Gross pathology of abortion and stillborn calves in Latvia | Abortētu un nedzīvi dzimušu teļu patologanatomiskās pārmaiņas Latvijā
2017
Piginka-Vjaceslavova, I., Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment BIOR, Riga (Latvia);Latvia Univ. of Agriculture, Jelgava (Latvia). Faculty of Veterinary Medicine | Ansonska, L., Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment BIOR, Riga (Latvia) | .
Abortion of ruminants is a major cause of economic loss worldwide. However, there are no studies that documented the pathology associated with calf loss in Latvia. The objective of this study was to investigate pathological changes of abortion and stillborn calves and to compare them with laboratory testing results. Investigation carried out from January to April 2017. Postmortem examination was done for 12 abortions and 4 stillborn calves. An abortion was defined as foetus before 8th month of gestation, a stillbirth – at least 8th month of gestation that died at or within 1 h of birth, or was found dead. Heart, lung, spleen, liver, kidney, brain, gastric content were collected for bacteriological investigation and PCR testing of Q-fever and Schmallenberg virus. Blood samples were collected and investigated to antibodies of Brucella, Leptospira, Listeria, Q-fever, Schmallenberg virus and parainfluenza-3 virus. Infectious agent was detected in 56.25% cases and 43.75% of calf had unknown cause of death. Listeria spp. was found in more than half of cases with infection (55.6%). Abnormal development of skeleton was found in two calves, one caused by Schmallenberg virus. Most common pathologies were subcutaneous serous hemorrhagic infiltrates, thoracic and abdomen cavity effusion in calves with and without infection, many of these cases did not have other macroscopic changes. Range of macroscopic lesions in calves were limited. Postmortem changes could impact detection of macroscopic lesions in calves. Research needs to continue with histological examination for identification of unknown cause of calf death.
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