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

Campylobacter fetus or jejuni In ewes, causes abortion storms. Transmission is oral from faeces or aborted material and leads to late abortion, premature and weak lambs. See areas of focal hepatic necrosis in foetus.