INFECTIOUS ENTERO-HEPATITIS IN TURKEYS.- 



« 

 Blackhead. Definition : Infectious protozoan disease of cseca and liver 

 and general toxicaemia. Microbiology : Amoeba in cseca, liver, etc. 

 Symptoms : Attacks young, dulness, drooping, ruffling, moping, anorexia, 

 greenish diarrhoea, icteric or dusky mucosae, blackening of gobble, etc. 

 Lesions : Enlarged thickened cseca, epithelial degeneration and desquama- 

 tion, exudation, mottled liver, with giant and round cells and amoebae, de- 

 generation, necrosis, caseation, no abscess. Diagnosis from bacleridian 

 tjphlitis or diphtheria. Treatment : Intestinal antisepsis. Prevention ; 

 Disinfection of buildings, yards, manure, seclude from other fiocks, birds,, 

 flies, breed new flock on fresh ground from eggs of affected or other flock, 

 set in incubator or under hens. 



Synonym : Blackhead. 



Definition. An infectious disease of turkeys (and hens, Ches- 

 ter), especially destructive to the young, due to a protozoon 

 (amoeba meleagridis), and characterized by inflammatory thicken- 

 ing of the walls of the cseca, diarrhoea, brownish, yellowish or 

 greenish areas of degeneration of the liver, and congestion with 

 blackish discoloration of those portions of the head which are 

 uncovered by down or feathers. 



Area infected. New England, New York, Delaware and 

 other states. 



Microbiology. The microorganism (amoeba meleagridis.) is 

 found in the thickened walls of the cseca, in the exudate, in the 

 lumen, and in the degenerating patches of the liver. The most 

 common and simple form is that of a rounded body, varying" 

 slightly in form, and containing a group of very minute granules- 

 situated somewhat eccentrically. They may be enclosed in lymph 

 spaces or less frequently in giant cells, or have portions of broken 

 • up cells adherent. Their size varies from lo to i5/«.. They may 

 be stained by the following process : Harden in 95 per cent, 

 alcohol saturated with mercuric chloride, then in the same with 

 an equal amount of a 5 per cent, solution of bichromate of potash, 

 and finally in Hemming's solution. After a day in these solu- 

 tions they are washed for a day in running water, then treated 

 with ascending strengths of alcohol, dried by passing through, 

 alcohol and chloroform, imbedded, in paraffin, sectioned dry, and 

 stained in Delafield's hsematoxylin and eosin. The spherical or 

 slightly oval amoebae have a homogeneous, bluish red tint, feebler 

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