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COM MUNICA TIONS 
Attempts t o transmit « Fowl P est » 
by Argas persictjs 
By Edward HINDLE. 
At the suggestion of Prof. Marchoux the following experi- 
ments were undertaken in order to détermine whether « Fowl 
Pest » (la peste aviaire) cou ld be transmitted by the bite of Argas 
persicus, and also apart from this, to see whether the virus could 
pass through the wall of the alimentary canal and appear in the 
cœlomic fluid of the tick. The results hâve been sufficiently defi- 
nite to show that although Argas is unable to transmit « Fowl 
Pest » yet the virus of the disease remains alive in the gut of the 
tick for a period of about nine days. The virus, however, is not 
able to traverse the wall of the gut and therefore neither the cœlo¬ 
mic fluid nor any other part of the tick, except the contents of the 
alimentary canal, become infected. 
The experiments were as follows : Experiment A. Twelve adult 
Argas persicus were allowed to feed on a fowl infected with Fowl 
Pest three hours before the bird died and consequently when its 
blood vas highly infective. The ticks were maintained at a uni- 
form température of 28° Cent. Three days later the cœlomic fluid 
from eight of these ticks was inoculated into a fowl. This bird was 
keep under examination for te 11 days but never showed any symp- 
toms of the disease. 
At the sarne time the contents of tire alimentary canal of one of 
these ticks was inoculated into another fowl which died forty-eight 
hours later with ail the symptoms of Fowl Pest. 
After the interval of fourteen days since their feed on an infec- 
teü bird, the contents of the guts of five ticks were inoculated 
into a fowl. The latter never shewed any infection. 
The remaining six Argas were fed on a healthy fowl. Although 
the latter subsequently developed an infection with Spirochœte 
gallinarum it never showed any symptoms of Fowl Pest. 
Experiment B. On Jan. igth twenty adult Argas persicus were 
