Norwich bulletin., 1914-05-04
SAVE YOUNG CHICKS FROM
 BAciLLARY WHITE pIARRHEA
Campaign Inauaurated by Experiment
 Station at Storrs.

During the past five years the ex- peFiments carried on at the Storrs Agricultural Experiment station have shown most conclusively that banil- lary white diarrhea is an infectious disease which is caused by a definite micro-organism, bacterium pullorum. to chick. through infected droppings, the real source of the trouble is the mother hen.
 A large percentage of female chicks which survive an attack of the disease appear to become permanent bacillus carriers; that is, they continue to har- bor the germ of the disease for an in- definite period or perhaps permanent ly. The ovary is the seat of this per sistent infection; hence, eggs produced by such oyaries carry the disease bac- terium in them. and when used for matching purposes. convey the infec- tion to the developing chicks which. therefore. acquire the disease prior to their escape from the shell. Such chicks become the centres of infec- ton for other chicks with which they are brooded
 A campaign for the eradication of bacillary white diarrhea, to be success ful, must be aimed at the complete elimination of the permanent carriers, eiidl IS LO say, me lQIocIeQ mems, rom the mature stock In other words none but sound uninfected stock should be employed for breeding purposes. Since the StorrS station began to advo- cate this important means of proven uon numerous requests have been re- ceived for information as to where eggs for matching and day-old chicks might be purchased which were free from any history of white diarrhea Infection. The station has examined thousands of eggs by the bacteriologi- cal methods described in earlier pa pers, and by practical incubation and direct observation tests. Furthermore meteorological examinations have been made of numerous dead chicks and of the ovaries of many hens obtained from various sources. The significant fact was revealed that of the many hoeks that were examined there were only two that did not show evidence Of white diarrhea infection. This rev. elation explains the stations present inability to suggest or recommend sound breeding stock to those desiring such information.
 all the chicks matched in this coun- try ten per cent. sdie from white diarrhea- The disease Is probably more prevalent in New England than in the country at large. In the. statior's own experience 1t has been most difficult
 tHS past tO oDtAin for it's ipyestigational work matching eggs from stock wholly untainted with bacillary white diarrhea- The situa- uon in Connecticut is not thought to be any worse than in the greater part of the New England and Middle At lantic states.
 Since, therefore, it is so difficult to secure good eggs from outside sources 1t seems necessary to resort to addi- nonal measures for the eradication of white diarrhea- The blood aggltina- ton test as devised by Jones of Cor nell furnishes the mueh-sought means This method of blood testing is fully described in another paper that is now being published by the station. The value of the test is such as to leave no doubt in the minds of those who have employed it. It has been applied during the past year to hundreds of fowls at the Storrs station, and has been found to be most practical and reliable as the bulletin will show. In- fected hens may be distinguished with ease from the uninfected by means of this aggiutination test. and thus be