avian families in which it may occur; 

 therefore he named it B. pullonim var. phasiani. 



Dalling, Mason, and Gordon (21) reported natural infection of disease among 

 sparrows in England. Among sparrows, received from poultrymen whose chicks 

 were affected with disease, three were found infected with S. pullorum. The 

 sparrows were caught in the chicken run. The isolated organism was tj^ical of 

 5. pullorum in every respect. In Germany, Lerche (57) observed a natural out- 

 break of pullorum disease in two different flocks of ducklings. In the first flock 

 the ducklings had been purchased from a hatchery. In the second flock, the 

 ducklings were hatched in a small incubator. Hatchability and livability were 

 affected. In earlier years losses had not occurred among the ducks. In the 

 second flock, chicks were also affected. Necropsy and bacteriological examina- 

 tion of the ducklings and chicks revealed S. pullorum infection. The adult breed- 

 ing stock (both ducks and chickens) when tested with the agglutination test 

 revealed reactors. In England, Dalling, Mason, and Gordon (22) isolated S. 

 pullorum from one of two turkey poults submitted to the laboratory for diagnos- 

 tic purposes. The specimens were received from a small poultry plant where 

 the turkeys were hatched under hens and had runs in common with the chicks. 

 No definite evidence of pullorum disease existed on the premises, although the 

 losses among the chicks were suggestive of the presence of this infection. 



Hudson and Beaudette (49) reported the isolation of 5. pullorum from a 

 European bullfinch {Pyrrhula europa). Van Heelsbergen (91) reports that a 

 disease among pigeons has been observed which corresponds to pullorum disease 

 in chickens. Also in a few cases, S. pullorum has been found in sparrows, and 

 their possible role in dissemination of the disease should not be excluded. Emmel 

 (33) found pullorum disease in poults from three turkey flocks, of which two 

 flocks had contact with infected chicks. No history concerning the third flock 

 was obtained. Kerr (56) isolated 5. pullorum from the hver and feces of turkey 

 chicks. In Germany, Miessner (65) reported that the disease was observed in 

 his investigations among ducldings, goslings, and turkey and pheasant chicks. 

 Brunett (12) found 8 reactors among 151 adult turkeys. S. pullorum was isolated 

 from 1 of 5 reactors necropsied. No reactors were detected among chickens on 

 the same farm. Hendrickson and Hilbert (43, 44) reported outbreaks of the 

 disease among turkey poults and pheasant chicks. The sources of infection were 

 not definitely determined. The turkey poults which survived the acute attack 

 of the disease were tested later and reactors were detected. Approximately, a 

 30 per cent mortality occurred among 575 pheasants hatched. The authors 

 were unable to follow up these two cases due to unfavorable field conditions. 



The Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station (47, 48, 92, 93) reports 

 the testing of 3,021 blood samples, collected from ducks, geese, guinea fowl, 

 jungle fowl, pheasants, pigeons, starlings, and turkeys. These birds represented 

 a large number of farms where either infected or non-infected chickens were 

 maintained. Three reactors were detected among the turkeys, but necropsy 

 findings were negative. One reactor was detected among the guinea fowl, but 

 the bird was not necropsied. No reactors were detected among the other species 

 tested. 



