White Diarrhea 295 



The chief difference between this and coccidiosis appears 

 to be in the contents of the ceca (cf . p. 286) . 



Undoubtedly the most specific method of diagnosing 

 white diarrhea is by bacteriological examination. Rettger 

 and Stoneburn ^ have perfected methods for the examination 

 of eggs, dead chicks and the ovaries of laying hens. By 

 these methods it is possible for a bacteriologist to determine 

 whether the chicks or the laying stock are infected with 

 Bacterium puUorum. Such examination cannot be made by 

 the poultryman. In some states the Experiment Station 

 will undertake such examinations. In others it will be 

 necessary to depend upon private laboratories. The fol- 

 lowing bacteriological description of Bacterium pullorum is 

 taken from Rettger, Kirkpatrick and Jones.^ It is inserted 

 here for the convenience of bacteriologists who may wish to 

 study this disease. 



Description and General Characteristics of Bacterium 

 PuUorum 



Morphology, Staining Properties, etc. — The organism is 

 a long, slender bacillus (0.4-0. 5/^ X 2^/*) with slightly 

 rounded ends. It usually occurs single, chains of more than 

 two bacilli being rarely found. It is a non-motile, non- 

 liquefying, non-chromogenic, facultative anaerobe. In its 

 microscopic appearance it resembles the bacillus of typhoid 

 fever. It is stained readily by the ordinary basic aniline 

 dyes. It does not stain by the Gram method ; neither does 

 it retain its color when treated with dilute acetic and mineral 

 acids. The organism does not produce spores, or at least 

 they have never been observed. 



1 Loc. at. 1911. 



2 Rettger, L. F., Kirkpatrick, W. L., and Jones, R. E., "Baeillary 

 White Diarrhea of Young Chicks." Conn. (Storrs) Agr. Expt. 

 Stat. Bui. 77, pp. 263-309, 1914. 



