[Isolation of chlamydia in keratoconjunctivitis]. / Izolirane na khlamidiia pri keratokoniunktiviti.

Two isolates, identified as Chlamydia (neorickettsia) were obtained from the lacrimal secretion of calves with an acute infection on two of a total of four investigated farms with a record of infectious keratoconjunctivitis. In about 70% of the calves that survived there were complement-fixing antibodies against the neorickettsial antigen, the titers ranging from 1:8 to 1:64. Calves that yielded the causative agent were investigated in terms of the antibody dynamics. In the remaining herds no specific antibodies were demonstrated in animals that had survived. One of the isolated strains was used to infect (via the external camera oculi) a rabbit. Acute keratoconjunctivitis followed, and the blood serum of the rabbit was found to contain complement-fixing antibodies of a titer within the 1:8-1:16 range from the 30th day on. A neorickettsial strain was also isolated from the ocular secretion of a dog with serofibrinous keratoconjunctivitis, and this was regarded as a rarely encountered finding.

[Studies of the etiology of infectious abortion in cows in Ruse District]. / Prouchvaniia vurkhu etiologiiata na infektsioznite aborti po kravite v Rusenski okrug.

A total of 28,159 blood serum samples have been examined for brucellosis, 87--for leptospirosis, 84--for toxoplasmosis, 554--for the presence of rickettsii and neoreckettsii, and 193--for total protein content, albumin, and protein fractions, taken from cows in the course of the years on 40 dairy farms in the district of Rousse. Bacteriologically were examined 349 aborted fetuses, 178 samples of estral secretion, 57 placentae, and 1002 samples of washings and seminal fluid from bulls for vibriosis. Bacteriologic investigations were also carried out on 383 fetuses for salmonellosis, listeriosis, and colibacteriosis, and virologic studies of 398 placentae and parenchymal organs of fetuses. Twenty-eight fetuses were studied parasitologically for toxoplasmosis, and 118 blood smears were examined for hemosporidiosis. It was established that most important in the etiology of the infectious abortions in cows in the district of Rousse were Vibrio organisms. They were found in 36.9 per cent of the studied bovine fetuses and in 24.4 per cent of all materials examined bacteriologically. Only 4 cases were noted of neorickettsii from fetuses and placentae. Serologically, there were 23.6 per cent cases positive for neorickettsiosis, and 12.6 per cent--for Q fever; 56.4 per cent of the investigated sera proved positive for leptospirosis. In 0.8 per cent of the examined fetuses there was Escherichia coli. Abortions in cows were also due to anaplasmosis and francaillelosis; 14.2 per cent of the investigated respective sera were positive for toxoplasmosis. On the days of abortions the amount of total protein was 7.13 mg%, that of albumins--36%, and of globulins--64%. It is considered imperative to elucidate the cause of abortions of infectious nature in cows in connection with the establishing of cattle-breeding complexes.