Dr. Kassai Tibor szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 1. (Budapest, 1968)

Investigations of the Pathology and Chemotherapy of Infectious Enterohepatitis (Blackhead) in Turkeys Dr. László PELLÉRDY Veterinary Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest In 1967 considerable economic losses, of the order of several million Forints were caused by infectious enterohepatitis in turkey flocks. This was partly due to inadequate knowledge of effective control measures, but above all to lack of an afficient specific drug such as has been widely applied In other countries where turkeys are bred on a large scale. During the first half of 1967 the sole available chemotherapeutic in this country was furazolidone (Tikofuran ) which has been found in our country to have only weak antiblackhead action. During the second half of the year a large amount of 2-amino-5nitrothiazole, widely used against blackhead, was imported. A field trial of this drug in the form of the premix Hepamix* which contains it at a concentration of 10 was carried out in nearly 300.000 turkeys and provided abundant material for investigation. This communication comprises a review of relevant observations which both confirm and ''complement the known facts about blackhead. 1. ) Gross lesions in the liver. In most textbooks the sites of gross lesions of blackhead are given as the caeca, caecal walls, peritoneum adjoining the caeca, and liver. In practice, however, exclusively caecal lesions have often * „Phylaxia" State Serum Institute, Budapest