Cases of rabies investigated by the Bureau of Animal Industry during the fiscal year 1908-Continued. "History incomplete, not indicating whether persons or animals had been bitten. DISTRIBUTION OF BLACKLEG VACCINE. The free distribution of blackleg vaccine continues to be an impor- The results of the vaccination for the year ending June 30, 1907, Results of use of blackleg vaccine, year ending June 30, 1907. An examination of the foregoing table shows, when compared with vaccination is reduced to 3,195, or only 0.46 per cent. The annual losses to stock raisers previous to the use of blackleg vaccine ran as high as 10 or 12 per cent of all the calves raised in the infected districts. AUTOPSIES OF WILD ANIMALS. As heretofore, the large number of wild animals sent to the pathological laboratory by the National Zoological Park for autopsy presented many interesting pathological conditions. The results of postmortems held on 112 animals show that diseases of the digestive and respiratory tracts are responsible for more than one-half of the deaths of the wild animals at the park. Tuberculosis was by no means rare, and especially was this true in the case of monkeys. Autopsies were performed on 15 monkeys, 10 of which died of tuberculosis. Post-mortems on birds revealed the fact that a large number of deaths were due to aspergillosis of the lungs. This was especially noticeable at the autopsies of aquatic birds-wood ducks, cranes, and flamingoes being particularly affected. RAT VIRUS INVESTIGATIONS. The ravages by rats and mice are of importance from an economic standpoint, but these animals also disseminate diseases, which fact has again been established in the recent outbreak of bubonic plague on the Pacific coast. This induced some of the commercial firms to prepare viruses with the object of producing an infectious disease which, while destructive to rats and mice, would prove harmless to all domesticated animals. There existed various such preparations on the market, but extensive tests with them proved their infectiousness for other animals besides rats and mice. Recently several new products of this kind were placed on the market, and, following requests from various sources, the Pathological Division undertook an investigation of these products in order to determine their effectiveness. The samples for the test were purchased from local drug stores and the directions for their use were carefully followed. Three rats were given two large feedings of the virus and were then placed with three control rats, all in one cage. The same procedure was followed. with guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, and mice. There was no effect whatever noted from the feeding of these animals; they continued well and have failed to show the slightest indication of infection. Subsequently fresh rats and other test animals were given a subcutaneous inoculation with emulsions from the rat viruses, but this also failed to produce any noticeable disturbance in the health of the animals. Thus the experiments clearly demonstrated the ineffectiveness and unreliability of the preparations tested. POULTRY AND BIRD DISEASES. The number of birds and chickens brought to autopsy during the past year is considerably in excess of that of the year previous. The various diseases occur in about the usual proportions. Careful examinations of the intestines of all poultry examined has revealed the frequent presence of the protozoan organism Coccidium tenellum. The most important feature of the continued investigation of white diarrhea of chicks has been the successful differentiation between what is frequently termed "incubator or brooder pneumonia" and cheesy inflammation of the ceca. The earlier studies in white diarrhea revealed the fact that the caseo-recrotic inflammation of the ceca-resulting in great distension of the blind pouches, white diarrhea, and death-was due to the presence of Coccidium tenellum and should be denominated coccidial typhilitis. Quite a number of poultrymen were inclined to claim that the investigations were faulty in that they failed to note the presence of cheesy nodules in the lungs and sometimes throughout the body cavity. As it was quite evident that the nodules in the lungs were not caused by coccidia, careful examination was made of them and cultures taken from them, resulting, in about 95 per cent of all cases, in the cultivation of a mold, usually Aspergillus fumigatus, sometimes A. glaucus. Several opportunities having occurred to investigate outbreaks among chicks which had shown previous to death evidences of diarrhea, it was discovered that some of the outbreaks showed at postmortem only the nodular caseation of the lungs and no affection of the ceca. In these cases no coccidia were to be found in the intestines, whereas the cheesy nodules regularly revealed the mycotic disease. It was thus established that what is commonly spoken of