CESTODE INFECTION IN CHICKENS 225 



dition. They are never at ease on account of their restless atti- 

 tude which is apparently due to nervousness. Normal exercise 

 alone does not depress the condition of the bird, but rather the 

 constant restlessness and uneasiness which is manifested by those 

 that are infested. 



The heavily infested chickens become emaciated and lose their 

 color, the feathers become ruffled, and the plumage is not glossy as 

 in the fowls that are free from the disease. Growing birds that 

 were heavily infested, were found usually to be slender and 

 quite poor in flesh, the head very thin and the comb pale. In 

 cases of heavy infection the growing birds isolate themselves to 

 some extent and often allow the wings to droop and hang at the 

 sides. The sick birds, even though they isolate themselves, still 

 manifest a great desire for food and water. 



A slight infection is hardly to be detected in the droppings, 

 but when it is heavy there is developed an irritation or inflamma- 

 tion of the intestinal epithelium, a kind of catarrh which results in 

 a diarrhea, varying with the degree of infection. This irritation 

 of the intestinal epithelium by the worms causes an abundant flow 

 of mucus into the intestine. The mucous secretion is at first a 

 clear, transparent semi-liquid, and sometimes slightly whiH^ish. 

 Worms which are slightly transparent are difficult to see, as they 

 are imbedded in the mucus. Later the mucus takes on a brownish 

 color which is due in part to slight hemorrhages of the epithelium 

 caused by the irritation of the worms. This color of the mucus is 

 retained until it is passed out with the feces so that the droppings 

 of an infested bird have always a characteristic yellowish-brown 

 color. This factor of coloration in the droppings is one that can 

 nearly always be depended upon as a criterion of infection. 



When the infection is heavy a gas is formed in the intestine 

 which is noticeable in the droppings in the form of bubbles. These 

 bubbles are present when the feces are first passed and remain in 

 the semi-liquid droppings for some time. This is very character- 

 istic in cases of heavy infection but is not noticeable at other times 

 except in cases of extreme diarrhea, and then the gaseous forma- 

 tion is comparatively slight. In a flock that is heavily infested 

 nearly every dropping detected about roosting or resting places 

 shows the characteristic yellowish-brown color with a large number 

 of small gas bubbles enclosed. Tlie infested birds pass droppings 

 often, though in small quantities. 



