Abortifacients

Question 1

What is the most importantly species in vet med?!

Answer 1

L. Monocytogenes
A gram + rod rectL!
Facultative anaerobe
Motile
Non-spore former
Facultative intracellular

Question 2

What is the acronym for G+ rods and what bacteria do they stand for

Answer 2

Rhodococcus
Erysipelothrix
Corynebacterium
Trueperella
Listeria

Question 3

So about listeria…

Answer 3

Wide growing temperature range 4-45 C
Common environmental organism
Loves silage! pH >5.5
Feed silage with pH <4
Most common foodborne in humans (contaminated dairy, seafood, deli, salads, and raw milk)

Question 4

What’s the pathogenesis of listeria

Answer 4

Enters through ingestion (but ocular is also possible)
Invades cells
Escapes from vacuole into the cytoplasm
Listeriolysin O is a virulence factor
Spreads though protruding membrane (this is a unique immune evasion. Sneaky sneaky!!)
Spreads to extra intestinal sites
Clinical signs are outside the GIT

Question 5

What are the clinical syndromes or listeria?

Answer 5

Abortions (necrotic placentitis)
Meningoencephalitis (circling disease)
Visceral/septicemic disease

Question 6

Where does listeria replicate

Answer 6

In the liver and spleen and causes febrile. Flu-like conditions

Question 7

What is circling disease

Answer 7

Listeria meningoencephalitis
It localises in the pons and medulla cos of CN 5 axons or the meninges

Causes rhombencephalitis
More common in ruminants usually in late winter or early spring in feedlots where silage is heavily fed

Microabcesses form (perivascular cuffing) with leukocyte infiltrate and focal necrosis

Meningitis sporadically in other species

Question 8

What’s visceral listeriosis

Answer 8

Septicemia with localisation in the liver and spleen leading to focal necrosis

Occurs mostly in monogastrics including birds

Question 9

Epidemiology of listeriosis

Answer 9

It’s associated with feed
Can form biofilms!
Usually the entire flock is affected and there is several week incubation

Question 10

How is listeriosis dx?

Answer 10

Postmortem (usually)
Histo pathology of the brain, liver, spleen, foetal tissues and placenta

Question 11

What is the drug of choice for listeria

Answer 11

Penicillin!!

But erythromycin
Trimethaprim
Sulfonamide can also be used!

Question 12

Why is a high penicillin dose needed for listeria treatment

Answer 12

To get pass the BBB & achieve adequate CNS levels of antibiotic

Question 13

Control methods for listeria both humans 🙄 and animals

Answer 13

Humans 🙄
Don’t drink raw milk!!
Be careful with unpasteurised cheeses!

Animals!
Good quality silage
Cooperative extension resources for silage quality control guidelines
No raw foods

precaution for prego and immunocompromised animals and people

Question 14

Who are the reservoirs for c. Burnetii

Answer 14

Cattle
Sheep
Goats

Question 15

How is burnetii encountered?

Answer 15

Placenta
Milk
Urine
Faeces
shed in high numbers

Question 16

Sum up coxiella burnetii

Answer 16

G - rod
Aerobic
Obligate intracellualr
Part of bacterial Ddx for abortions in sheep and goats (campy jejuni and fetus
Brucella (ovis, Abortus, melitensis)
Chlamydia abortus)

Question 17

What causes Q fever and is it zoonotic?

Answer 17

Coxiellosis

Yes!!

Question 18

Pathogenesis of c burnetii

Answer 18

Infections acquired through the environment and entry is through inhalation, ingestion and tick vectors!

Question 19

Where are initial infections of c burnetii seen?

Answer 19

Lungs, spleen and liver.

Question 20

Is c burnetii subclinical and where do they shed

Answer 20

Yes completely subclinical in non-pregnant sheep, goats, and cattle

Question 21

What becomes infected when pregnant?

Answer 21

Placental trophoblast

Question 22

Is c burnetii shed at parturition

Answer 22

Yes a lot amount is shed +/- abortions

Question 23

Why is burnetii categorised as a select agent by the CDC

Answer 23

Low ID50 and ya it’s reportable!

Question 24

When is the clinical disease risk the highest?

