Catarrhal Enteritis in Birds. 257 



steady, or the patient sinks down with eyes half closed and re- 

 fuses to rise. As the disease advances the comb becomes violet, 

 the dark shade constantly increasing and a glairy grayish mucus 

 is discharged frpm the nose and bill. The temperature which 

 was at first raised i° or 2°, falls 2" or 3° below the normal prior 

 to death, which may be deferred to near the end of the second 

 week. 



In the chronic cases the disease may drag along for three 

 weeks, the emaciation, pallor and weakness constantly increasing 

 and the feathers around the anus soiled and matted together by 

 the foetid liquid discharges. There may be remissions which go 

 on to complete convalescence but more commonly an exacerba- 

 tion occurs which proves fatal in a day or two. 



Diagnosis. From fowl cholera this may be dfetinguished by 

 the fact that it is confined to one farm or flock of turkeys, chickens 

 or ducks, proving most deadly in early summer, to the broods of 

 the same spring, and at the commencement of the epizootic, and 

 proving less and less so as time'passes. The immunity of rabbits 

 even when inoculated is a further distinguishing feature. From 

 intestinal parasitism it is distinguished by the color of the dis- 

 charges, and the absence of worms and their eggs from these 

 liquids. 



Mortality is often very high. Klein found it 80 per cent. 



Prevention. Remove the infected from the flock (with ordinary 

 fowl it is often best to kill and burn or bury them), keep the 

 poultry house and yard scrupulou.sly clean of droppings and 

 sprinkle it occasionally' with a 3 per cent, solution of sulphuric 

 acid. The poultry house may be fumigated with sulphur (i 

 ounce to the cubic yard), or the walls and roosts may be washed 

 with a solution (1:12) of bisulphide of carbon in liquid Vaseline. 

 The diseased must be removed as soon as they are detected and 

 food and water must be given pure. If pure water is not avail- 

 able, boil it or render it acid by sulphuric acid (1:33), and feed 

 grain, cooked roots, bran and bread with more or less green food. 



In the case of valuable birds immunization may be secured by 

 inoculating with the virulent blood or culture so diluted that not 

 more than one or two of the germs shall be inserted in each case 

 or the virulent liquid may be heated for 20 minutes to a temper- 

 ature of 55" C (121° F) and then injected in a dose of 2 drops. 



17 



