Moore. — Study of Trout Diseases, 93 



Dr. Embody: If it is found that this organism has come from 

 Europe, of course, it is nothing more than a repetition of what has taken 

 place heretofore in the case of many kinds of animals and plants. I 

 assume it is not an exaggeration to say that by far the greater number 

 of organisms that are giving trouble in this country now among plants 

 and animals have been imported from Europe. I cite the case of the 

 chestnut bark disease, the Chinese beetle, which has come recently, the 

 corn borer, and many others. If Octomitus came in that way, it only 

 repeats history so far as the importation of these things from Europe is 

 concerned. I prefer to think it came from Europe than to believe that 

 it was indigenous to this country. 



Mr. Titcomb: It is important to inquire what precautions may 

 be taken when we buy eggs, to have them properly packed and steril- 

 ized — if that is the proper method — in order that we may not introduce 

 the disease into hatcheries where it does not now exist. It is eminently 

 desirable, even this fall, that we should take the necessary precautions 

 to guard against the transfer of Octomitus externally on the eggs. 



Dr. Moore: Precautions should be taken, but, unfortunately, we 

 have not yet made any experiments as to the best method of procedure 

 in guarding against transferring the spore. This as I have indicated, 

 is a very small thing, about 25 microns, more or less, in diameter, or 

 about 1/1000 of an inch. 



Mr. Titcomb : I'he eggs arrive at the hatchery with the same water 

 that has been constantly used in connection with them. Would it be 

 possible, do you think, to wash those eggs before they are packed, per- 

 haps taking the water at its source, thus washing out any of the convey- 

 ing cysts or spores? 



Dr. Moore: That would seem a reasonable precaution to take, but 

 I do not know to what extent the natural stickiness of the outer envelope 

 of the egg would cause the organism to cling to it. These are questions 

 that should come up again and again until we know how to answer 

 them. 



Mr. Buller : In your opinion, would f urunculosis be carried through 

 the food given to fish? The reason I ask is that some few years ago I 

 got the idea that we could produce a more highly colored trout by feeding 

 shrimp from Louisiana. In the pond in which shrimp were used as food 

 we lost practically every fish. I was wondering whether the disease 

 might have been introduced into that pond in that way. 



DR. Moore: My line of reasoning would be tnis: Organisms or 

 disease which fish are heir to must invariably be present in greater or 

 lesser numbei's in fisheries waters and, if the fish for one reason or 

 another become devitalized, infection might become so severe as to in- 

 dicate symptoms of disease. It is possible that feeding shrimps alone 

 would induce a lowering of vitality by way of its being an unbalanced 

 ration. Assuming the causative organism of furunculosis is present, 

 it would be only in some such indirect way as this that the shrimp could 

 be a contributing cause. We have, however, no knowledge of the 



