The seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. and infection risk factors were investigated in horses from a military contingent in the Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. A total of 446 horses were evaluated and categorized into 309 mares, 11 stallions, and 126 horses with an average age of three years. To determine seroprevalence, serum samples from all horses were submitted to the microscopic agglutination test against 12 serovars belonging to nine serogroups, usually circulating in equine populations. To investigate the possible risk factors of infection by Leptospira spp., questionnaires were applied in that military unit. The seroprevalence in the horses with an average age of 3 years, mares, and stallions were 57.94% (73/126), 54.05% (165/309), and 45.45% (5/11), respectively. The main risk factors identified were contact with different water sources, the presence of rodents, and contact with wild and domestic animals. The high seroprevalence of anti‑Leptospira spp. antibodies may be associated with the presence of these risk factors. Therefore, the exposure of horses to possible reservoirs of Leptospira spp. should be minimized. Also, the immunoprophylaxis protocol should be reviewed and a shorter interval between vaccinations adopted to control leptospirosis in this herd.

Toxoplasma gondii is an infective parasite that causes reproductive disorders such as abortion, fetal mummification, birth of weak offspring, and stillbirth, thereby causing economic losses to sheep production. The northeastern region of Brazil has approximately 171 million small ruminants, of which 5.4% are sheep. The present study aimed at determining the rate of occurrence of T. gondii in sheep flocks on 60 farms in 19 municipalities in the three mesoregions (eastern, semi-arid, and sertão or backlands) of the state of Sergipe, Brazil, and the risk factors associated with this infection. Serum samples were collected between 2011 and 2012, from 60 farms located in 19 municipalities in the three mesoregions: 680 in the eastern region, 280 in the semi-arid region, and 240 in the backlands, totaling 1,200 samples (990 females and 210 males). Anti-T. gondii antibodies were detected by means of the indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT ≥ 64). The highest occurrence was detected in the eastern region (45.3%, p = 0.001). On farms with subsistence production, the risk of having animals infected by T. gondii was approximately twice as high as on breeding/rebreeding/fattening farms (OR: 3.03; CI: 1.97-4.68). There was a significant lack of sanitary care, such as absence of a dunghill (p = 0.000; OR: 1.60; CI: 1.26-2.03), quarantine (p = 0.000; OR: 1.87; CI: 1.45-2.41) and disinfection (p = 0.003; OR: 1.46; CI: 1.13-1.88). Regarding feeding, the risk of infection was 1.74 and 1.37 times higher in places that used a trough and/or that cats could access, respectively. The presente study allows the conclusions that T. gondii is found on farms in the three mesoregions of the state of Sergipe and that environmental and management factors have an influence on sheep infection.

Abortions in domestic ruminants cause significant economic losses to farmers. Determining the cause of an abortion is important for control efforts, but it can be challenging. All available diagnostic methods in the bacteriology laboratory should be employed in every case due to the many limiting factors (autolysis, lack of history, range of samples) that complicate the investigation process. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the recovery of diagnostically significant isolates from domestic ruminant abortion cases could be increased through the use of a combination of the existing aerobic culture and Brucella selective method with methods that are commonly recommended in the literature reporting abortion investigations. These methods are examination of wet preparations and impression smears stained by the modified Ziehl–Neelsen method, anaerobic, microaerophilic, Leptospira, Mycoplasma and fungal culture. Samples of placenta and aborted foetuses from 135 routine clinical abortion cases of cattle (n = 88), sheep (n = 25) and goats (n = 22) were analysed by the new combination of methods. In 46 cases, bacteria were identified as aetiological agents and in one case a fungus. Isolation of Brucella species increased to 7.4% over two years compared with the previous 10 years (7.3%), as well as Campylobacter jejuni (n = 2) and Rhizopus species (n = 1). Salmonella species (5.9%) and Trueperella pyogenes (4.4%) were also isolated more often. In conclusion, the approach was effective in removing test selection bias in the bacteriology laboratory. The importance of performing an in-depth study on the products of abortion by means of an extensive, combination of conventional culture methods was emphasised by increased isolation of Brucella abortus and isolation of C. jejuni. The combination of methods that yielded the most clinically relevant isolates was aerobic, microaerophilic, Brucella and fungal cultures.

In this study, Brucella abortus RB51 could be detected in the vaginal exudates of 5out of 26 aborted cows following vaccination of three dairy cattle herds of 3810animals including heifers and pregnant and non-pregnant cows by RB51 vaccine.Abortion associated with isolation of RB51 vaccinal strain from recently vaccinatedcows in this study served as evidence that the vaccinal RB51 strain was the cause of abortion due to extensive bacterial multiplication and colonization in the uterus ofvaccinated pregnant cows

Objective: The present study was primarily undertaken to determine the seroprevalnace of Chlamidya abortus infection in the Libyan camel (Camelus dromedarius).Materials and methods: Serological tests for C. abortus antibodies were conducted with 245 camels (205 females and 40 males) in different localities in the western region of Libya. Animals varied in age from <1 to 20 years and were sampled randomly from both housed and nomadic herds. From each animal, 10 mL blood sample was collected and sera were separated. Antibodies in the sera against C. abortus were detected using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Results of this study showed that out of the 245 camels tested for anti-chlamydia antibodies, 30 were found positive giving an overall prevalence of 12.25%. The seroprevalence of chlamydiosis was 2 folds higher in females (14.00%) as compared to males (5.00%).Conclusion: The present findings signify the C. abortus as a potential agent to cause abortion in Libyan camel (C. dromedarius). Besides, the persons who handle camels in Libya are at risk of infecting with C. abortus. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2016; 3(2.000): 178-183]

