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This Item Is filmed at the reduction ratio checlced below / Ce document est filmA au taux de rMuction indlqui ci-dessous. lOx 14x 18x 22x 26x 30x 12x 1:,. ROUP liV F. C Harrison, Professor of Bacteriology. and Dr. H. Streit, Assistant in Bacteriology, Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph. Ill FOBLISHEO B7 THE OBTABIO DEPARTMENT OF AORIOnLTUHE, Toronto, Ost.. Decimbkk, 1802. Printed by L. K. CAMERON, Printer to the King's Most Kxcellent Majesty. ■■lit ;:i I. 8 ilk li! BULLETIN 126 DBOBMBBR, 1902 Ontario Agricultural >ollege and Experimental Farm le^o xj I*. By I'kok. F. C. Hai(I(Imi> mu\ Dii. H, Stkkit, lUMterioloKical Ue|Nirtiii«int .»( the Ontario AKrivultuml Culle«(e and Kt|H)riiu«nUl K»rni. Thf moHt widely Hpiead and (]eHtruotiv«> discaHe aH'octiiijj iloiiHwtic fowlH in Ontario, and porhaps in Canada, in commonly known an Houp, Canker, or DiHtemp«-r. By Home, the diseaBc in called Cancer of the Mouth, Throat, etc., or even hy the name of Fowl Diphtheria: but all these different names are given to the winie diseaMe, accordinjf as Home particular symptom in more or less prominent Ki({. 1.- A wctioii of falsf mi-mliniiic iif a Mupj fowl. a K»lm- iiienilpriiiiic. Ii Epitht'lidiit. f SuhiiMK'otia. Economy Importance. The economic importance of this disease is very great, as it is probably one of the greatest hindrances in the [3] ! 1 I i f: poultry l>uiiiiieM4. The tliruct Umtwm from the itiNVH. e vary ^ruatly in liHi'ereiit epiiivmicR. ThuH, in a viruii>iit outlirunk , there may In> many r. a Hoclt may liecunif infected and only a few birds die. Of much jjivater ini|)ortance ar*- the indirect loHMes ; and thene are apt tu be overlooiccd by farinem or thone who keep only a few fowl ami |)ay but little attention to them. The di8ea.s«d binls ix'cover very clowly ; and they remnin thin, anusmic, and unfit for ej^g production, fH;,''-nin)j. or bree«lin((, — eating juMt aa nmeh as it they were normal and li\ \ng at the expense of their keeper. Vig. i. Hw'tlDii o(a UIm' tiieiiilmiie (portion nf lai Kix. 1, inure hiichly mavniflMi) ahowliiK pun ivIIk (ii\, niin>iii> vxiiilstt' (/MihI liacilll {!•)■ Uknekal Condition of Roui'y Birdh. The };encral condition of roupy birds varies v^ery much. After the tirst symptom of the disease, which is usually a putrid catarrh from the nostrils, the affected fowl is generally restless, separates from other members of the flock, becomes dull, cowers in the comer •of the coop, or mopes in the corner of the pen, with its head drawn close to its body and often covered with its wik js. If there is a severe discharge from the nostrils or eyes, then the feathers upon the wings or back are likely to be smeared with it, stick together, and after some time fall out ; and the eyes are often shut, the lids being glued together by the sticky discharge from them. A fowl in a sleepy condition, or moping as described, frequently rouses itself for a time, takes food, and especially water, and then ^adually returns to the apathetic condition. Many fowls having the disease in a chronic form keep their normal appetite for a long time, and seem very little disturbed physi- cully, whilMt oUien, (>Hpocialiy when th«' face or vyvn hecoiuf Nwoll«>n, low their apfictite, j^row thinner ami thinner, an*! Hnally become too weak to Ntand or walk anmnd, when the^' lie i|(»wn and in'>timeM ^rowM into « tumour HM liirjjo an h w«hiut.— jfi Hriii fttxl hanl. A bir«l in IhJR contlition ih frwiiipntly found aoratehinKAt the tiininur witli Un cIawm or wInKii. an if fnduAvcirin); to nen removed. The niAwi itnelf when not attended to, often thrown into the naaal cADaU, and blockn ther: up rimpletely. Oenerally, combined with the formation of the tumour on the fnco, there Ih an affection of theeyeii: or the eyea become diiwaiK>wlmtclinl>liiiic«< to lli.- iiitiiibrttiii) which iH foriiHfl Hi huniiui .liphth.riB. it ]\^ b«wn thimt;ht by ^tii«> writ«rM th«t tii« Mvinn ami Ikiiiiuii iiiM«>aw)<« are th<' shmiu. More, howitver, lut it Nuffict. to M»y that tli.' wui)(ht of evidonc! is n;iaiiist thin con ti'iitlon; but thiH phaM> of tho ^ .l.jwt will U- iiion- fullv «I.Blt with btor on in thiN bulletin. Wf may nIho |M>int out that nmny poultry ket'p«'nt who notice thn frtlMe membrane on the throat and mouth )l their fowU, reuanl the m tho catorrhal form iind call it "canker" which Im prolmbly a po* 'lUr form of the woni " chiici'i- ". Whether the dinea^j In characteriztd by falw mmibraneH, oH'en- Hive diw'harjfe, or cheesy maweH, the cauw in the Naiiif. »h we have many time« experimentally denionHtrated. t'ik-. 