ANNUAL REPORT, 1940 105 



Department of Agriculture, who identified this parasite as Capillaria caiuiin- 

 fJata. 



3. Flock Mortality Studies. During the year, 277 morbid and dead birds 

 from the Experimental Poultry Farm were necropsied. Unusual out- 

 breaks of disease were not noted. The birds were hatched during the 

 past five years. Among the birds received from those hatched in the 

 spring of 1939, the largest number of males, 78.4 percent, was submitted 

 from January to May 1940, inclusive; the largest number of females, 73.7 

 percent, from April to July, inclusive. In this group of birds cannibalism 

 17, and kidney disorders 14, accounted for 56.4 percent of the diagnoses 

 among the males; and reproductive disorders 74, cannibalism 61, and 

 kidney disorders 20, ainounted to 76.3 percent of the diagnoses among 

 the females. 



4. Avian Pox in Ruffed Grouse. During October 1940, a grouse head was 

 submitted by a person who had shot the bird during the hunting season. 

 It was reported that the bird's flight was abnormal and that excrescences 

 were observed on the eyelids and on the skin posterior tii the upper beak. 

 Laboratory examination revealed a suspicion of fowl pox infection. A 

 saline emulsion prepared from the affected tissues and applied to scarified 

 combs and wattles of susceptible chickens produced typical lesions of 

 fowl pox within 8 da\'s after inoculation. The inoculation of pox lesion 

 material from the chickens into pheasants produced evidence of pox infec- 

 tion within 8 days. While pox has been reported in :<rouse previously by 

 other investigators, this case is of interest to poultrymen and those con- 

 cerned in upland game bird propagation. Furthermore, this case tends 

 to substantiate the possible reservoir and hosts which may serve as a 

 source of fowl pox infection to poultry, especially on range where direct 

 contact between chickens, grouse, and pheasants is possible. 



5. Salmonella Types Isolated. Salmonellosis is a disease entity which 

 may occur in a variety of hosts and may be due to many species of organ- 

 isms in the Salmonella group. The commonly designated paratyphoid 

 organisms in the Salmonella group may cause severe losses. These para- 

 typhoid infections express themselves most frequently among turkey 

 poults, although their incidence among chickens is not to be underes- 

 timated. 



During the past seven years, 68 strains were typed that had been iso- 

 lated from specimens received at the laboratory. We are greatly indebted 

 to Dr. Philip Edwards, Departinent of Animal Pathology, University of 

 Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, who identified these strains as to type. 

 The 68 cultures were isolated from the following types of specimens: 

 Mature chickens 4; chicks 16; mature turkeys 3; poults 35; turkey egg 1; 

 mature pigeons 3; and pheasant chicks, ducklings, canary, squab, wild 

 mouse, and commercial rat virus each once. The incidence of the types is 

 as follows: S. typhi-murium 47; S. anatuni 5; S. bareilly 3: S. kentucky 2; 

 5". oranienburg 2; .S". eiiteritidis (var. danysz and var. jena) ; 5'. newport; S. 

 derby; S. nezvington; S. nezt' brunswick : S. >ninnesota; S. meleagridis ; and 

 S. thompson each once. 



During the past year, 17 strains were isolated and identified and all but 

 one {S. oranienburg) were typed as 5. typhi-murium. All of the 17 strains 

 except one were isolated from mature and young turkeys and one turkey 

 egg. Investigational work of a control nature is in progress. 



