No abstract

Summary On the day of estrus, eight virgin heifers received intrauterine inoculations of yolk sac propagated Chlamydia psittaci strain BovEnd 11/88 isolated from the uterus of a slaughter cow. All heifers developed purulent vaginal discharge which persisted for 3 to 7 weeks. Chlamydiae or chlamydial antigen were detected in vaginal and uterine discharges of infected animals by culture or Capture ELISA, while other bacterial pathogens were not found. In sera of the chlamydia‐infected heifers marked increases in antibody titres against the chlamydial genus‐specific LPS‐antigen were found by ELISA and complement fixation test. Six heifers were artificially inseminated in 5 successive cycles beginning at the first estrus following intrauterine inoculation. In two of the infected heifers spontaneous healing of endometritis occurred after 5 estrus cycles. Only these animals conceived after the 5th breeding, whereas in the remaining four animals a chlamydia‐associated chronic endometritis was recognized as the cause of infertility in the 19th and 26th week p.i. at slaughter. Two control heifers which remained clinically normal after intrauterine exposure to sterile yolk sacsuspensions conceived at the 1st and 2nd service, respectively.

Contents:Chlamydia psittaci was isolated in embryonated chicken eggs via the yolk sac route from ten (16,7%) vaginal andlor endometrial mucosal scrapings of 60 slaughter cows. Simultaneous fecal shedding of chlamydiae was found in four animals. Chlamydia1 ir$ections of the genital tract were frequent (p < 0.01) when there were endometrial injlammatory lesions together with the failure to detect other bacterial pathogens in the uterus. Inhalt: Die Chlamydia psittaci-Infektion des Genitaltraktes beim weiblichen Rind als mogliche Ursache von UnfruchtbarkeitDurch Anzuchtung im bebriiteten Huhnerei konnte Chlamydia psittaci bei 10 (16,7%) von 60 Schlachtkiihen aus der Vagina undloder dem Uterus isoliert werden. Bei vier der chlamydieninfzierten Tiere gelang der Erregernachweis auch im Kot. Chlamydieninfektionen des Genitaltraktes fanden sich haufiger zusammen mit einer Endometritis in Fallen, in denen andere bakterielle Erreger von Entziindungen des Genitaltraktes nicht nachweisbar waren (p < 0,Ol).

Adresse der Autoren: Bischofsholer Damm 15, 3000 Hannover 1 Mit 5 Tubellen (Eingegangen a m 14. Dezember 1987) U. S.

Vaginal discharge from 119 dairy cows from 59 herds was examined bacteriologically, including application of the IDEIA@ Chlamydia test, to detect genus-specific chlamydial LPSantigen. A putrid quality of specimens was closely correlated with isolation of Actinomyces pyogenes (p < 0.001). The IDEIA was positive for 39 of 65 (60.0 YO) non-putrid specimens and for 16 of 54 (29.6 Yo) putrid specimens; a non-putrid quality of specimens was closely correlated with the detection of chlamydial antigen (p < 0.01). IDEIA-positive results were confirmed by a blocking-antibody assay and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a set of primers based on the 16s rRNA sequences of Chlamydia psittaci. Chlamydia-positive non-putrid specimens generally yielded no other bacterial pathogens. The clinical history of repeat breeding and endornetritis, as well as failure to isolate other bacterial pathogens on routinely used non-living media, were strongly suggestive of primary chlamydial involvement in these cases.