View source for Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus

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Also known as: '''''C. fetus'''''

{{Taxobox
|name               =''Campylobacter fetus''
|phylum             =Proteobacteria
|class              =Epsilon Proteobacteria
|order              =Campylobacterales
|family             =Campylobacteraceae
|genus              =Campylobacter
|species            =''C.fetus''
|Sub-species        =''fetus''
}}
[[File:campylo.jpg|thumb|200px|right|''Campylobacter fetus'' Janice Carr 2004, Wikimedia Commons]]

''Campylobacter fetus'', has the subspecies ''fetus'' and [[Campylobacter fetus subspecies venerealis|''venerealis'']], belonging to the genus [[Campylobacter species - Overview|''Campylobacter'']].
''C.fetus'' can cause sporadic abortion in cows and sheep and is the cause of 10% of ovine abortions in the UK. 
The bacteria is an enteric organism of sheep, goats and cattle and is spread by faecal-oral transmission. The ingestion of ''C.fetus'' during last trimester of pregnancy causes a bacteraemia.
The bacteria can reach the uterus and necrotic placentitis causes late abortion, still birth or weak lambs. Aborted lambs may have round necrotic lesions on the surface of their liver.
Aborting ewes are therefore a source of infection for vulnerable animals and up to 20% of a flock may abort.
A solid immunity may be developed.

==Diagnosis==

The presence of ''C.fetus'' may be diagnosed by; hepatic lesions in lambs; the presence of organisms in the foetal abomasum and isolation and identification of the bacteria. 

==Treatment and control==

The aborting ewes should be isolated and other ewes should be moved to clean pasture. The placenta should be destroyed and the flock vaccinated with bacterin during the outbreak and prophylactically. During and outbreak, chlortetracycline should be added to the feed.

==Literature Search==

[http://www.cabdirect.org/search.html?q=title%3A%28%22Campylobacter+fetus+fetus%22%29+OR+title%3A%28%22Campylobacter+fetus+subsp.+fetus%22%29+OR+title%3A%28%22Campylobacter+fetus+subspecies+fetus%22%29+ ''Campylobacter fetus'' subspecies ''fetus''] 
[[Category:Campylobacter_species]]

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