CHAPTER III 
APOPLECTIFORM SEPTICEMIA AND SLEEPING DISEASE 
APOPLECTIFORM SEPTICEMIA 
Characterization. The disease is a highly fatal septicemic in- 
fection of chickens caused by a streptococcus. 
History. The disease was first described by Norgaard and 
Mohler in the United States and later was observed by Magnussen 
in Sweden. 
Etiology. The causative organism is a streptococcus, the in- 
dividual elements being .6 to .8 microns in diameter. There is 
great diversity in the length of chains. In tissues they are short 
and in cultures, long. 
The organism is Gram positive, non-motile, and no capsule for- 
mation has been observed. It is an aerobe and a facultative an- 
aerobe. Growth occurs on common solid and liquid media most 
abundantly at 37° C., and less rapidly at room temperature. 
In alkaline bouillon growth occurs within 24 hours at 37° C. 
Long chains develop which form skeins or balls of flocculent ap- 
pearance which are deposited on the sides and bottom of the tube. 
After three days the growth settles to the bottom in the form of a 
white non-viscid deposit. This upon agitation breaks up into nu- 
merous small particles. 
After a sparse seeding on agar, growth is visible after 24 hours 
in the form of small shiny, grayish colonies about 1.5 mm. in 
diameter. By transmitted light these appear to have a brown 
center surrounded by an irregular pale bluish border. The max- 
imum size is attained on the third day. In agar stab cultures, mi- 
nute spherical grayish white colonies with fimbriated borders, appear 
along the line of puncture. They do not coalesce, and very slight 
growth is observed on the surface. 
The surface colonies on agar plates are very similar to those 
developing on a sparsely seeded slant culture. The colonies in 
the depths of the medium are seen as minute pearly points of 
granular appearance. With the aid of a hand lens the outline ap- 
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