as white diarrhea in chicks really includes at least two diseases, which may sometimes occur simultaneously in the same bird. The cases characterized by cheesy foci in the lungs, called "lungers" by poultrymen, should be recognized as cases of pneumomycosis in chicks, produced most frequently by the mold Aspergillus fumigatus, and may therefore be designated as cases of aspergillosis. The cases characterized by distended and cheesy ceca invariably show the presence of coccidia and should therefore be known as coccidiosis. SARCOMATOSIS IN CHICKENS. During the year an increasing number of the chickens received at the pathological laboratory showed that death was produced by extensive distribution of sarcomatous growths. In most of the cases the intestines and the peritoneum were the seat of invasion. One instance, however, deserves special mention, inasmuch as the tumor fibrosarcoma in this case, destroyed not only the kidneys, but extended into the muscles of the back and of the legs. WORK OF PATHOLOGICAL LABORATORY IN CHICAGO. The work at the branch pathological laboratory located at Chicago, Ill., has steadily increased. The veterinary inspectors at the various stations tributary to Chicago have forwarded a large number of specimens for microscopical diagnosis. Two specimens of special interest were new growths in the livers of sheep, one a multiple tumor (lieo myoma) springing from the middle coat (tunica media) of the arteries, the other a hypernephroma involving one lobe of the liver. It seems that such tumors occurring in the livers of sheep have not been previously reported in the literature dealing with pathological subjects. A very interesting pathological change was observed in the lung of a steer. In this specimen there was an ossification of the walls of the air vesicles; in places true Haversian systems were formed in the bony plates. During the year it was observed by the veterinary and meat inspectors in Chicago that a large number of tongues of slaughtered cattle contained eroded areas of various sizes at the bottom of the dorsum cecum of the member. The tongues of 840 slaughtered cattle, ranging from two years of age to adult animals, were examined microscopically, and 100 were found to contain eroded areas. Sections from these were prepared for microscopical examination and 79 were found to contain awns or beards of grain or grasses which had penetrated into the tissue beneath. In 49 of these cases colonies of actinomyces were found growing either free in the tissue or around the penetrating end of the awn. THE BIOCHEMIC DIVISION. This Division, of which Dr. M. Dorset is chief, has been engaged during the year chiefly in the laboratory inspection of meat products, investigations concerning hog cholera, and tests of stock dips, besides continuing the preparation and distribution of tuberculin and mallein. LABORATORY MEAT INSPECTION. In the report for the fiscal year 1907 the establishment of a systematic laboratory inspection of meat food products was described. During that year a great portion of time was spent in properly organizing the work. During the fiscal year just ended this laboratory inspection has increased greatly in thoroughness and has been shown to be necessary for the proper enforcement of the meat-inspection law. The various laboratories have examined during the past fiscal year more than 12,000 samples collected from establishments in all parts of the country. Of these samples approximately 5 per cent have been found to be in conflict in one way or another with the regulations governing meat inspection. These samples consisted of a great variety of substances, such as canned meats, cured meats, fresh meats, sausages, cooked meats, flours, lards, lard substitutes, miscellaneous oils and fats, including tallow, oleo oils, stearin, etc., pickling solutions, soups, preserving salts, coloring matters, and water used in the preparation of meats. The greater portion of these samples were taken from establishments having inspection, though a considerable number were taken from houses operating under certificates of exemption. A far greater proportion of the samples from houses operating under exemption certificates were found to be in conflict with the regulations than was the case with samples from houses having inspection. A very small number of meats were found to contain prohibited preservatives. The preservatives found were usually sulphurous acid or its salts, and occurred in the vast majority of cases in fresh chopped meats from establishments operating under a certificate of exemption. In the case of canned meats the chief violations consisted in the presence of cereals without this being shown on the label. Occasionally it was found that goods of this character were short in weight. Lards, lard substitutes, tallows, oleo oils, stearins, etc., were found to be almost without exception labeled properly and 63616-08- 3 |