Genital infection of ram hoggets associated with a gram-negative pleomorphic organism

Abstract

Extract

An acute epididymitis affecting mainly young rams and associated with a gram-negative pleomorphic organism was first reported in New Zealand in 1955 (1) Dodd, D. C. and Hartley, W. J. 1955. A specific suppurative epididymitis of rams. N.Z. vet. J., 3: 105–110. Taylor &; Francis Online] , Google Scholar]. Subsequently a similar syndrome attributed to Actinobacillus seminis has been reported in Border Leicester and other rams in Australia (2) Baynes, I. D. and Simmons, G. C. 1960. Ovine epididymitis caused by Actinobacillus seminis. N.Sp. Aust. vet. J., 36: 454–459.  Google Scholar] (3) Simmons, G. C., Baynes, I. D. and Ludford, C. G. 1966. Epidemiology of Actinobacillus seminis in a flock of Border Leicester sheep. Aust. vet. J., 42: 183–187.  Google Scholar] (4) Baynes, I. D. and Simmons, G. C. 1968. Clinical and pathological studies of Border Leicester rams naturally infected with Actinobacillus seminis. Aust. vet. J., 44: 339–343.  Google Scholar]. A like condition also described in Australia in a single crossbred ram was causally attributed to Histophilus ovis (5) Claxton, P. D. and Everett, R. E. 1966. Recovery of an organism resembling Histophilus ovis from a ram. Aust. vet. J., 42: 457–458.  Google Scholar]. Actinobacillus seminis was isolated from an epididymal infection in a Rambouillet ram in America (6) Livingston, C. W. and Hardy, W. T. 1964. Isolation of Actinobacillus seminis from ovine epididymitis. Am. J. vet. Res., 25: 660–663.  Google Scholar] and from a Dorper ram in South Africa(7) Worthingron, R. W. and Bosman, P. P. 1968. Isolation of Actinobacillus seminis in South Africa. J I. S. Aft. vet. med. Ass., 39: 81–85.  Google Scholar].