Leptospirosa pomona Abortion Storm in a Cattle Herd in Saskatchewan

Abortions occurred in 18% of 131 beef cows and heifers during two months, on a farm in southern Saskatchewan. The losses began two weeks after acute febrile illness and agalactia in a dairy cow to which the beef herd had been exposed. A diagnosis of Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona infection was made on the basis of serology in cows and the finding of leptospires in fetal tissues by fluorescent antibody test. Tentative diagnosis of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis delayed treatment and prophylaxis until infection attained high intensity in the herd and severe losses to the farmer occurred. Abortions ceased after vaccination against pomona and oxytetracycline treatment of pregnant cows, although chronic debility followed the acute phase of the disease in some cows. Recrudescence of infection was suspected four months later, when acute agalactia occurred in one cow and debility in calves and cows was recurring. Pomona infection was not proven, but dihydrostreptomycin treatment and revaccination were applied to the whole herd. Seroconversion and IgM antibody continued to indicate a persistent source of infection and susceptibility in a minority of the population one year after onset. The source of the original infection is believed to have been a carrier beef cow, or a dairy cow which was leptospiruric at the time of contact with the beef herd. With the exception of one aborted calf, no evidence of pomona infection was found outside the farm, in cattle or wild mammals tested serologically within a radius of 30 km, during one year following the outbreak.     

A defect in thyroglobulin synthesis in an inherited ovine goitre: possible neonatal respiratory distress syndrome

A ram lamb with congenital goitre showed signs of respiratory distress at birth. All previously affected lambs from this flock bad been born dead or bad died soon after birth. The serum free-thyroxine level at 1 birth was low (9.8 pmol/l) but treatment with oral L-thyroxine resulted in an increase in thyroxine blood levels to above normal and regression of the goitre. Four weeks after withdrawal of thyroid supplementation and when the lamb was eight weeks old, the radio iodide uptake mechanism of the thyroid glands was shown to be intact but the iodide was not organified. Low normal peroxidase activity was demonstrated in fresh thyroid tissue but gel electrophoresis demonstrated an absence of normal thyroglobulin from extracts of the goitrous thyroid. This lamb and the other affected lambs of this flock have an inherited defect in thyroglobulin synthesis and it is likely that the respiratory distress was associated with the low levels of thyroid hormone affecting foetal lung development.     

Dual infections of red deer (Cervus elaphus) by Leptospira interrogans serovars copenhageni and hardjo

On a property in the Nelson District, blood and urine samples were taken from red deer (Cervus elaphus) from which low (<1:100) antibody titres to serovar copenhageni and suspected leptospiral abortions had previously been reported. A total of 27 hinds were sampled. Microscopic agglutination test (MAT) titres in sera ranging from 1:32 to 1:128 were found in six animals. Thirteen leptospiral isolations were made from nine of the 27 urine samples. Four of these were typed as copenhageni and nine as hardjo. Two cultures were prepared from each urine sample and hardjo and copenhageni were both isolated from single urine samples from two animals. None of the 27 deer had serum MAT titres at 1:32 or above to copenhageni.     

Pluronic poisoning in a herd of dairy calves

Of 32 calves given an unknown amount of a pluronic bloat mixture with their milk, 28 died in convulsions over 24 hours. Supportive therapy was unsuccessful. Concentrations of pluronic present in abomasal and rumenal contents supported a diagnosis of pluronic poisoning.