Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus

Campylobacter fetus is a species belonging to the genus 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 in the feed.