96 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 355 



The vaccine was applied to the cloacal tissues. Susceptible and affected birds 

 were inoculated and necessary control birds were retained both in the flock and 

 at the laboratory. Definite positive cloacal reactions were not obtained with 

 either the undiluted or diluted material taken from infected birds. However, 

 positive transmission was obtained when the vaccine was inoculated intratra- 

 cheally, intranasally, and into the conjunctival sac. 



The methods employed did not induce an immunity to infectious bronchitis, 

 since the disease manifested itself in the vaccinated flock after exposure of the 

 vaccinated birds to the infective agent by introduction of the nasal and tracheal 

 exudates into the respiratory tract and by means of cohabitation with infected 

 birds. 



It was concluded from the results that infectious bronchitis can not be pre- 

 vented or kept under control in a flock through cloacal inoculation with the 

 vaccine material as used in this investigation. 



5. Pullorum Disease in Turkeys. In the routine testing for pullorum disease 

 two infected turkey flocks were detected. Both flocks were subjected to intensive 

 retesting. The testing results reveal that reacting turkeys may exhibit a great 

 variation in agglutination titres. The agglutination reactions in many instances 

 appeared indefinite and non-specific. Bacteriological examination of eggs laid 

 by reacting turkeys revealed 5. pullorum. This investigation is still in progress 

 to determine the persistence of pullorum infection in turkeys and whether the 

 disease can be transmitted through the egg as is the case in the domestic chicken. 

 The macroscopic agglutination test is a valuable means of identifying turkey 

 flocks which are free from the disease. 



6. Avian Encephalomyelitis Investigation. Avian encephalomyelitis, com- 

 monly referred to as "epidemic tremor", appears to be increasing in poultry flocks 

 in Massachusetts. The disease is infectious in character and is a malady of 

 increasing economic importance. A preliminary report of the observations has 

 appeared in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Vol. 93 

 <N. S. 46), No. 6, 1938, p. 372. 



7. Viability of S. pullorum. Viability studies, which are still in progress, 

 show that S. pullorum has remained alive in a dry piece of cloth for a period of 

 six years. 



8. Farm Department Brucellosis Control and Eradication. The laboratory 

 cooperated in this work by testing 753 bovine blood samples for Bang's disease 

 and 73 porcine blood samples for Brucella infection. The standard tube agglu- 

 tination method was used. 



Studies of Neoplastic and Neoplastic-like Diseases. (Carl Olson, Jr.) Material 

 for two transmissible neoplastic diseases of the chicken has been obtained from 

 a small poultry flock in which 10 of 23 females died with neoplastic disease before 

 reaching one and a half years of age. The disease became apparent in seven of 

 these within a period of two months. Six of the cases of neoplastic disease have 

 been tentatively diagnosed as lymphoc^^toma, two as erythroblastic leukosis, 

 and one each as a hemangioma and neurogenic sarcoma. Upon inoculation of 

 experimental birds with material from one of the birds spontaneously affected 

 with erythroblastic leukosis, the same disease was reproduced. Material from a 

 bird affected with what has been tentatively diagnosed as a lymphocytoma has 

 given rise to a transmissible neoplasm which produces a tumor at the site of 

 inoculation and in some instances metastases to the liver, kidneys, heart, pancreas, 

 or proventriculus occur. This transplantable neoplasm of lymphoid character 

 has been transmitted through 16 serial groups of experimental chickens. It is 



