Bacterial infections in the genital tract

Question 1

Name 3 sources of infection for the repro tract.

Answer 1

venereal
endogenous
environmental

Question 2

What is the most important fungus to cause abortion?

Answer 2

Aspergillus (also mucor and others)

Question 3

List the major causes of bovine abortion - 6

Answer 3

Leptospira hardjo
Salmonella dublin (and other serovars)
Bacillus licheniformis
Brucella abortus and B. melitensis
Mycoses

Question 4

LEPTOSPIRA HARDJO - CATTLE:
type of bacteria
Consequences of infection
Reservoir
Diagnosis
Zoonotic?
Control

Answer 4

BACTERIA: gram negative, thin wall, doesn’t stain, spirocahete
INFECTION: –> abortion, infertility and milk loss
RESERVOIR: cattle, sheep, co-grazing, shared water, new animals, shared bull
DIAGNOSIS: herd serology (paired), dark field microscopy (highly motile)
ZOONOTIC: Yes –> flu like symptoms
CONTROL: vaccination or no treatment depending on herd severity

Question 5

BACILLUS LICHENIFORMIS - CATTLE:
type of bacteria
Consequences of infection
Diagnosis

Control

Answer 5

BACTERIA: environmental, spore-forming, aerobic, gram positive, rod, opportunistic pathogen
INFECTION: –> sporadic abortion (from environment)
DIAGNOSIS: culture (difficult because present in environment all the time)
CONTROL: no methods

Question 6

BRUCELLA ABORTUS - CATTLE:
Bacteria
Distribution
Zoonotic?
Consequences of infection
Transmission
Diagnosis

Answer 6

BACTERIA: delicate, gram negative coccobacillus
DISTRIBUTION: UK eradicated, present in Ireland and parts of Europe, persistent in many parts of world
ZOONOTIC: yes –> undulant fever
INFECTION: chronic infection, granulomatous lesions, migration to placenta (erythritol) –> placentitis –> abortion. Enzootic abortion
TRANSMISSION: contact with aborted material. Humans get it through contaminated products.
DIAGNOSIS: Koster’s stain (modification of acid-fast)

Question 7

SALMONELLA ENTERICA serovar DUBLIN

Answer 7

BACTERIA: Group D salmonella, invasive, blood-borne, placental invasion, enteric, facultative intravellular
INFECTION: can cause abortion, invasive serovars such as S.Dublin which cause a septicaemia can also cause abortion
DIAGNOSIS: XLD medium - salmonella converts thiosulphate to hydrogen sulphate
ZOONOTIC: yes

Question 8

How do you diagnose a mycotic cause of abortion?

Main cause?
Transmission?
Consequences of infection?

Answer 8

DIAGNOSIS: Culture and PAS
Predisposes future abortion?
Aspergillus fumigatus - main cause but others too
TRANSMISSION: Spores - inhaled or ingested
INFECTION: Haematogenous migration –> placenta, placentitis, foetal death. Subsequent fertility and health unaffected. May also cause equine abortion

Question 9

What are causes of bovine infectious infertility?

Answer 9

BACTERIA: Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis, gram negative rod
Mucous membrane and prepuce of mature bull (lifelong asymptomatic)
INFECTIO: catarrhal inflammation of genital tract –> endometritis and inflammation –> embryo fails to implant –> embryo dies –> infertility.
DIAGNOSIS: Culture from sheath washings or products of abortion, PCR

Question 10

List some causes of non-specific post-partum endometritis (BOVINE)

Answer 10

Trueperella (Arcanobacterium) pyogenes
E. coli
Enterococcus faecalis
Anaerobes (Bacteroids sp.)

LEADS TO BOVINE PYOMETRA

Question 11

What are the 3 main causes of ovine abortion?

Answer 11

1. ) Toxoplasma - 28%
2. ) Chlamydophila abortus - 27%
3. ) Other - 26%

Question 12

What disease does. Cabortus cause?

Answer 12

Enzootic abortion of ewes (EAE)

Question 13

Features of C.abortus infection.

Answer 13

Obligate intracellular pathogen
PI
Late pregnancy abortion (ewe)
Subsequent fertility not impaired

Question 14

Reservoir - C.abortus -3

Answer 14

Infected sheep, faeces, birds

Question 15

Transmision - C.abortus - 2

Answer 15

venereal or oral

Question 16

Diagnosis - C.abortus

Answer 16

Ag detection by ELISA and Kosters (now PCR)

Question 17

Control - C.abortus

Answer 17

Vaccination - prevents new cases, doesn’t clear established infection

Question 18

Can Salmonella enterica serovar Dublin cause bovine abortion?

Answer 18

Yes - blood borne and invades placenta. Enteric. Zoonotic. Salmonellosis (cattle)

Question 19

Outline mycotic abortion (bovines)

Answer 19

skin lesions indicative + other signs often
sporadic
mouldy feeds, spore inhalation
doesn’t predispose future abortion

**e.g. Aspergillus fumigatus **

Question 20

What can cause bovine infectious infertility?

Answer 20

Campylobacter fetus subsp venerealis
Infects MM and prepuce of mature bull
Lifelong asymptomatic infection
Catarrhal inflammation of female tract
Endometritis and inflammation --> embryo fails to implant

Question 21

How can C. fetus subsp venerealis be detected?

Answer 21

Sheath/vaginal washing or products of abortion
PCR
(gram negative rod)

Question 22

What causes Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM)?

Answer 22

Taylorella equigenitalis

Acute, contagious, venereal transmission. Causes metritis, cervicitis and discharge (thick, milky, mucoid, 10-14 days after breeding). Asymptomatic in stallions.

UK eradicated. Europe - wild ponies

Transmission: stallion at service, fomites

Question 23

What causes metritis in mares?

Answer 23

Klebsiella pneumoniae (K1, K5 and K7)

Also Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Question 24

Describe the Kosters stain.

Answer 24

Modified Ziehl Nielsen (mZN)
Weak carbol fuschin followed by 5% acetic acid then methylene blue counterstain.
Chlamydophila appear red

Question 25

What can cause ovine abortion?

Answer 25

Campylobacter fetus subsp fetus

Sporadic abortion - cattle, sheep, 10% ovine abortions

Question 26

What bacteria can cause canine pyometra and endometritis?

Answer 26

COLIFORMS (e.g. E.coli)

BETA-HAEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCI (S.canis, S.zooepidemicus)

Question 27

What can cause canine prostatitis? 6

Answer 27

NON-SPECIFIC INFECTIONS

E.coli, Proteus, Streptococci, Staphylococci, Mycoplasma felis

Question 28

What can cause abortion in mares?

Answer 28

Streptococcus zooepidemicus (this is a beta-haemolytic streptococci, Lancefield group C)