Infectious causes of abortions in cattle - own experiences and investigations from 2018 (January-September)

Abstract

In the study, the laboratory results of 150 bovine abortion cases from 2018 (January-September) are presented. Depending on the submitted sample material and the requested examination, serological, bacteriological and/or molecular biological investigations were performed to detect abortion-causing pathogens which need or do not need to be notified in Austria. In addition to animal pathogens, the zoonotic pathogens Brucella melitensis and Salmonella Dublin were detected in 1 case each and Coxiella burnetii in 2 fetuses. The results show, that because of the zoonotic potential of some pathogens, care must be taken when handling abortion material to ensure that farmers, veterinary surgeons and laboratory staff are not at risk. Taking bovine brucellosis as an example, the reappearance of previously eradicated diseases has to be expected at any time. For detailed diagnostics, fetus with placenta and blood samples from the dam should be submitted to the laboratory. According to the extensive pathogen spectrum, investigation of abortion cases is laborious and time consuming.