GOOSE SEPTICEMIA 75 
Etiology. The cause of this disease is a bacterium belonging to the 
septicemia hemorrhagica group. It is stated to have “the characters 
of the fowl cholera type.” It killed rabbits when they were inocu- 
lated with 0.2 ce. of a bouillon culture. 
Symptoms. The symptoms are indefinite. In the outbreak 
described the geese were often found dead. The description of the 
disease by Curtice is appended. 
“Few symptoms of disease were seen, those noted pertaining 
mainly to the death struggles. Very few that died were noticed to 
be sick more than an hour or two before death, and, as the experi- 
mental investigation demonstrated, the disease could not have lasted, 
in the majority of the geese, more than thirty-six hours. An uncer- 
tain gait, a burrowing of the head in the dirt, twisting it around, or 
actions indicating spasms of the throat, were the earliest symptoms. 
Some geese were observed to die within five minutes or after the first 
seizure.” There are few chronic cases and recoveries are not re- 
corded. Some show no other symptom than being slower in action, 
and separating themselves somewhat from the flock. However, this 
sign is quite important when the wild nature and gregarious habit of 
the goose are taken into account. 
Morbid anatomy. The tissue changes, as given by Curtice, are as 
follows: 
“There was considerable mucus in the throat and mouth, and a 
very tenacious mucus in the nose. The veins of the head were 
usually congested, as though the animal had died of asphyxia. This, 
together with spasm of the throat, indicates a spasmodic closure of 
the glottis. The digestive tract was found to be full of food in nearly 
all stages of digestion. In some cases the catarrhal products of the 
intestines contained petechize. Sometimes these points were collected 
in more or less extensive patches. Perhaps more than half of the 
livers showed yellow spots of from a pin point to a pin head in size. 
These discolorations were found on section to extend into the sub- 
stance of the liver, and were evidently dead tissue, or necroses. In one 
example the heart disclosed severe inflammation, both epicarditis 
and pericarditis being present. In one case the lungs were affected. 
In all, fifteen cases were examined, and from these this composite 
description of the post mortem appearances is drawn.” 
Hemorrhages on the serous membranes and punctate necroses in 
the liver seem to be quite characteristic lesions. 
