76 Diseases of Poultry 



and after a time apparent recovery, though the germs con- 

 tinue to multiply in the intestine and to be spread with the 

 droppings for several months afterwards. Fowls affected 

 in this manner may die suddenly without previously showing 

 any serious symptoms. Post-mortem examination often 

 shows the liver enlarged and disfigured with whitish or 

 yellowish spots. The ceca are inflamed and often clogged 

 with pus and fecal matter. 



Pigeons are affected with a more acute type of this disease 

 in which the symptoms appear only a short time before 

 death. Generally, however, they are dull and sleepy for a 

 day or two, and sometimes they have a chronic form, char- 

 acterized by diarrhea and loss of weight. 



Geese with coccidiosis of the kidneys lose flesh rapidly, 

 without apparent cause, and become very weak and almost 

 unable to walk. They remain quiet most of the time, with 

 belly resting upon the ground. Some of them are con- 

 spicuous by lying on their backs with their feet widely 

 separated, and if placed upon their feet they take a few 

 steps, fall, and resume their former position. In all such 

 cases the birds lose their appetites and continue to get 

 weaker until they die. 



Treatment. — Medical treatment of coccidiosis is of very 

 little avail in the present state of our knowledge. Isolation, 

 cleanliness and disinfection are probably the most depend- 

 able treatment. Meyer and Crocker ^ claim that in an 

 outbreak of coccidiosis in which nearly 1800 chickens died 

 in from 3 to 6 weeks they had no success with any of the 

 medical treatments used. They state that the epidemic 

 was finally eradicated by isolation, disinfection and clean- 

 liness. 



1 Meyer, K. F., and Crocker, W. J., "Some Experiments on 

 Medical Treatment of Coccidiosis in Chickens." Amer. Vet Re- 

 view, Vol. 43, pp. 497-507, 1913. 