4. Urn 47 ; >i)it.v-M>v«n ila)> alt ilut Ix-fiimli-ath. (M'l.lation with H. |>>oi'tiiii<'ii': itinl (hr At one or Heveral p'acos in the mouth or throat, these yellowish, smooth or uneven meiiibrt.iics appeHr, and either remain small and dixappear after -^^ ■'•w dayw, i ,'ro'.v thicker, spread, and become tirmly attached to the i •■ jus memlrane ; and if they (the false membranes) are removed, an uneven, blee. — Ilt-iul of hen :iii: eiifht flays after infectinii willi a jiilture for one or even several years ; and these birds should have the great- e.st care and attention, for they are generally the cause of new out- breaks. Once introduced, roup may remain in a Hock for nianv years. The first cold and moist nights of the fall and early winter cause all kinds of catarrhs, which in many instances are followed by roup. Roup spreads rapidly in the winter time, and may attack from 10 to 90 percent, of the fowls in a Hock. Towards spring, the disea.«e gradually disappears: during the summer months, a few birds remain 9 chronically affected ; and then the first cold nights ijive the disease a fresh Htart. ^°^^?-f°^ '" ^""^ ^""■''' °^ **^® ♦'"" ^»'eed8 are especially liable to roup. While some poultry men maintain that birds once havimr suftered from roup never take the disease again, most of the experf- mental evidence tends to show that no acquired immunity exists as sometimes happens after other diseases. Some foM Is are, however naturally immune, and never take the disease. In the course of our own experiments, a white chicken which had never had roup was in- ociilated with repeated and large doses of the roup germ, but without 6TtGCt* WE^ >m^m^ '-^.-.f^v ^^m "< i Kiu 'i. Iliail i>f fowl .it); tw.iilytwii iljiv- after irioiulatioii »iMi a ciiltiii-i' of the roup liacillii!. «, faiw iiieinliranc. Thk Causk of the Disease. Many opinions have been expressed as to the cau.se of the disease and some of these have been ba.se.l on .scientific research, while others have been nierr guesses. Some writers have thou;rht that the disease IS due to •' Protozoa." a low form of animal life ; and others have isola- ted various bacteria from the disease tissues, whicli bacteria when j^rown in pure culture and introht/u'rine of Klebs-LoetHer, is the cause "t roup, or. as it is termed by some, " fowl diphtheria." i I 10 w \i k Statements have been made by European writers that outbreaks of diphtheria occurred in men, while at the same time poultry kept in the buildings in which the men lived were suffering from roup. Tliey , however, do not state whether the roup commenced before the diph- theria or vice verm, and they give no good reasons for supposing tnat the outbreaks were actually connected with each other. In fact, we must state that the cases referred to, of alleged transmission of chicken diphtheria to man, are on examination found to be mere assumption, due to ignorance of veterinary pathology. In 1M98, several articles appeared in the Agricultural Press, writ- ten by H. A. Stevenson. M.D., who said, " Roup is caused by a specific germ, w^hich appears to me to Ite identical with the Klebs-Loeffler bacillus," i.e., the bacillus which causes human diphtheria ;and in an- other place, he says, " I believe roup and canker to be the fame disease, a disease identical with diphtheria in man." If the above statements were borne out by experiments, and found to be correct, we should have to demand the most rigorous treatment of diseased birds ; for Dr. Stevenson takes the position that diphtheria may be spread by roupy birds in exactly the came manner as tuber- culosis is supposed to be spread by tubercular cattle. These statements of Stevenson are, however, not based on careful experiments, and the human diphtheria antitoxin which he recom- mended as a sure cure for roup, has been found to be absolutely worthless for that purpose. The following experiments and observations may be cited under this head : A student of Professor Tresbot's devoured diphtheritic membrane from fowls without contracting the disease ; and Loffler, the discover of the human diphtheria germ, and Colin were never able to produce diphtheria in fowls by inoculation with human diphtheria germs. Gratia and Lieneaux treated roupy fowls with the human diphtheria antitoxin, and secured very poor results. We have also ourselves made a largenumber of experiments with roupy fowls ; and in about 300 roupy birds that have come under our observation, we have never been able to isolate the Klebs-Loetfler bacillus, i. e., the bacillus of human diphtheria. Roupy fowls have also been again and again treated with diphtheria antitoxin without any result. Were the germs of human diphtheria and fowl diphtheria the same, the antitoxin would certainly have affected the diphtheria in the fowl, since it is the best known remedy for diphtheria in man. Further, we find that the diphtheiitic membranes in man and fowls are different. That of the former consists of a fibrinous exu- dation,— granular material, pus corpuscles, and debris of epithelial cells,— and contains the Klebs-Loeffler bacillus in great numbers ; and these can readily be stained by Gram's method. 11 The membrane from fowls consists almoHt entirely of pus cells, some granular masses, debris of epithelial cells (especially swollen nuclei of these), and bacteria ; but amongst the bacterid, we seldom tind one that can be stained by Gram's method. Houpy fowls never show any of the symptoms caused by the bacterial toxin (poison secreted by bacteria,) which usually follow an infection with the true diphtheria bacillus. f!"