TEST FOR BACTERIUM PULLORUM INFECTIOlSr IN FOWLS. 3 



injection the wattle appeared normal. The wattle of a control, a 

 noninfected bird, injected at the same time, remained normal. On 

 autopsy the ovary of the infected bird presented several angular ova 

 typical of pullorum infection. A pure culture of B. fullorum was 

 isolated from the ovary. The result of this experiment suggested 

 that a diagnostic test might be developed. 



Work with the same filtrate was continued by evaporating 100 

 c. c. to one-tenth of its volume in a water bath at the boiling point, 

 the purpose being to test the value of a culture filtrate containing the 

 products of the organism in a more concentrated form. 



Twelve fowls were injected intravenously on May 27, 1915, with 1.5 

 c. c. each of a 48-hour bouillon culture of six strains of B. fullorum. 

 About two days after inoculation the fowls showed marked symptoms 

 of illness — pale comb, drowsy attitude, and ruffled feathers. Five of 

 this lot died within a period of 26 days as a result of the injection. 

 On autopsy the following lesions were observed: Livers enlarged, 

 darker than normal, and covered with necrotic foci. Spleens were 

 enlarged and studded with necrotic foci. Ovaries contained irreg- 

 ular-shapecl hard, dark-colored ova typical of pullorum infection. 

 In one case there was severe pericarditis and in another considerable 

 amber-colored fluid in the peritoneal cavity. 



On June 9, thirteen days after the fowls were inoculated and while 

 they still were sick, blood was drawn for serum tests. Of these, 

 fowl 73 was injected in the right wattle with 0.1 c. c. of the con- 

 centrated filtrate. Three hours after injection considerable edema 

 of the wattle was observed. 



Two control fowls, 74 and 75, supposedly healthy birds, each re- 

 ceived 0.1 c. c. of the concentrated filterate in the right wattle. 

 Three hours later they showed edema of the wattle, practically of 

 the same extent as that shov/n by the infected bird. 



On the next daj^ the swelling of the wattle of the control fowls 

 74 and 75 had entirely disappeared, while fowl 73 showed consider- 

 able swelling. This swelling continued to be marked at the forty- 

 eighth hour, after which it began to subside. 



The results of this test are shown in Table I and include the re- 

 sults of autopsy, cultural, and agglutination tests. 



Table I. — Concentrated filtrate tested on fowls 13 days after inoculation. 



Fowl No.— 



Edema 

 after 3 

 hours, 

 June 9. 



Edema 



after 24 



hours, 



June 10. 



Edema 

 after 4S 



hours, 

 June 11. 



Autopsy. 



Cultm'e. 



Agglu- 

 tination, 

 1 : 100. 



73 



+ ' + 



+ • - 

 4- — 



+ 



+ 



+ 



+ 



741 





75' 













^ Controls. 



