130 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



BLOOD FILARIA OF SEA-LION. 



A visitation of this strange infection of the blood of aquatic 

 mammals made its appearance in the early spring, and destroyed 

 one after another the inmates of our sea-lion pool. 



Like similar conditions not infrequently observed in man, and 

 by no means rare in the domesticated dog, especially in eastern 

 countries, the symptoms were so sudden as to give little time 

 for study. While hemal vermin of this order, especially in the 

 dog, is usually marked by such inconstancy of typical symptoms 

 as to be rarely diagnosed with certainty, pneumonia appeared in 

 all these cases. 



The animals, which were in prime condition, were suddenly 

 noticed to refuse food and exercise, and died in collapse within 

 comparatively few hours after their first symptoms of illness. 



Autopsy revealed broncho-pneumonia, sometimes lobar, at 

 others lobular in nature, all other organs being in very healthy 

 state, the liver only excepted, which showed traces of fattiness 

 incidental to captive life. 



The right side of the heart contained numerous filaria, as did 

 also the pulmonary arteries. 



The rapid succession of deaths in these animals, the quantity 

 and repeated changing of the water in therr pool, along with 

 the infrequency of anything resembling a real epidemic, even in 

 kennels of dogs in this country where the worm is seen, and such 

 endo-parasites having been discovered in dolphins and porpoise 

 as well as seal taken in the open sea, all warrant me in presup- 

 posing their infection to have been accomplished by taking the 

 antecedent through the ingestion of raw herring and certain other 

 fish which are well known to be the carriers of such crysts ; 

 whether this infection took place within the Park or at a period 

 prior to the purchase of these animals it would be impossible at 

 this time to state. 



Treatment in such cases is from many reasons impossible, and 

 can only be along preventive lines, as frequent renewal of 

 water, better knowledge of their diet, sterilizing of pools at 

 suitable intervals, etc. The latter was most thoroughly per- 

 formed with crude carbolic acid previous to the renewal of the 

 animals. 



This somewhat extensive report upon the above states of con- 

 tagion which have actually been prevalent cannot fail to engage 

 the attention of those vitally interested on the study of animals, 

 both in the wild and captive state, especially as I have some rea- 



