Gapes and Worms of Poultry. ]6i 



gaping of the mouth and constant straining forward of the 

 neck usually indicate the presence oi Syngami in the trachea. 

 In young birds there is a sudden wheezing cough, but I have 

 also noticed it in a few birds up to a year old. This gurgling 

 wheezing cough is very similar to that noticed in birds 

 suffering from diphtheritic roup, a disease which I find, un- 

 like gapes, is chiefly prevalent in old birds. In bad cases of 

 gapes the mouth and sometimes the nostrils become filled 

 with a frothy saliva. The affected bird becomes dull ana! 

 listless, the feathers lose their gloss and become erect, and the 

 comb may sometimes darken. The worms by virtue of their 

 number may block up the trachea and so cause death, or they 

 may so irritate the mucous membrane as to set up violent 

 inflammation which may end similarly. 



Post-mortem Appearances of the Air- tubes. 



If the trachea is slit up soon after death the worms will 

 ■very often be found still attached to the mucous mem- 

 brane so firmly that they may be torn in parts in trying 

 to pull them off. When the worms have been removed and 

 the frothy saliva that surrounds them cleared away, small 

 yellow tumorous patches may be seen where the worms 

 have been attached. The walls of the trachea or bronchi 

 around these areas also become affected. 



Treatment and Prevention of Gapes. 



Prevention. — It is very important that any bird showing 

 symptoms of gapes should be isolated, so as to stop the 

 disease spreading by means of the cough ed-up Syngami and 

 their countless eggs. 



After an outbreak of gapes it is very necessary, if the 

 birds are kept in confined spaces, to treat the ground with 

 either gas-lime or with a i per cent, solution of sulphuric 

 acid, which will destroy the eggs and embryos on the ground. 



When possible fresh breeding-grounds should be chosen 

 every year, and the young birds always kept away from the 

 stock birds. Overcrowding should also be avoided, as it is 

 one of the most fruitful sources of all parasitic diseases, 

 the birds never being so healthy if they are crowded together 



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