10 Conta.uious Xasai Catarrh of Birds. 



nifflod feathers and drooped wings. The appetite is decreased 

 after one or two days, hicrimation occurs, also frequent sneez- 

 ing and sliaking of the head. At first w^atery, later on tenacious, 

 whitish to yellowish masses are discharged from the nose. 

 Such secretions are discliarged from both nasal openings, and 

 they dry there to yellowish crusts which close up the openings. 

 The birds breathe through the open bill or respiration is rat- 

 tling or sniffling. Tlie eyes are kept closed and the lids become 

 matted together by masses of secretion; in the conjunctival sacs 

 a whitish, tenacious, however not croupous, exudate collects 

 which makes the eyelids protrude. The cornea appears cloudy. 

 On account of the matting together of the eyelids the sick 

 birds are unable to take up their food and they may actually 

 starve to death. The infra-orl)ital cell, which is filled with 

 masses of exudate, sometimes protrudes in the shape of a swell- 

 ing or tumor. In the pharynx we find a muco-serous exudate 

 and intense reddening of the mucosa. Swallowing may become 

 difficult. The birds frequently succumb with rapid emacia- 

 tion. 



Hanl)oId saw in a goose-fattening establishment numerous cases 

 of a disease resembling contagions nasal catarrh and leading to serious 

 economic losses. After an incubation period of eight to sixteen days 

 the birds showed reddening of the bill and a nuicous nasal secretion 

 which easily dried into crusts. The birds fretiuently scratched their 

 bills, dipped them often into water, curved their necks occasionally or 

 bent their heads toward the back, shook them, cried out from time to 

 time, turned around in a circle and finally fell downi almost unconscious, 

 soon to get up again. Beginning ^^ath the third week there is diminu- 

 tion of appetite. Sometimes 10 to 15 per cent of the number of all 

 birds succumb to the disease. It appears that it has lieen imported 

 into Germany from Russia. Schi-eiber claims to have found as the cause 

 of the disease a micrococcus, and its toxins are said to affect the cere- 

 bellum. 



Course and Prognosis. The disease spreads rapidly among 

 the birds of one establishment and leads to death in some epi- 

 zootics after only one to three days; generally, however, the 

 course lasts several days, up to three and six weeks. Most 

 young birds die from the disease (sometimes there are 95 

 per cent of fatal cases) ; in adult Inrds the disease frequently 

 ends in recovery. 



Diagnosis. The clinical diagnosis is based on the conta- 

 gious nature of the disease and the mucopurulent character 

 of the catarrh of the mucous mend)ranes of the head. Simple 

 nasal catarrh, which imder favorable hygienic conditions may 

 also occui" among a number of birds, may be distinguished by 

 the fact that it does not spread widely, that the nasal secre- 

 tion remains thin, fluid, and that the affection of the conjunc- 

 tivae and phar>Tigeal mucosa, which may coexist, remains moder- 



