JAPANESE B ENCEPHALITIS Another of the summer encephalitides, chiefly prevalent in the Far East, is characterized by varied clinical symptoms, and caused by a virus similar in many ways to that of St. Louis encephalitis. According to Hammon less certainty is felt about the source of mosquito infection in this type. Hammon et al. (110) have demonstrated virus in mosquitoes caught in Japan. Thus the virus must be available in the blood of some animal. They have been able to detect small amounts of virus in the blood of inoculated chickens. More recent studies (111) have indicated wild birds as potentially important as a source of mosquito infection. Thus, it appears that poultry, especially chickens, may serve as an important source of infection with the Eastern, Western, and St. Louis encephalitis viruses and possibly also the Japanese B type. NEWCASTLE DISEASE Newcastle disease (avian pneumoencephalitis) primarily a disease of worldwide distribution in fowls was first recognized in man in 1943, by Burnet (112) who isolated the virus from a case of conjunctivitis in a laboratory worker. Subsequently, reports have appeared of virus isolation from 8 cases of conjunctivitis in man (113, 117). Anderson (113), 1946 in Australia reported 2 laboratory infections. The remaining cases were in the United States. Ingalls (115) encountered 2 cases of natural infection; one in a broiler plant operator and the other in a veterinary student. Both cases were related to recent contact with NDV infected chickens. More recently, Nelson et al. (118) have reported the occurrence of an outbreak of conjunctivitis in poultry plant workers. Of the 40 cases, virus isolation was successful in 4 of 10 acute cases. Specimens were obtained from the conjunctiva. They obtained a high SN index on specimens from employees in the plant showing no symptoms and observed that this may indicate resistance. In a recent study on food poisoning bacteria in poultry and poultry products, Kyle, MacFadden and Gunderson (17) isolated Newcastle disease from chicken livers and spleens collected on the evisceration line of a commercial poultry processing plant in Nebraska. The relative frequency of cases of conjunctivitis occurring is workers on the evisceration lines of poultry processing plants prompted this study. These investigators (17) studied 3 additional cases of conjunctivitis in humans from which Newcastle disease virus was isolated at the University of Nebraska Hospital. All patients had dressed chickens prior to onset of symptoms. An earlier report of an outbreak of conjunctivitis among kitchen workers handling poultry in an agricultural school in Israel was made by Yatom (119). It is obvious from the evidence presented that Newcastle disease of poultry is capable of infecting the mucous membrane of the human eye. Thompson (120) has observed that the high prevalence of the disease in poultry as compared with the scarcity and mildness of reported cases in man indicates that general alarm concerning human infection is not warranted. More recently, evidence obtained by several workers indicates that NDV is capable of causing systemic involvement in man. Mitchell and Walker (121) report a laboratory infection apparently acquired through the respiratory tract which produced an influenza-like attack lasting about 5 days. NDV was isolated from bronchial mucus. There was no evidence of conjunctivitis. A case of acute hemolytic anemia with autohemagglutinative vascular phenomena was reported by Moolten and Clark (122) in which NDV was isolated from the patient's blood shortly after the acute phase of illness had subsided. The isolation of the virus from 5 additional cases of human infection has been reported by Quinn, Hanson, Brown, and Brandly (123). These authors have noted the possibility of man to man transmission of the disease in view of the demonstration of virus in saliva, nasal discharge and conjunctival sac washings. In one of their cases NDV was isolated from the urine. Kyle, MacFadden and Gunderson (17) observed that due to the inherent resistance and potential adaptability of the virus, it may well become a significant public health problem. PSITTACOSIS Psittacosis (Ornithosis) an apparent, or more frequently an inapparent infection found in parrots, parakeets, canaries, pigeons, and many other birds is also communicable to man. The infection is caused by Miyagawanella psittaci, coccoid 91-804-68- -2 elementary bodies intermediate between Rickettsiae and true viruses. It was formerly thought to be contracted through association with psittacine birds however, more recent reports have incriminated ducks (124), chickens (125) and turkeys (126) as the source of infection in man. Of great importance was the discovery that visibly healthy birds harbor the virus and as shedders or chronic carriers distribute the infective agent. Irons (126) has observed