[Effectiveness of sodium arsamilate and its effect on the immunity of hens experimentally infected with Borrelia anserina].

The toxicity of sodium arsanilate for chickens was determined following a six-day oral application. Doses higher than 0.15/kg body weight led to symptoms of intoxication and death, especially when the intake of water was restricted. No spirochetemia, clinical signs of spirochetosis, and death cases were noted in birds infected subcutaneously with a lethal dose of Borrelia anserina simultaneously treated (orally) in the course of three days with sodium arsanilate either in solution or in tablets rated 0.05 -0.15/kg or in the drinking water at 0.4--0.5/1 for four days beginning one day prior to infection. Symptoms of the disease were observed in the birds of the control group only. On the second day after the infection the effectiveness of sodium arsanilate proved as high as 95 per cent, and on the third day--75 percent It was found that the agent had a relatively short-term prophylactic action. The chickens acquired immunity at the simultaneous application of sodium arsanilate and a culture of Borrelia anserina. Sodium arsanilate was shown not to affect the building of postvaccinal immunity in birds in the case of Borrelia anserina infection.