Answer 24

In pregnancy immunocompromised and anyone. With heart valve disease

Question 25

Positive animals are _______ for life

Answer 25

Yes because eradication is super hard

Question 26

What is the DX for coxiella?

Answer 26

IFA, ELISA, CF The PCR has to be run by CDC approved lab Culture is not practical cos requires cell culture (obligate intracellular) Histo pathology

Question 27

What is the treatment for coxiella

Answer 27

Disinfection (though hard) Wear PPE Prompt disposal of birthing material and fluids Segregate parturient animals

Question 28

What’s the treatment of coxiella

Answer 28

Chloramphenicol, enrofloxacin, TMS (usually not successful) Long term tetracycline use in feed can reduce shedding Treatment is hard to do because coxielal lives in acidic phage some of macrophages

Question 29

So about the Chlamydia…

Answer 29

G - no peptiodoglycan in cell wall Coccobacillus Aerobic Obligate intracellualr Many species! (Abortus, psittaci (also in birds horses cattle and humans) and pecorum) all relevant to small ruminants

Question 30

Which species causes a enzoonotic abortions

Answer 30

Abortus

Question 31

Encounters with chlamydia in small ruminants

Answer 31

High number shed during parturition Shed for weeks before and after birth Inhalation and ingestion are major routes of exposure General is a minor route

Question 32

Elementary bodies of chlamydia

Answer 32

Not a true spore, but sore like (can survive out in environment) The only infectious stage!

Question 33

Reticulate bodies of chlamydia

Answer 33

Do intracellular replication Is non infectious

Question 34

Chlamydia can cause ______ and ____ in lambs

Answer 34

poly arthritis and conjunctivitis

Question 35

What causes placentitis And cotyledonary necrosis and happens usually in naïve animals usually in the first 3 months of pregnancy

Answer 35

Chlamydia abortions

Question 36

How is chlamydia dx

Answer 36

Antigen ELISA Histopathology of placenta PCR NOT CULTURE ——only in research labs!

Answer 37

Antigen ELSIA

Question 38

Psittaci can also cause___

Answer 38

Pneumonia

Question 39

What species causes late term abortions?

Answer 39

Abortus and psittaci

Question 40

Campylobacter as abortifacients

Answer 40

Fetus Veneralis Jejuni Coli

Question 41

C fetus veneralis encounter

Answer 41

Host restricted to cattle Lives in the prenuptial crypts of carrier bulls (same as tritrichomonas foetus lives!) Spread through the sex! Bovine genital campylobacteriosis (BGC)

Question 42

With veneralis does fertilisation occur?

Answer 42

Yes even though it is a disease of apparent infertility

Question 43

Inhospitable for embryo implantation

Answer 43

Due to mild endometritis

Question 44

Does the cow return to estrus

Answer 44

Yes but there are many pregnancies before one is carried to full term

Question 45

Is veneralis reportable

Answer 45

Yes on the federal level!

Question 46

What is an abortifacient in all ruminants?

Answer 46

Fetus

Question 47

Where is the reservoir for fetus

Answer 47

The GIT like with c jejuni it also shares a pathogenesis to c jejuni and can cause abortions storms. It is important to distinguish from venerealis because that’s one is reportable. It is the most important in sheep

Question 48

Lab dx for c fetus

Answer 48

Is more challenging for c jejuni Screening of bulls for venerealis (needs special transport media!) weybridge or Clarks medium) PCR and glycine tolerance test for differentiation between subspecies For abortions dx culture and histopathology is needed

Question 49

What’s CEM?

Answer 49

Taylorella equigenitalis G - Coccobacillus Microaerophile

Question 50

How t. Equigenitalis is encountered

Answer 50

The sex! (Super efficient) Possible to spread through AI or frozen semen Both stallions and mares can be carriers

Question 51

What is federally reportable, eradicated in many countries (including the states) and requires quarantine of horses that enter the country?

Answer 51

T. Equigenitalis!

Question 52

Where does t equigenitalis infect

Answer 52

The endometrium resulting in suppuration inflammation It is usually self limiting within weeks and causes failure to conceive though long term breeding not affected!

Question 53

Testing for equigenitalis

Answer 53

USDA culture approved lab Sampling method is prescribed by USDA TAKES UP TO 14 DAYS to grow 3 sets of culture needed to call it negative