UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Contribution from the Bureau of Animal Industry 

 A. D. MELVIN, Chief 



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Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



February 16, 1917 



AN INTRADERMAL TEST FOR BACTERIUM PULLORUM 



INFECTION IN FOWLS. 



By Aechibald R. Ward and Bernard A. Gallagher, Pathological Division. 



CONTENTS. 



rage. 

 Dissemination of infection in white 



diarrhea 1 



The agglutination test 2 



Experimental work 2 



Tests of artificially infected birds 2 

 Field trials of the intradermal 



tests 10 



Page. 



Comparison of results of agglutina- 

 tion and intradermal tests 12 



Significance of swelling as an indi- 

 cation of reaction 13 



Various biologic tests 14 



Summary and conclusions 14 



DISSEMINATION OF INFECTION IN WHITE DIARRHEA. 



Of the numerous diseases to which poultry are susceptible it is safe 

 to say that bacillary white diarrhea is by far the most widespread 

 and most destructive. Its ravages are confined principally to baby 

 chicks, bnt it is the puUorum infection in the hen which is directly 

 responsible for outbreaks of white diarrhea in the chicks, since a 

 certain percentage of her eggs hatch infected chicks and the excre- 

 tions of these spread the disease to the otiier birds in the brood. 

 The exceedingly high mortality of white diarrhea, amounting in 

 some cases to almost 100 per cent of the hatch, practically prevents the 

 rearing of chicks in infected flocks. The disease is contracted dur- 

 ing the first four days of life, and deaths occur as a rule during the 

 first month. It has been demonstrated conclusively by several in- 

 vestigators that chicks which recover may carry the causative bac- 

 terium in the ovary and serve as a source of infection in the future. 

 Infected hens usually exhibit an ovary containing several angular, 

 hard, discolored ova; however, the organ lanj continue to func- 

 tionate and from time to time an ovum is released which harbors the 

 infective agent. Outbreaks of white diarrhea as a result of con- 



NOTE. — This bulletin is a report on a study of a disease of fowls that is quite de- 

 structive, and should be serviceable to those who are interested in poultry and poultry 

 diseases. 



72248°— Bull. 517 17 



