Bovine Infectious Infertility and Abortion

Question 1

T/F: Tritrichomonas foetus is diagnosed using preputial scraping samples from the bull in Clark’s media

Answer 1

False

Tritrichomonas foetus is diagnosed using preputial scraping samples from the bull in Diamond media or inPouch.

Campylobacter foetus veneralis is diagnosed using preputial scraping samples from the bull in Clark’s media

Question 2

Describe the lesions you expect to see on the placenta in a case of Listeria monocytogenes

Answer 2

Pinpoint yellow, necrotic foci on tips of cotyledonary villi with focal or diffuse intercotyledonary placentitis

Question 3

Bluetongue virus infects cattle and sheep and is transmitted by:

Answer 3

Culicoides (biting midges)

Question 4

IBR-infected cattle usually abort between ___ and ___ months gestation

Answer 4

IBR-infected cattle usually abort between 4 and 8 months gestation

Question 5

T/F: All serovars of Leptospira are zoonotic

Answer 5

True

Question 6

With regard to BVD, what is the primary source of viral spread?

Answer 6

Persistently infected (PI) calves

consistently shedding high numbers of virus particles

Question 7

What do you call a masturbating cow?

Answer 7

Beef Stroganoff

Question 8

T/F: Bulls can be carriers of Brucella abortus and the infection can be sexually transmitted

Answer 8

False

Bulls can be carriers of Brucella abortus, but the infection is not transmitted sexually

Question 9

Neospora caninum causes abortion in the ___ trimester of pregnancy

Answer 9

3^rd

Typically at least (abortions can occur anytime)

Question 10

Fetal death that occurs greater than 260 days is termed:

Answer 10

Stillbirth

Question 11

T/F: Campylobacter foetus veneralis is transmitted venereally in cattle

Answer 11

True

After coitus, the bacteria colonizes in the vagina and cervix and migrates to the uterus and oviducts, leading to infection and early embryonic death (EED)

Question 12

What is the definitive host for Neospora caninum?

Answer 12

dogs

Question 13

Abortions are rarely seen with the venereal form of IBR in cattle. What is typically seen with this form?

Answer 13

vulvovaginitis and balanoposthitis

Lesions spontaneously resolve in 1-2 weeks

Question 14

What is the gold standard for diagnosing BVD?

Answer 14

Virus isolation (VI)

However, this can not be performed on young calves (<6mo) due to interference from maternal antibodies

• Immunohistochemistry (presence of Ag in ear notch sample) is probably the method that is most commonly used (maternal antibodies do not interfere)
• Other methods include PCR and ELISA

Question 15

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that is found everywhere in the environment, but is concentrated in ________ and ________

Answer 15

rotting hay and improperly stored silage

Question 16

In order to be persistently infected with BVD, a fetus must be infected in utero before acquiring immunocompetence. Which of the following strains must a calf be infected with to become persistently infected?

• Cytopathic
• Type 1
• Type 2
• Non-cytopathic

Answer 16

Non-cytopathic

Question 17

What BVDV biotype produces persistently infected (PI) calves?

Answer 17

noncytopathic

Question 18

I say “moroccan leather placenta.” You say:

Answer 18

Brucella abortus

Question 19

To diagnose leptospirosis, you can perform a fluorescent antibody test on maternal urine after administration of __________

Answer 19

furosemide

However, lepto is pretty difficult to diagnose definitively, so we usually just focus on treatment and prevention

Question 20

T/F: In order to test a bull for Tritrichomonas foetus, he must go through two weeks of sexual rest, followed by once weekly testing for three weeks

Answer 20

True

PCR all positive samples to type

Question 21

Tritrichomonas foetus organisms primarily inhabit __________ of bulls

Answer 21

preputial crypts

Question 22

Describe the placental lesions associated with Aspergillus fumigatus in cattle:

Answer 22

Necrosis of cotyledons and thickening of intercotyledonary space

Question 23

Listeria monocytogenes causes abortion in the ____ trimester

Answer 23

Listeria monocytogenes causes abortion in the last trimester

Question 24

__________ is the most frequently diagnosed cause of viral abortion in cattle in North America

Answer 24

Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR)

Bovine Herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1)

Question 25

Fetal death that occurs between 42-56 days and 260 days of gestation is termed:

Answer 25

Abortion

Question 26

When are heifers vaccinated for Brucella abortus?

Answer 26

4-12 months of age

The actual time period varies by state

Question 27

In ~25% of Aspergillus cases in cattle, the skin of the fetus will have __________, which is basically pathognomonic for fungal infection

Answer 27

mycotic plaques

Question 28

T/F: Campylobacter fetus fetus and Campylobacter fetus jejuni are both transmitted venereally

Answer 28

False

Campylobacter fetus fetus and Campylobacter fetus jejuni are both normal GI inhabitants. They may cause sporadic abortions in cattle, but are not transmitted venereally

Question 29

Lepto is transmitted primarily in ________

Answer 29

URINE

• URINE, placental fluids, milk, transplacental, semen
• Can survive in wet environment for up to 30 days
• Can penetrate abraded MM
• Persists in renal tubules

Question 30

Campylobacter foetus veneralis is a Gram [-] microaerophilic rod. It is also called:

Answer 30

Vibrio

Question 31

How do you diagnose Campylobacter foetus veneralis in cattle?

Answer 31

Clark’s media - preputial scrapings

Question 32

T/F: Mycoplasma and ureaplasma organisms are both found in the “normal” female reproductive tract in the cow

Answer 32

True

These are not commonly the cause of abortion

Question 33

T/F: Brucella abortus may be transmitted by intrauterine deposition of frozen semen

Answer 33

True

Sire bulls should be tested for Brucella!

Question 34

__________ causes ~70% of fungal abortions in cattle

Answer 34

Aspergillus fumigatus

Transmission propagated in winter/spring during increased confinement of cattle in northern hemisphere

Question 35

Is Leptospira interrogans hardjo-prajitno host adapted or non-host adapted?

Answer 35

host adapted

Most of the host-adapted serovars will have ‘hardjo’ in the name. Host-adapted cause insidious reproductive loss and infertility

Question 36

How long does uterine involution normally take in the cow?

• 5-15 days
• 15-25 days
• 25-50 days
• 35-75 days

Answer 36

25-50 days​

Question 37

What agent is most likely responsible for a clinically sick cow that aborts?

• Lepto
• Vibrio
• Literia
• Brucella

Answer 37

Listeria

Question 38

Describe the characteristic lesions associated with leptospirosis in cows

Answer 38

n/a

There are no characteristic lesions. Most of the time there won’t even be clinical signs. You may see hemolytic anemia, hepatic/renal disease, abortion, or photosensitization

Question 39

What is the primary clinical sign associated with Campylobacter foetus veneralis in cows?

Answer 39

delayed return to estrus

• Clinical Signs
  
  • Primary = delayed return to estrus
  • Rarely observed= vaginitis, cervicitis, endometritis
  • Less than 10% abort fetus
    
    • 4 to 6 months
  • Bulls- no clinical signs

Question 40

Fetal death that occurs less than 8 weeks is termed:

Answer 40

Early Embryonic Death

Question 41

Brucella abortus causes abortion frequently after the ____ month of gestation

Answer 41

5^th

• Brucella abortus causes abortion frequently after the 5^th month of gestation. Retained fetal membranes and metritis follow.
• Some Brucella infected cows give birth to weak calves that die soon after birth

Question 42

What does Brucella cause in humans?

Answer 42

Undulant fever

Question 43

T/F: Non-host adapted forms of Lepto cause abortion storms

Answer 43

True