8 



Discontinued and intermittent testing lead to retardation in the progress of 

 puUorum-disease eradication. The fact that pullorum infection is still widespread 

 necessitates the cooperation of every poultryman in having his flock tested 

 annually to reduce the infection and maintain known pullorum-clean flocks. 



Some poultrymen have been led to believe that the whole-blood test will 

 suffice for the same purpose as the standard tube test, which is used in the lab- 

 oratory. Recent observations have substantiated that the whole-blood test is 

 not as efficient and sensitive as the standard tube test for complete eradication 

 of the disease and in determining the true status of a flock. 



The primary object of pullorum-disease testing in Massachusetts is to maintain 

 the flock free from the disease and to establish additional clean flocks through 

 closely supervised testing and supervised replacements from known free flocks. 

 The progress and success of such a testing program depend largely upon the 

 cooperation received from the poultrx^men and other poultry agencies. A disease 

 control and eradication program can accomplish little when it is not properly 

 organized, supervised and carried out. Every poultryman should feel his re- 

 sponsibility in supporting a program that has the definite objective of benefiting 

 the entire poultry industry. 



FECES FROM REACTING BIRDS MAY TRANSMIT PULLORUM DISEASE 



In the eradication of pullorum disease the question is frequently presented 

 concerning the possibility of spreading the infection by means of the droppings. 

 While it has been clearly demonstrated that transmission takes place among 

 birds in a laying flock, yet the role that droppings may play in the spread of the 

 disease is quite vague. As will be pointed out in the following experiments, it 

 seems that comparatively fresh droppings which might contain the organism 

 did not act as a potent source for infecting susceptible birds, when the feces 

 were added to the litter. Since it is recognized that infected birds may eliminate 

 the organism through the droppings, an experiment was conducted to determine 

 with what success and ease susceptible birds could be infected by force-feeding 

 fresh droppings from reacting birds. The object was not to duplicate natural 

 conditions but to set up conditions which were most apt to produce positive 

 results. 



Experiment I. Exposure of Pullorum-Disease-Free Birds to Litter Contaminated 

 with Feces from Positive-Reacting Birds. 



In a previous report by this station' negative results were obtained when 

 puUorum-disease-free birds were exposed to litter contaminated with feces from 

 positive-reacting birds. Continuing the study, the following report gives the 

 results of exposure of a second group of pullorum-free birds to litter contam- 

 inated with feces from positive-reacting birds. 



IVan Roekel, H., Bullis, K. L., Flint, O. S., and Clarke, M. K. 1932. Twelfth Annual Report 

 on Eradication of Pullorum Disease in Massachusetts. Mass. Agric. Exp. Sta. Bulletin 63: 19-22. 



