PULLORUM DISEASE 5 



17. Where may chicks be sent for diagnosis? Massachusetts flock owners 

 may submit cliicks to the Department of Veterinary Science, Massachusetts 

 State College, Amherst, Mass. 



18. How should diseased chicks be submitted to the laboratory? Five typical 

 specimens affected with the disease, freshly killed and chilled (to retard decompo- 

 sition), should be packed in a suitable container, well insulated, and placed in the 

 mail so as to periTiit arrival in the shortest possible time. A complete history of 

 the trouble (source and hatching date of chicks, age first observed sick, behavior 

 of sick chicks, losses, and type of care given) should precede or accompany the 

 specimens. Personal delivery of sick and dead chicks is preferable because it 

 may avoid dissemination of the disease among chicks in transit and because 

 more information can usually be obtained about the flock and a more satisfactory 

 corrective program outlined. 



19. Does the disease spread among chicks? Yes. Th^ disease may spread 

 among chicks in the incubator, chick box, and brooder. In the incubator the 

 chick may be infected by inhaling or eating contaminated material. In the 

 chick bo.x and brooder the spread occurs largely through the digestive tract by 

 eating or pecking contaminated droppings, litter, feed, and water. 



20. How may infection be introduced into the chick flock? Purchasing 

 infective eggs or stock, custom hatching for infected flocks, having eggs hatched 

 where infection exists, feeding infective eggs, using contaminated equipment 

 (sacks, chick boxes, egg crates, etc.), and permitting contact wdth infected adult 

 stock, are all means of mtroducing infection into a chick flock. 



21. Can persons spread the disease? Yes. The caretaker may spread the 

 disease in handling and feeding the chicks. Contaminated droppings, litter, and 

 feed may be carried from infected chicks to noninfected chicks. The possibility 

 of a person carrying infection from one farm to another appears to be rather 

 remote, unless he carries with him contaminated material which might be capable 

 of infecting chicks. To safeguard against this it is advisable to prohibit visitors 

 from entering the egg room, incubator room, and brooder houses. 



22. Are all birds equally susceptible? No. Artificial exposures have shown 

 that there is a variation in the degree of susceptibility to the disease among both 

 chicks and adults. 



23. Do certain breeds appear to be less susceptible? Opinion has been ex- 

 pressed that the lighter breeds appear to be less susceptible. However, heavy 

 infection has been observed in flocks of all common breeds. 



24. Are fowl other than chickens susceptible? Natural infection has been 

 reported among turkeys, pheasants, guinea fowl, sparrows, bullfinch, goslings, 

 and ducklings. Artificial infection has been produced in pheasants, guinea fowl, 

 pigeons, canary birds, and sparrows. 



25. Are mammals susceptible to the disease? Guinea pigs, mice, rats, cats, 

 and especially rabbits are susceptible to artificial infection. Natural infection 

 has been reported in foxes, mink, rabbits, and swine. 



26. Is a man susceptible to the disease? The causative organism of pullorum 

 disease has been isolated from a case of gastro-enteritis in man. Some investiga- 

 tors believe that the presence of S. pullorum in cases of gastro-enteritis in man is 

 more prevalent than is commonly realized in view of the fact that the organism 

 is not isolated from the feces as readily as other members of the Salmonella group. 