that the importance of common barnyard fowl in the spread of psittacosis frequently is overlooked. According to Meyer (127), the significance of the demonstration of psittacosis virus in the organs and intestinal contents of ducks to the duck raising industry has not been assessed. He further states that there is evidencec that the virus, present in approximately one-third of the bird population, occasionally infects workers on commercial farms, or persons who keep ducks as pets. In a study of the problem in ducks on Long Island, during a period when psittacosis occurred in man in the area, 38 percent of 115 ducks and ducklings on 9 different farms yielded psitacosis-like virus similar to the pigeon strain. A recent report by Irons (126) et al. described an outbreak of psittacosis in turkey dressers in a poultry plant in Texas. There were 22 cases and 3 deaths among 78 employees of the plant. All cases had been killing, picking feathers, or wrapping heads of turkeys. Few cases had been dressing chickens. It appeared that discharges from a group of turkeys was the source of the outbreak. Clinical findings varied widely in severity of illness, from mild influenza-like attacks to fatal illness. A recent communication from Dr. Irons stated that they have encountered a second outbreak of ornithosis in a Texas poultry and egg plant attributed to dressing turkeys for the 1952 Christmas market. In this outbreak psittacosis virus isolations were made. Pigeons have frequently been incriminated in outbreaks in man and in some instances chickens have beeen involved also. A human infection was traced to a chicken in New Jersey. Four of 31 birds examined harbored psittacosis virus resembling the pigeon strain. Study of 2 other human cases attributed to pigeons revealed that the infected birds were caged over a chicken pen; pigeon-psittacosis virus was recovered from the organs of 2 of the chickens. Determination of the extent of spontaneous psittacosis in chickens depends upon the development of a simple serological test for mass examination of barnyard fowl (127). A newly devised indirect complement-fixation-inhibition (128) has improved detection of the disease in chickens. Mandel and Jordan (129) report the demonstration of psittacosis antibodies in serums from a poultry worker with pneumonitis, in serums from other poultry workers, and in sera from fowl slaughtered in local stores. A case of a typical pneumonia in a poultry dealer has been reported by Duncan, Thomas and Tobin (130) in England. Virus of the ornithosis type was isolated from throat washings. Ward and Birge (131) describe a case of psittacosis in the owner of a pheasant ranch. Complement fixation tests on the patient were performed by the Illinois State Department of Health. Indirect complement fixation tests on the pheasant serums were performed by Dr. K. F. Meyer. The frequency with which psittacosis has been associated with poultry workers in recent years warrants its consideration as an occupational disease problem. RABIES Although fowl may be infected experimentally with the rabies virus, there is little evidence of spontaneous rabies in poultry. Remlinger and Bailey (132) reported transmission of the disease to the chicken by bites on the comb by a rabid dog. Thus it appears that chickens can, if bitten by a rabid animal, become infected and serve as a source of human infection. FUNGUS DISEASES Probably of less hazard to poultry workers are the mycotic infections of fowls. Those which deserve mention are aspergillosis, favus, and thrush. Although these infections are rare in man and frequently of a mild nature they do occur. Emmons (133) states that fungus diseases of poultry are of little danger to man unless there is heavy exposure and the individual has other predisposing factors. ASPERGILLOSIS Aspergillus fumigatus is especially pathogenic for birds and occasionally causes aspergillosis in man. The disease is common enough in domestic birds, pigeons, chickens, and ducks to be of some economic importance. In young chicks it frequently occurs in epidemic form and is known as brooder pneumonia (134). The disease may be localized or generalized but usually occurs in the lungs and air sacs. The infection appears to be acquired following inhalation of spores from moldy grain or litter. In man observations have indicated that infection also frequently follows exposure to air carrying many spores. Infections of the external ear have been attributed to aspergillus spores. However, the recent studies of Singer, Freeman and Hardy (135) on otitis externa indicate that this fungis is of minor importance. According to a communication from Dr. W. L. Sippel, of the Georgia Coastal Plains Experiment Station they have encountered outbreaks of aspergillosis in birds in South Georgia. FAVUS Favus is a type of ringworm caused by several species of the genus Trichophyton (Achorion). The agent of favus or white comb in poultry is Trichophyton gallinae. In his excellent review of mycotic diseases of animals Gordon (136) states that despite the numerous references to the disease in American literature, there have been only 2 instances that an organism has been cultured which could be identified as T. gallinae according to published reports. It has been isolated from a human infection in France (137) and on many occasions from fowl favus in Europe and South America. THRUSH Thrush (candidiasis, moniliasis) is another fungus infection that has caused high mortality in poultry flocks, especially young birds. It is caused by the yeastlike organism Canadian albicans. The disease has been observed in chickens, pigeons, turkeys, pheasants and other birds, and in man. In poultry lesions are localized in the mucosa of the upper alimentary canal and appear as whitish ulcers or psuedo-membranes in the crop, and gizzard. In man (137) Candida albicans may cause infections of the mucous membranes of the mouth and vagina; infections of the skin and nails; systematic infections or a mild broncho-pulmonary infection. No reports have been found indicating transmission of the disease from infected fowl to man although this may occur. PARASITES Infestation with Dermanyssus gallinae the poultry mite frequently causes irritation and an itching dermatitis in poultrymen. TOXOPASMA According to Manwell et al. (138 toxoplasmosis is one of the least understood of human infections as well as one of the most recently recognized. It is still uncertain whether birds are naturally infected with any strain of toxoplasma infective for mammals. But Manwell et al. (138) found that certain species including the duck, chicken, pigeon, canary, and wild birds are highly susceptible to experminetal infection with a toxoplasma strain of human origin. The uncertain knowledge of this disease in man and birds, for the present, obscures its significance. It should be mentioned that Ingalls (1) has pointed out one other disease, leptospirosis, as an occupational hazard to poultry dressing plant employees, although the birds are rarely, if ever, infected. The predominance of poultry workers among the first patients found to have leptospirosis in the Detroit area led Molner (139) to study the problem in poultry dressing plants. It was found that rats were commonly in and around the plants. By washing work tables with Ringer's Solution in the morning after exposure to the rats at night and infecting guinea pigs with the washings a clinical picture of Weil's disease was produced. No mention is made of isolation of the organism. This probable source of infection could, however, be eliminated by adequate sanitation measures and rat control. Some of the diseases reviewed in this report are of interest chiefly from an academic standpoint, whereas others present a definite public health problem. Measures toward controlling the incidence of infections that man may acquire from poultry have been adequately summarized by Brandly (C. A.) 2 as follows: "It may be emphasized that suppression and eventual eradication of transmissible diseases common to birds and man require, at the onset, thorough elucidation of epizootiology together with adequate and often needed improvements in detection and diagnostic methods. These knowledges and skills supplemented by sound long-range perspectives and practices and abetted by persistent educational programs must inevitably lead to success against this costly and needless loss and waste. Now, and in the future, necessary safeguards must aim to reduce the "occupational hazards" both against established bird to man infection chains, and against the factors of contact and exposure which may favor adaptation of other infectious agents to man from birds, and vice versa. Finally, a sound and inclusive poultry inspection service based on established practices and under competent veterinary supervision must be our primary bulwark toward protecting both the health of the public and the integrity of one of our major sources of food." Mrs. SULLIVAN. I am deeply grateful for all of the attention now being given to the serious problem of diseased and unwholesome poultry moving freely onto consumers' dinner tables in intrastate commerce. The bills now before this subcommittee, and the strong support of the administration for action in this field, are very encouraging to me, after trying for 9 or 10 years to stir interest in the problem and having the lonely feeling that no one outside of St. Louis seemed to be overly concerned, or seemed to see any effective solution for it. It was my feeling 11 years ago that we had solved the problem by providing machinery in the Poultry Products Inspection Act of 1957 to authorize Federal inspection for wholesomeness of every pound of poultry sold in this country, including that