The aim of current study was to assess the seroprevalence of Neospora (N.) caninum and Toxoplasma (T.) gondii infections in aborted cattle and subsequent estimation of role of these parasites in cattle abortion in Hamedan province, Iran. Blood samples (n=85) of aborted cattle were collected from different locations of Hamedan province for a period of two years from January, 2010 to December, 2012. All the samples were evaluated for the presence of IgG-antibodies against N. caninum and T. gondii using Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA). The results showed that 61.2% (n=52/85), 5.9% (n=5/85) and 3.5% (n=3/85) animals were positive for N. caninum, T. gondii and co-infection of these two, respectively. There was no significant correlation between seroprevalence rates, age groups and breeding (p>0.05). However, a significant difference was found between T. gondii infection and the type of cattle (p=0.05), unlike to N. caninum (p=0.52). This is the first report of N. caninum and T. gondii co-infection in cattle in Iran. Although the rate of T. gondii infection was lower but this parasite might partly be responsible to be transmitted to humans. Further investigations and appropriate control strategies in management of cattle farms are highly recommended.

Various zoonotic microorganisms cause reproductive problems such as abortions and stillbirths, leading to economic losses on farms, particularly within livestock. In South Africa, bovine brucellosis is endemic in cattle, and from 2013–2018, outbreaks of Brucella melitensis occurred in sable. Coxiella burnetii, the agent responsible for the zoonotic disease known as Q-fever and/or coxiellosis, also causes reproductive problems and infects multiple domestic animal species worldwide, including humans. However, little is known of this disease in wildlife. With the expansion of the wildlife industry in South Africa, diseases like brucellosis and coxiellosis can significantly impact herd breeding success because of challenges in identifying, managing and treating diseases in wildlife populations. This study investigated samples obtained from aborted sable and roan antelope, initially suspected to be brucellosis, from game farms in South Africa using serology tests and ruminant VetMAX™ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) abortion kit. The presence of C. burnetii was confirmed with PCR in a sable abortion case, while samples from both sable and roan were seropositive for C. burnetii indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). This study represents the initial report of C. burnetii infection in sable and roan antelope in South Africa. Epidemiological investigations are crucial to assess the risk of C. burnetii in sable and roan populations, as well as wildlife and livestock in general, across South Africa. This is important in intensive farming practices, particularly as Q-fever, being a zoonotic disease, poses a particular threat to the health of veterinarians and farm workers as well as domestic animals. Contribution: A report of clinical C. burnetii infection in the wildlife industry contributes towards the limited knowledge of this zoonotic disease in South Africa.

Equine herpes virus-1 (EHV-1) is a major cause of economic losses in horse industry all over the world especially in the Arabian countries. The aim of the study is the isolation and identification of the local equine herpesvirus-1 at northern Egypt Governorates (Cairo, Dakahlyia, Qalyubia) during 2021- 2022. A total of 50 tissue organs were collected from aborted fetuses of affected mares recently after abortion. The collected samples were screened using consensus PCR for detection of equine herpesviruses (EHVs) using specific primers targeting DNA polymerase gene which revealed that 26 out of 50 samples were positive with percentage of 52%.The molecular positive samples were subjected to conventional PCR for further molecular identification and typing of EHVs using specific primers targeting glycoprotein (gB) gene which confirmed that all amplified products were for EHV-1. Attempts for isolation of EHV-1 were performed through propagation of molecular identified samples on Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cell line which revealed that 19 samples developed characteristic cytopathic effect in form of cell rounding and rapidly enlarging grapes like cell aggregation, and then detached of the cell, while 13 samples induced pock lesions on CAMs of SPF-ECE after inoculation for three successive passages. Serological identification of EHV-1 isolates was confirmed by immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) which showed that 19 samples induced intracytoplasmic greenish yellow fluorescence. Selected EHV-1 isolate was subjected for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for demonstration of virus morphology. The obtained results confirmed that EHV-1 is the major cause of abortion among Arabian mares which disrupts breeding and showcasing events. Future considerations about management strategies together with regular and effective vaccine trials are recommended for control of EHV-1.

Objective: The following study examines for the first time the changes that occur in the post-partum period following abortion in the first trimester of dairy cows using hormonal, hematological, and oxidant/antioxidant profiles. In addition, a bacteriological examination was also performed to explore the role of infections in the complications that occur during this period. Materials and Methods: One hundred cows were split into two equal groups: The first group enrolled cows that suffered from abortion in the first trimester. The second group enrolled cows that did not experience abortion problems (the control group). Uterine swabs were collected from cows. Blood samples were collected for hormonal, hematological, and oxidative profiles. Results: Results reveal that Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp. are the opportunistic bacteria that were isolated from abortive cows with multidrug-resistant (MDR) characteristics. Red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and MCH concentration (MCHC) were significantly higher in the abortive group than in controls in the first 3 days after calving. Conversely, total leukocyte count, platelet count, neutrophils, eosinophils, and immunoglobulin G and M were significantly lower in the abortion group than in controls. The concentrations of estradiol, prostaglandin F2α, oxytocin, and cortisol are significantly increased in the abortive cows, while progesterone is significantly decreased. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were higher in the abortive group, while the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were lower. Conclusion: Abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk of postpartum opportunistic bacterial invasion of the uterus. Oxidative stress (OS) and neutropenia are the most important findings that may occur in the postpartum period after abortion and may be due to the abortion itself or its predisposition to opportunistic bacterial invasion of the uterus, which finally causes a fertility reduction. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2023; 10(4.000): 654-666]