Objective--To evaluate the immunologic response of a killed tachyzoite vaccine against Neospora caninum and its effectiveness in preventing fetal loss associated with experimentally induced neosporosis in sheep. Animals--30 Dorset ewes. Procedure--Ewes were randomly allocated to receive vaccination on days 1 and 60 of the study with a killed N caninum tachyzoite preparation in a commercially available adjuvant or a saline-adjuvant mixture. A ram was placed on pasture with the ewes from days 15 to 60. Blood was collected from ewes before primary and booster vaccinations and prior to experimental challenge with N caninum tachyzoite performed on day 90; sera were assessed via Neospora agglutination (NA) and immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) assays. Blood was collected from lambs before they suckled, and sera were tested for antibodies against N caninum. Results--Of the 14 vaccinated ewes that became pregnant, 12 gave birth to live-born lambs; in contrast, 5 of 11 pregnant control ewes gave birth to live-born lambs. Whereas vaccination improved fetal survival in pregnant ewes challenged with N caninum tachyzoites, it did not appear to have any appreciable effect on transmission of N caninum to offspring, as indicated by results of NA and IFA assays. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance--The N caninum tachyzoite vaccine used in this study appeared to provide protection against fetal loss associated with experimentally induced neosporosis in a high proportion of pregnant ewes.

Six pregnant gilts were purchased from a high health herd and were found to be serologically positive for swine influenza virus (SIV) subtype H3N2. Three of the gilts, at 80 to 82 days of gestation, were experimentally exposed a second time to the same SIV subtype --- H3N2. No clinical signs resulted from the second exposure to SIV and hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) titers for SIV at 4 weeks postexposure were unchanged suggesting that the gilts had not been reinfected. However, the second exposure to SIV affected the number of pigs born alive. Each of the 3 litters from the twice exposed gilts suffered 2 or 3 stillborn piglets per litter. In contrast the 3 matched, sero-positive gilts that were not exposed to SIV (controls) had no stillborn piglets. These differences were statistically significant using a t-test for unequal variances (P = 0.0086). Sera from 2 of the stillborn piglets were negative for HI antibodies and there was no indication from the pigs born alive that the H3N2 virus had crossed the placenta.

Archival specimens of gastric mucosa of 10 raccoons (Procyon lotor), 9 porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum), 6 grey foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), 6 bobcats (Lynx rufus), 4 skunks (Mephitis mephitis), and 3 black bears (Ursus americanus) were microscopically examined for evidence of Helicobacter-like organisms. Such organisms were seen in the specimens from the grey foxes and bobcats only. Histochemical stains (modified Steiner and carbol fuchsin methods) revealed long spiral organisms within lumina of gastric glands; however, neither gross nor microscopic lesions were observed. By electron microscopy (EM), the organisms were found to be free in the glandular lumina and were seen occasionally in the cytoplasm of gastric epithelial cells. Morphologically, 2 different phenotypes of spiral organisms were identified by EM. The organisms associated with bobcats appeared to be more tightly coiled than those seen in grey foxes. The presence of Helicobacter-like organisms in the gastric mucosa of grey foxes has not previously been described.