VETERINARY DEPARTMENT. 



ON THE DIAGNOSIS OF INFECTION WITH 



BACTERIUM PULLORUM IN THE 



DOMESTIC FOWL. 



By GEO. EDWARD GAGE 



WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF 



BERYL H. PAIGE AND HAROLD W. HYLAND 



{From the Department of Veterinary Science) 

 Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station. 



During the last two years the scientific evidence at hand concerning 

 the role of Bacterium pullorum (Rettger) in bacillary white diarrhoea of 

 5'oung chicks and relations of it to ovarian infection in adult fowls has 

 been most conclusive. Rettger and Stoneburn^ pointed out the fact that 

 adult hens were the original source of infection to young chicks suffering 

 with bacillary white diarrhoea. 



In their report of 191 P they further substantiate the results of the 

 previous paper in that adult hens are the original source of infection; 

 that eggs from infected hens may contain the organism in the yolk. 



In a third report, 1912, ^ they fully support statements of their previous 

 work concerning ovarian infection, and they conclude that the ovaries 

 may become infected by contact of the hens with infected hens or by 

 artificial infection of the litter. "The infection is, in all probabihty, ac- 

 quired through the mouth." 



Gage, in 1910-11,* in publication of reports from experiments conducted 

 at the Maryland Experiment Station, concluded that Rettger and Stone- 

 burn were correct in their work of the previous year, corroborating the 

 fact that white diarrhoea, as poultrymen understand it, is a bacillary 

 disease caused by Bacterium pullorum (R), and that the hen is the original 



1 Rettger, L. F., and Stoneburn, F. H.: Bulletin No. 60, 1909, Storrs Agricultural Experiment 

 Station. "Bacillary white diarrhcea of young chicks." 



2 Rettger, L. F., and Stoneburn, F. H., Bulletin No. 68, 1911, Storrs Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station. "Bacillary white diarrhoea of young chicks" (second report). 



3 Rettger, L. F., Stoneburn, F. H., and Kirkpatrick, Wm. F.: Bulletin No. 74, 1912. "Bacil- 

 lary white diarrhoea of young chicks" (third report). 



' Gage, Geo. Edward: "Notes on ovarian infection with Bacterium pullorum (Rettger) in 

 the domestic fowl." Journal Medical Research, Vol. XXIV., No. 3; N. S., Vol. XIX., No. 3; 

 June, 1911, pp. 491-496. 



