Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 167, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1919 — HALFWAY MEASURES FUTILE IN FIGHTING TUBERCULOSIS IN POULTRY—GET AN AX [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HALFWAY MEASURES FUTILE IN FIGHTING TUBERCULOSIS IN POULTRY—GET AN AX

(Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) “T. B.” in the flock does not stand' for “talented breadwinners.” It signifies that the fowl are afflicted with tuberculosis, which means that the flock as a unit must “go west.” Halfway measures are futile in fighting tuberculosis, as there is no treatment of any avail against the disease in poultry. The one practical course is to kill off the whole flock with maximum expedition and immediately thereafter to disinfect thoroughly all the houses and runs. Tuberculosis of fowls is a chronic contagious disease, characterized by the development of nodules called tubercles in various organs of the body, but most frequently in the liver, spleen and intestines. T. B. of fowls is readily communicated to most species of birds and to several species of mammals, but it is almost impossible to communicate the tuberculosis of man and cattle to fowls. Parrots and the smaller caged birds are very susceptible to human tuberculosis, however, and are often affected by it. T. B. Introduced by Purchase. Tuberculosis Is generally introduced into the poultry yard by fowls purchased from infected flocks, or by eggs of diseased birds th'at are obtained for hatching. If the disease exists in neighboring flocks the contagion may be carried by small birds or animals passing from one yard to another. A peculiarity of tuberculosis of birds is that the liver and intestines are nearly always very severely affected, and that as a consequence the bacilli are very numerous in the intestinal contents and arg scattered with the droppings everywhere that the fowl go. The introduction of a single diseased bird, therefore, may cause the infection of the greater part of the flock in a few weeks. In the same way when wild birds contract the disease the bacilli are carried and deposited in all the yards which they visit. The eggs of diseased birds frequently contain the bacilli, as has been proved by the inoculation of material from such eggs into susceptible experimental animals. The young chicks hatched from such infected eggs are diseased when they leave the shell, and of course soon infect the poultry with which they run. Moreover, since the infertile incubated eggs are often fed to chickens, it is evident that even the eggs which do not hatch may introduce the contagion unless they are cooked before feeding. Pigs, cats, rats and mice are especially liable to be infested with fowl tuberculosis from eating the careasses of birds which have died, to the extent that these animals transmit the contagion to other fowls. Even calves and colts are sometimes found suffering from this form of tuberculosis. No Early External Evidences. For the most part there are no external symptoms of T. B. in the flock until the disease has reached an advanced stage of development. Then the birds begin to show a gradual loss of weight, wasting of muscles, paleness of the comb, and toward the end dullness and sleepiness. Very often there is at the same time a tuberculous inflammation of the joints and of the sheaths of tendons, which is revealed by lameness, swelling of the joints and legs, and sometimes by the formation of hard external tumors of considerable size. Occasionally the skin over the swollen joints breaks, the interior of the joint is ulcerated, and a small quantity of pus containing large numbers of tubercle bacilli is discharged. Swellings and bony enlargements of the joints of fowl are invariably suspicious and their nature should always be investigated by killing the bird and examining the liver, spleen^ 7 and intestines to determine whether thepe have on their surfaces any whitish or yellowish, spots which when cut into prove to be tuberculous masses. As was previously mentioned prevention by the rapid extermination of the diseased flock is the only effective control when T. B. goes on a rampage among the fowl. If any birds slightly affected are retained the chances are they will be subsequent carriers and distributors of the disease. Hence it is not advisable to keep any fowls that have been exposed _to the contagion, no matter how valuable they may be. The birds that have died or are killed, as well as all the accu-

mulated manure, sweepings and scrapings of the poultry houses, should be completely destroyed by fire. So far as known there is no danger of communicating the disease to man by eating the cooked flesh of tuberculous fowls. In most cases, however, the diseased birds are so emaciated and their general health so affected that thejr flesh is not fit for humjm consumption. It is better, in all cases, to burn the carcasses of the birds in which tuberculosis hodules are found, and thus avoid all danger of the disease being communicated to either man or animals.

Fowl Infected With “T. B.” May Appear Healthy Until Disease Has Advanced.