-^ Kit:. I.— fowl W : thriiat ami liottoiii of thf iiioiitli with faliw mvnilirane (ml, fuiirtveii iU\h aftt-r iiiociilatio?i with B. pvofjaiieiis. Hence we are bound to conclude, from the evidence here presented, and from other evidence we have at hand but which space alone pre- vents us from presenting, that Stevemon's theory la unUnahh, and that fowl diphtkeriii is never earned by t,.e human diphtheria germ, — the Kiebs-LoetHer bacillus. FiEsri/rs OF Work .\t College. In the present bulletin, only a brief summary of our work with roupy birds can be given. Any one wishing the full details of the (xp rimental work may obtain them by writing to the College for the full report. •tm. r ^\ ' I! m 9 i I m i! • ' .i 12 The first experiments were conducted, to find out whether or not Roup was an infectious diaeaae ; and. for this purpose, 10 healthy fowls which had never been exposed to infection, were confined in a cage with diseased birds ; and after varying periods of time, five of the healthy birds caught the disease. Fourteen healthy birds were then treated bv rubbing a portion of the false membrane, or putrid nasal discharge irom roupy birds, upon the normal, or slightly scratched, mucous membrane of the nose or eyes ; and in this way, two birds were infected with typical roup. These experiments, therefore, show the infectious nature of the disease; but the degree of infectiousness was not large. We must, how- ever, remember that when fowls are kept under natural conditions where they are subject to cold, etc., the infectiousness may be much increased. Having thus shown that roup is infectious, the next step was to isolate the causal micro-organism, a task of some difficulty, on account of the fact that the discharge from the nose, the false membrane, etc., is in close contact with, and likely to be contaminated by the air and food, which always contain large numl)ers of bacteria that fined suit- able material and favorable temperature for growth in the albuminous secretions of fowl. Very many bacteria were isolated, but when inoculated into healthy chickens, they proved to be harmless. In other infections, such as Fowl Cholera, etc., it is comparatively easy to isolate the causal organism, because it is found in the blood and organs of the diseased fowl ; but in roup we find that, as a rule, the organs and blood are free from bacteria, or else if bacteria are present, they are harmless. Without giving the results of a long- continued series of fniitles-s examinations and experiments, made within the last four years, we may say that at length we have isolated a germ which causes roup, with all its varied symptoms. To this germ we have given the name Bacillus <-' K'>»"i'>g contained many kind's The roup jjerins seem capable of remaii,in<,Mn a sort of dormant condition in the depths of the tissues for a lon^r tlme.-so Ions; that the fowls sometimes appear convalescent ; suddenly, when the con- stitution IS weakened by a cold or other causes, the ioul erms become active and the roupy symptoms re-appear. " We have also found that roup, with all its vary i ntj s vm ptoms, can be produced by the inoculation of healthy hens with the well-known till- ».— rhi- Kciip liawllus (H. •wrwinus), from a tKenty-foiir hour olil aifar ciiltuii', Kiif, 9 - Tlir Koiip lift, illus shew • \ni! the flatfella (orHans of Iihoiiki tiiiiil. Van Knii<"/eiit's iiit'tliml. BneilUspi/oeyaneus or green pus germ, which we have frequently isolated from roupy birds. Hence, it would seem that roup is simply a complex suppurative process ; but, different from ordinary forms of suppuration, the pus in fowls appears in the form of a half or entirely solid, cheese-hke, yellowish white maas. without any tendency to be- come_soft or liquid, or to perforate the surrounding skin This may be proved by the injection of sterile turpentine (oil) mto the eye-hds which gives rise to inflammation and the formation of solid cheese-hke matter in the depth of the tumour. Therefore, the cheesy masses must be regarded a' -us To sum up, roup, or fcwl diphtheria, canker, etc., . complex ot suppurative processes, taking place especially in the 1.. .i of fowls. 1 his suppuration may be caused by different species of bacteria, and these may be very wide spread (e.g. Pyocyaneus), and thus an outbreak ot roup may occur in a flock living in unsanitary condi- tions, without any previous introduction of the germs from elsewhere ; r)ut certainly this is the exception. More often, the disease is spread u ii m . i 1 by sick tovrU introduced into healthy HocIch. (JerinH K*"**™"y »•** Hpread throughout a yard by ineuns of the secretiouH, although thcHe do not alwayH contain tlie caaual organiMUi. The infected fowls are not very much ditterent in their general appearance and condition at the beginning of the diHeatie, and thuH they often take food and water for a long time, contaminating the foo