processed and sold only within a State. But the elaborate machinery in the 1957 act to authorize Federal inspection of the poultry processed and sold within the States has never been put to use. Up until last December, the Department of Agriculture had maintained that the "major consuming area” machinery of the 1957 act had some value in combating the problem, but on December 21 the Secretary advised me that the Department had concluded it was not a practical solution and would help me devise a new one based on the provisions of the Wholesome Meat Act of 1967. The problem of diseased poultry in intrastate commerce is no more and no less serious now than it has been during all of the past 11 years. I am just so sorry that we have wasted 11 years without doing much about it. But the fact that there is now such widespread agreement on the need for action is, as I have said, very encouraging to me, and I hope we can promptly proceed to pass effective legislation. THERE ARE CHANGES IN CLIMATE SINCE LAST YEAR, BUT BAD POULTRY SITUATION REMAINS The printed hearings of this same subcommittee last year on the meat inspection bill contain many pages of documentation on the problem of bad poultry processed and sold within the same State, and on my long efforts to try to have such poultry coming into the St. Louis area from outstate Missouri made subject to compulsory Federal inspection under the 1957 law. The only thing different now from the situation when I testified before you last year are: First, the Congress has enacted a different type of machinery for combating the equally serious problem of unfit beef, pork, lamb, and other red meats being sold in intrastate commerce; Second, the Department of Agriculture has changed its mind about the practicability of section 5 of the Poultry Products Inspection Act of 1957 and no longer believes it can be used effectively in dealing with uninspected poultry in intrastate commerce; and Third, the mood of the Congress and of the public has progressed to the point where the health and safety aspects of this issue of bad food in intrastate commerce are finally being recognized. When I appeared before you on the meat inspection bills last year, I urged that we tackle the problems of bad meat and bad poultry simultaneously, applying the same solutions to both. I suggested that you investigate the usefulness of the "major consuming area" provision of the Poultry Act and if you found it workable, apply the same principle to meat inspection and then insist that the Department put this machinery to use immediately. However, I added, if you found that the Poultry Act machinery for intrastate inspection was not practical, you should recommend that Congress repeal it and replace it with a new approach for both meat and poultry-but the same approach in each case. I have never seen any value in having separate meat inspection and poultry inspection laws. My original proposal in 1956, before we enacted the 1957 law for compulsory inspection of poultry in interstate commerce, was merely to amend the Meat Inspection Act to include poultry. Apparently, that was much too simple a solution, and we proceeded, instead, to enact a separate law just for poultry. And, then, last year, we revised the meat inspection law to get at the problem of the intrastate shipments, but did nothing about the companion problem involving unwholesome uninspected poultry. MORE THAN A SCORE OF POULTRY DISEASES TRANSMISSIBLE TO HUMANS Now, we are finally proceeding to a solution of the poultry problem, and, while we can take some solace in the thought "better late than never," the fact is that it is very late and lots of Americans, including children participating in the school lunch program, are the targets of at least 26 diseases which can be transmitted to man from unwholesome poultry. We have known about the dangers to humans from those diseases from poultry for at least 14 years since I brought to the attention of Congress in 1954 reports from the Food and Drug Administration and the Public Health Service which were instrumental in achieving the passage of the 1957 law. The Wholesome Meat Act passed last year was good legislation, in the form in which it finally became law. I congratulate all of the members of this subcommittee who took part in drafting the final version of the bill. Since the poultry problem was left untouched, however, I said at the time that I would ask the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare a draft of legislation which I could introduce this year to bring the Poultry Act into conformance with the Wholesome Meat Act as it relates to intrastate commerce. H.R. 15149 is the result of that request. Except for the title, which I changed, H.R. 15149 is exactly the same, I believe, as the bill introduced by Mr. Purcell, Mr. Dow, Mr. Smith of Iowa, and Mr. Foley, H.R. 15146. On the |