290 Fowl Pest. 



13. Fowl Pest. Pestis avium. 



{Pestis gallinarum, Typlius exsudativus gallinarum Eivolta & 



Delprato, Peritonitis epizuotica Scheuerlen & Buhl, 



Kyanolophiaea Lode & Gruber; Peste aviaire, 



[Frendi]; Gefiiigelpest, [German].) 



Fowl pest is an acute, contagious, infectious disease of 

 fowls, especially of geese, wliicli in its course greatly resembles 

 chicken cholera ; it is however caused by an ultra-microscopical 

 virus. 



History. The disease was first described in 1878 by Perroncito, 

 and was shortly afterwards recognized as a disease differing from 

 fowl cholera by Rivolta & Delprato (1880). Later on Italian authors 

 treated the disease repeatedly as a dangerous plague, which caused 

 great losses especially in Northern Italy. Centanni & Savonuzzi (1901) 

 proved that the virus passes the porcelain filter, and similar results 

 were also obtained by Maggiore & Valenti, as well as by Lode & Gruber, 

 Ostertag & AVolff'hiigel, Mane and others. Recently Kleine, Moller, 

 Rosenthal and Schiffmann established the occurrence of the disease 

 in geese, Prowazek, Kraus & Doerr, as well as Marchoux contributed 

 to its etiology, and Freese to its pathological anatomy. 



Occurrence. The disease raged, especially since the year 

 1894, independently of chicken cholera, as a very fatal plague 

 in Northern Italy, from which region it Avas recently introduced 

 into Tyrol and Germany, and later into Belgium and France. 



In Southern Germany it appears to have occurred since 1898 (Scheuerlen & 

 Buhl), but was spread more extensively by the Brunswick fowl exposition in 

 1891, at first in Wiirttembergr, later in the Northern states, especially in Prussia. 

 In 1908 the disease was officially recognized in Germany in .51 townships, affecting 

 1,826 chickens, 159 geese and 3 ducks (considerably less than in previous years). 

 In Hungary it has been known since 1903. 



Marcone observed the disease in Capodimonte in a pheasantry, Eggebrecht 

 in Tsingtau as a severe plague of chickens. 



Etiology. The infective agent is contained in the blood, in 

 the nervous system, in the nasal secretion and in the droppings, 

 as well as in the exudate of the serous cavities and in the bile 

 of the affected animals. By the inoculation of minimal quan- 

 tities of these substances (for instance 0.000,001 cc. of blood), 

 the disease may be positively transmitted to chickens. Simi- 

 larly effective, although in a lesser degree, are the filtrates of 

 the above mentioned substances through porcelain. 



According to Landsteiner the virus appears to adhere to the blood corpuscles 

 as serum alone proved only slightly or not at all virulent. Eosenthal, Kleine and 

 Schiffmann found in the brain, intra- and extra-cellular, round or oval, sometimes 

 also ring-shaped bodies, the true nature of which (protozoa or products of degen- 

 eration?) has not been established at the present time. Prowazek could not confirm 

 these findings, and believes that the carriers of the virus are 1 to 1.5 /x sized, some- 

 times dumb-bell shaped, forms in the brain, which frequently lie closely against 

 the red blood cor])uscles; further fine single and double granules in the filtrates. 

 Marchoux reports the successful cultivation of the virus by spreading Vjlood on 

 peptone-agar containing sugar; 0.2 cc. of culture of the 10th generation killed a 

 chicken in two days. 



