ERADICATION OF PT^LLORUM DISEASE 1931-32 



33 



The birds were killed and necropsied approximately 17 weeks after the first 

 exposure. Culture material was taken from the following organs or tissues: 

 pericardial fluid, liver, bile, spleen, peritoneum, ovary, and intestine. In some 

 cases material was collected from the oviduct. Any other suspicious lesions were 

 subjected to culture. Necropsy revealed characteristic gross lesions of pullorum 

 disease in birds 29, 31, and 39 of Group I. The lesions were confined chiefly to 

 the ovary and peritoneum. In bird No. 39, considerable encapsulated yolk 

 material was present in the abdominal cavity. Small pieces of yolk were present 

 in the anterior portion of the oviduct. S. pullorum was recovered from the peri- 

 toneum and ovary in bird No. 29, from an external abdominal abscess in bird 

 No. 31, and from desiccated yolk in the abdominal cavity, yolk in the oviduct, 

 and ovary in bird No. 39. Bird No. 35 did not reveal gross lesions and 5. pullorum 

 was not recovered. 



In birds of Group II, characteristic lesions were observed only in bird No. 40. 

 5. pullorum was recovered from an external abdominal cyst near site of inocula- 

 tion in bird No. 37 and from the spleen, bile, and peritoneum in bird No. 40. 

 No gross lesions were observed in No. 38 and 5. pullorum was not isolated. 



In Group III only 1 bird. No. 30, revealed characteristic gross lesions of the 

 disease. 5. pullorum was recovered in this bird from the liver, peritoneum, and 

 ovary. Neither significant gross lesions were observed in birds 32, 34, and 36, 

 nor was S. pullorum isolated. 



In Group IV, bird No. 33 revealed no gross lesions and S. pullorum was not 

 isolated. 



Table io — Data Concerning Eggs Laid by Pheasants 



Pigeon 



Adult pigeons (King variety) which were negative to the tube agglutination 

 test were exposed to infection by four different methods, namely, intraperitoneal 

 inoculation, oral administration, ocular exposure, and contact with infected hens. 

 The infective agent was a saline suspension of S. pullorum prepared from a 24- 

 hour agar slant culture with a turbidity equal to tube No. 3 of the McFarland 

 nephelometer scale. The organism used in the suspension was found to be 

 pathogenic for mature chickens through oral administration and intraperitoneal 

 inoculation. The pigeons were tested with the tube agglutination test at fre- 

 quent intervals. Dilutions of 1:10 and higher, sufficient to determine the titer, 

 unless stated otherwise, were employed. All birds exposed by the first three 

 methods of exposure were placed in individual cages. 



