June 25, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



1007 



in diameter, and rising from 0.5 to 3 mm. from 

 the surrounding surface; nodules also present in 

 dorsal wall of crop. Esophagus inflamed from 

 crop to proventrieulus. Small intestines inflamed 

 and walls thickened, containing mucus mixed 

 with blood. Large intestines usually normal. 

 Ceea inflamed once at necks and once at tips. 

 Liver in two cases contained small white necrotic 

 areas; bile-duets inflamed and thickened. Kid- 

 neys enlarged in one case. Ureters invariably 

 packed with urates, which also fill cloaca. Spleen 

 enlarged in one instance. 



The microscopical pathological conditions were 

 studied in fresh preparations, smears and sec- 

 tions. The hard exudate from the orbital sinus 

 was shown to be made up of mucus, coagulated 

 serum and disintegrated cell substance. The soft 

 cheesy matter and the mucus contained numerous 

 epithelial cells, many of which contained coccidia 

 in the schizont or macrogamete stage; these were 

 also found in the free state. Similar bodies were 

 also found in great numbers in the mucus from 

 the naso-lachrymal canals, palatine space, walls 

 of mouth cavity; also from walls of pharynx, 

 anterior and posterior esophagus, dorsal wall of 

 crop, proventrieulus, duodenum, bile-ducts, liver, 

 small intestine, large intestine, ceca, contents of 

 cloaca and in the excrement of diseased birds. 

 The encysted stage of the coccidium, which is 

 identical with the organism of " blackhead," was 

 found in the intestines and ceca, but not in the 

 head region. 



No bacteriological examinations were made, but 

 it was apparent that the factor, coccidiosis, was 

 Bufiicient alone to produce nearly all the patholog- 

 ical conditions observed. As " blackhead " is a 

 coccidiosis of the ceca and liver of turkeys, and 

 as "white diarrhea" is a coccidiosis of the ceca, 

 intestines, duodenum and sometimes of the lungs, 

 spleen and liver, of young chicks, so the writer 

 believes that many, and perhaps all, cases of 

 genuine " roup " are instances of coccidiosis of 

 the head region, with or without intestinal com- 

 plications. 

 White Diarrhea of Chicks: A Study in Avian 



Coccidiosis: Philip B. Hadley, Division of 



Biology, Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment 



Station. 



"White diarrhea" of chicks is a disease affect- 

 ing the duodenum, small intestines, large intes- 

 tines, ceca, liver, pancreas, kidneys, spleen and 

 lungs, manifesting itself by inflammation and 

 eventual necrosis of the epithelial, mucosal and 

 submucosal tissues, and terminating fatally in 



the majority of cases, primarily as the result of 

 damage to the linings of the alimentary tract, and 

 secondarily as the result of bacterial invasion of 

 the tissues together with suspended constructive 

 metabolism. The aim of the present paper is to 

 show the relation of Cocoidium cuniculi to this 

 disease. 



The macroscopical pathological appearances in- 

 cluded the following: (1) occasional inflamma- 

 tion of esophagus and proventrieulus; (2) in- 

 flammation and thickening of walls of duodenum 

 and small intestines; (3) distention and thicken- 

 ing of walls of the cloaca and large intestine; 

 (4) ceca usually inflamed, walls thickened, and 

 containing a hard or soft yellow exudate or 

 " core " ; ( 5 ) liver usually contained necrotic 

 areas after the thirteenth day of the epidemic; 

 (6) pancreas occasionally greatly enlarged, and 

 having hard cheesy texture; affection of pancreas, 

 liver and duodenum often coincident; (7) lungs 

 frequently congested, containing grayish nodules; 

 (8) heart frequently contained lobular enlarge- 

 ments; (9) kidneys and ovaries enlarged in a few 

 cases; (10) ureters invariably packed with urates 

 (hence the white diarrhea); (11) yolk sac fre- 

 quently not properly absorbed, yolk stock occa- 

 sionally inflamed, walls thickened, containing 

 hardened exudate. 



These tissues were examined in fresh prepara- 

 tions, smears and sections, and the microscopical 

 pathological appearances were as follows: (1) 

 epithelial cells of the duodenum, intestines and 

 ceca denuded; (2) in these cells, in the mucous 

 cells and also free were many coccidia; (3) coc- 

 cidia were also found in the large liver cells from 

 necrotic areas, and free in the connective tissue 

 matrix; (4) nodules from lungs revealed marked 

 inflammation and necrosis; epithelium of bronchi 

 and infundibula broken down, and in the cubical 

 and ciliated cells were inclusions which resemble 

 coccidia. 



The bodies described above were the schizont or 

 macrogamete stage of Coccidium cuniculi, which 

 is also the cause of " blackhead " in turkeys and 

 of some cases of so-callea "roup." This stage 

 of the Coccidium is probably identical with the 

 Amaha meleagridis described by Theobald Smith 

 in 1896. In the present epidemic no permanent 

 cysts were found in birds under one month old. 

 It is thus indicated that the original infection 

 passes at once into the endogenous cycle of devel- 

 opment which is maintained for some time before 

 the exogenous cycle appears. The crisis of the 



