NEUROLYMPHOMATOSIS 23 



chickens when mated to hen F-1064, and one normal and one paralytic chicken 

 with F-24. At necropsy hen F-1064 showed lesions of neurolymphomatosis 

 of the ovary, which was confirmed by histological examination. Neurolym- 

 phomatous cells had penetrated the coeliac plexus of hen F-24, but no evidence 

 of infiltration could be found in the ovary. Neurolymphomatous cells were 

 found infiltrating the coeliac plexus and the right testis of rooster F-387. The 

 left testis was normal and contained living spermatozoa, although the bird 

 showed no inclination to breed during the last two weeks of its existence. Since 

 neurolymphomatous cells were found in the follicular fluid of hen F-1064 and 

 infiltrations of the same cells were found in the ovary, rooster F-387 may not 

 have been responsible for the transmission of the disease to his offspring, 

 chickens F-1064— C-8 and F-1064— C-9. The follicular fluid of hen F-24, 

 however, remained free of neurolymphomatous cells and no evidence of disease 

 was found in the ovaries. It may be that the cells were transmitted in the 

 seminal fluid from rooster F-387 to the egg from which chicken F-24 — C-2 

 hatched. The details of such a transmission, if it occurred, have not been 

 worked out. 



Rooster F-393 was mated to hens M-986 and M-4269. M-986 (Table 10) 

 laid 240 eggs from which 118 chickens hatched. Of these, 108 proved to be 

 healthy, while 10 were affected with neurolymphomatosis. All of the diseased 

 chickens appeared in the later hatches, or during the month when the bird went 

 out of production and neurolymphomatous cells repeatedly appeared in the 

 follicular fluid. After the bird had ceased laying, she was necropsied and the 

 ovary was found to be completely infiltrated with the pathological cells of the 

 disease. Hen M-4269 laid 6 eggs from which 4 healthy chickens hatched and 

 remained free of neurolymphomatosis. This hen had a more acute attack of 

 the disease than M-986, but the symptoms and lesions were confined entirely 

 to the right sciatic nerve and the left brachial plexus. 



Rooster F-492 was mated to hens M-2397, E-1025, and F-1063. From 

 these matings 357 eggs and 214 chickens were secured, all free of neurolympho- 

 matosis. Gross and histological examinations revealed no evidence of the 

 disease in either the testes of the rooster or the ovaries of the hens, nor were 

 the disease cells found in the seminal or follicular fluids. 



These findings indicate that neurolymphomatosis is usually not transmitted 

 through the egg unless the ovary of the hen or the testes of the rooster are 

 infiltrated. In the case of the infected rooster, the disease may not be trans- 

 mitted unless the cells are present in the semen; but in the hen they may pass 

 directly from the ovary into the developing ovule. 



Since no more of the original hens and roosters on the neurolymphomatosis 

 project were available for further investigation, in order to clear up these points 

 a new experiment had to be set up, using offspring from the original birds and 

 pullets and cockerels donated by interested poultrymen. In selecting birds 

 for this investigation, 40 hens and 21 roosters showing symptoms of the disease 

 were examined, and 7 hens and 10 roosters were found to have neurolympho- 

 matous cells in the follicular and seminal fluids. The following matings were 

 made with the seven hens and seven of the roosters. 



Two chickens which developed neurolymphomatosis resulted from each 

 mating in which pathological cells were found in the follicular and seminal fluids. 

 The hatchability was 61.4 percent and the percentage of neurolymphomatosis 

 occurring in the chickens hatched was 11.54. 



