Campylobacter Flashcards
What is the significance of Camp in sheep?
- 3rd most common cause of abortion
- 20% loss/ sporadic
- goes to the uterus and causes necrotic placentitis
- causes late abortion, still births, weak lambs
What is the significance in cattle?
- C. fetus sbsp. venerealis - more associated with fertility issues/ econonic problems (causes Bovine Genital Campylobacterosis) - venereal disease/ embryonic death
- C. fetus sbsp fetus - abortion
What camp species dont tend to cause repro disease in cows and sheep?
- c.jejuni
- c.coli
Describe Campylobacter
- Curved, S-shaped, spiral rod
- microaerophilic - so difficult to grow in lab
- G-ve
- oxidase +ve
- darting corkscrew motility
- single polar flagellum
- 37-42 degrees
What are the vectors and signs of C.jejuni, C.coli. C.fetus?
- C.jejuni - man, mammals, poutlry, birds - raw milk, food, water, poultry - enteritis, GBS, systemic illness
- C.coli - mammals, pigs, poulrty - food, water, poultry - enteritis
- C.fetus - cow and sheep - uncooked meat - beef and pork - enteritis, bacteriaemia, meniginits
Describe the virulence of Camp
- flagella - motility - chemotactic to mucin
- cytolethal distending toxin -CLDT produced
- adhesion
- invasion
- diarrohea - inflammation?
What strains of camp cause disease in sheep?
- C. fetus
- sometimes C.jejuni
What are the infectious causes of infertility in cattle?
- Campylobacter fetus - venerealis
- Salmonellosis
- Neospora
- Leptospirosis
How is C.fetus sbsp venerealis spread?
- venereally
- contaminated instruments
- AI
- bedding
Why is infection varible in bulls?
- depends on age-related preputial epithelial crypts
- <3/4 years - crypts not fully developed
- >3/4 years - crypts very developed - microaerophilic environment - growth
- need to sample the crypts
It the infection variable in cows?
- varies - some clear the infection rapidly, others carry it for 2+ years
- around 50% of cows will shed IgA antibodies in cervical mucus for several months - diagnostic
- genital tract may be free - but vagina may remain chronically infected
Describe the pathogenesis in cattle
- in the crypts
- then moves into the female via coitus
- moves through the mucus becauase of the flagella
- causes metritis
- metritis = poor pregnancy rates, embryonic death, reabsorption of the foetus
- can cause abortion
What are the clinical signs in cattle?
- cows
- mostly asymptomatic
- mucopurulent endomeritritis
- longer luteal phases
- changed oestrus cycles
- early embryonic death
- repeat breeding - so protracted calving period
- bulls
- mostly asymptomatic
- in semen
- test 3 times
- mostly asymptomatic
What PM findings in the foetus of cattle?
- partially expanded lungs
- severly autolysed
- fibrinous pleuritis/ peritonitis
- bronchopnemonia
- haemorrhagic cotelydons
- oedematous intercotelydonary area
What is this showing?
- inflammation of the cotelydonary area
Samples for diagnosis - cows and bulls??
- cows - anoestrus mucus
- bulls - preputial wash
What aborted material should you take for diagnosis?
- foetal stomach contents
- placenta
WHat diagnostic tests can be used in cattle?
- VMAT
- PCR
- ELISA - vaginal mucus
- sheath wash examination - fluorescent antibody test - 2x 1 week apart
- bacterial culture of vagina - straight after abortion
Methods of control in cattle?
- surveillance
- investigate abortions
- reputable AI
- antibiotics
- autogenous vaccine
When do abortions occur in infected sheep?
- last 6 weeks of gestation
How is Camp transmitted in sheep?
- survives well in enviro
- contaminated enviro/ pastue/ afterbirth
- FAECAL ORAL ROUTE
What does camp cause in sheep?
- damage to the placenta
- so foetus death
Describe the epidemiology and incidence in sheep
- self limiting - come into contact with carriers
- shedding highest - Nov and Dec - due to sheep being fed hay and silage instead of pasture
- Winter/ Spring
- increases with stress - lambing, new pasture etc
- outbreaks confined to 1 lambing season
PM findings in sheep?
- hepatitis
- pericarditis
- pneumonia
What is this?
- fibrinous pericarditis - sheep
- hepatitis
WHat samples are taken in ovine abortion?
- foetal abomasal contents
- placenta
- will see more autolysed foetuses in sheep
How do you manage sheep that have aborted?
- keep aborted ewes - mix them with non-pregnant replacements - immunity
- use antibiotics
- hygiene and husbandry/ handling
- next year - all that didnt abort, and new lambs will abort
What should be done with aborted materials, discharges etc?
- removed and cleaned, disinfected
- make sure doesnt get into water supply
- autogenous vaccines - C.jejuni, foetus
Risk factors for sheep and cattle?
- wild birds
- rodents
- open herds
- previous infections on farm
- mixed species
