Bovine Abortion: Diagnostic Methods

Bovine abortion continues to result in severe economic losses for beef and dairy producers through out the world. The average herd abortion rate reported in various studies in the literature varies from 2% to 12%, with much of the variation due to differences in case definition (what constitutes an abortion), methods of data recording, management styles, geography and prevalence of bovine abortifacients. It is interesting to note that in spite of an abundance of vaccine products for abortion prevention, these figures remain virtually unchanged. The endless battle for prevention of abortion losses continues. This presentation will discuss the methods of diagnosis for the common causes of bovine abortion. Possible ruleouts for bovine abortion will also be covered.

Success rates for abortion diagnosis are often very low averaging around 30% in most laboratories. Many cases of non-infectious abortion will go undiagnosed. The Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ADRDL) at South Dakota State University has adopted a uniform approach for dealing with cases of bovine reproductive failure that is unique in the field of veterinary diagnostic medicine. Unique does not necessarily mean the only way or the best way. All cases of reproductive failure submitted to ADRDL are assigned to one pathologist (i.e. a reproductive disease specialist) who acts as case coordinator until the case is completed. The most obvious advantages of this system are consistency and accountability. As the reproductive disease specialist, I encourage practitioners to feel free to contact me with questions and special needs on difficult cases. I will not always have an answer, but I will always try to lend as much assistance as is possible.  […]