Campylobacter fetus subspecies fetus

Sporadic abortion in cows and sheep
10% of ovine abortions in the UK
Enteric organism of sheep, goats and cattle; faecal-oral transmission
Ingestion during last trimester of pregnancy causes a bacteraemia
Bacteria reach the uterus
Necrotic placentitis causes late abortion, still birth or weak lambs
Sporadic abortion in cattle
Aborted lambs may have round necrotic lesions on surface of liver
Aborting ewes source of infection for vulnerable animals
Up to 20% of flock may abort
Solid immunity developed
S layer immunodominant antigen
Diagnosis: hepatic lesions in lambs; presence of organisms in foetal abomasum; isolation and identification
Treatment/control: isolate aborting ewes; destroy placenta; move other ewes to clean pasture; vaccinate flock with bacterin during outbreak and prophylactically; chlortetracycline in feed in an outbreak