Seroprevalence study of the main causes of abortion in dairy cattle in Morocco.

Sera from 221 cattle were collected in 25 farms in Morocco to investigate the evidence and circulation of some of the main bovine abortive agents in the dairy cattle farming, where abortions are often reported. All sera were examined for brucellosis, 176 for neosporosis, 88 for leptospirosis, and 42 for Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD/MD), Bovine Herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) (Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, IBR/IPV), and Bovine Herpesvirus 4 (BHV-4) infections (at least 1 sample per herd). Abortions were reported in 23 (10.4%) of the 221 tested cattle. Antibodies against the investigated pathogens were detected in all samples tested, with an overall seroprevalence of 33.48% for Brucella, 9.09% for Leptospira, 8.52% for Neospora, 37.71% for BVDV, 50% for BHV-1, 9.52% for BHV-4. As for Leptospira antibodies against serovars Hardjo, Pomona, and Tarassovi were identified. Mixed infections were common. The lack of evidence of non-infectious factors epidemiologically related to abortions suggested that the investigated agents are to be considered important risk factors in the dynamic of the abortion syndrome, even if further investigations are necessary to identify the abortion cause. Particular attention should be paid on brucellosis, considering the high seroprevalence and its zoonotic relevance.

Effects of Gram-positive bacterial pathogens in ewes: peptidoglycan as a potential mediator of interruption of early pregnancy.

Bacterial cell walls contain peptidoglycan (PTG), which, among other actions, induces fever. The present experiment evaluated the effects of PTG treatment on early pregnancy and blood plasma concentrations of reproductive hormones. Ewes were injected i.v. with saline or 15, 30 or 60 microg kg(-1) sonicated PTG (Streptococcus pyogenes) on day 5 after mating. Each dose of PTG induced fever. Pregnancy rate at day 25 was not related to incidence of fever but tended to differ among treatments (control, 100%; low, 100%; medium, 67%; high, 60%; P < 0.08). Combined pregnancy rate in ewes from control and low dose groups (100%) was greater than that in ewes from medium and high dose groups (64%, P < 0.01). Ewes with high 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F(2alpha) (PGFM) concentrations had lower pregnancy rates (6 of 10) than those with low concentrations of PGFM (11 of 11; P < 0.05). Mean cortisol concentrations were higher in treated (2.8 +/- 0.28 microg dl(-1)) than in control (1.1 +/- 0.03 microg dl(-1)) ewes (P < 0.01); the pattern of secretion was biphasic and increased in all treated ewes (P < 0.01). Neither means nor profiles of oestradiol differed with treatment. Mean concentrations and the pattern of concentrations of progesterone were reduced in all treated ewes, as indicated by the time by treatment and linear interaction with treatment (1.2 +/- 0.1 versus 1.6 +/- 0.1 ng ml(-1), P < 0.01). Patterns of LH pulses did not differ from 0 to 4 h or 24 to 28 h after treatment; mean plasma LH concentration was lower in ewes treated with 0, 15 or 30 microg PTG kg(-1) than with 60 microg PTG kg(-1) (P < 0.01). Pregnancy status was not related to plasma concentrations or patterns of LH, oestradiol, progesterone or cortisol. Inflammatory mediators, such as PGF(2alpha), may act directly on the embryo or uterus in ewes treated with PTG.

[Treatment of endotoxemia in generalized suppurative infection]. / Lechenie éndotoksikoza pri generalizovannoi gnoinoi infektsii.

The authors describe the experience gained for many years in treating generalized purulent infection in surgical patients with sepsis and peritonitis. Provide the clinical characteristics of endotoxicosis in different types of surgical sepsis (traumatic, peritoneal, gynecological, therapeutic). Special attention is focused on the development carried out for many years of the methods of conservative and particularly active detoxifying with the use of their different combinations. Application of a complex of active treatment methods permitted the lethality to be reduced by 25%.

[The effect of specific trophoblastic beta 1-glycoprotein on changes in the cellular link of immunity in infected abortion]. / Vliianie spetsificheskogo trofoblasticheskogo beta 1-glikoproteida na izmenenie kletochnogo zvena immuniteta pri infitsirovannom aborte.

Effects of specific trophoblastic beta-1-glycoprotein (TBG) on T- and B-cell immunity have been explored in 107 patients with purulent septic complications of abortion. TBG showed a marked suppressor effect on T lymphocytes. Persistence of TBG in blood of patients with infection complicated abortion maintains immunodeficient states. The presence of TBG in serum may increase the risk of severe septic complications of illegal abortion.

PIP: The immunosuppressive activity of trophoblastic beta 1-glycoprotein (TBG) was studied in 107 patients with septic complications of induced abortion. The patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 consisted of 46 women with local septic complications, and Group 2 included 61 women with generalized complications. Healthy pregnant women were used as controls. The patients were examined immediately after admission to the hospital and 5-8 days later. The functional state of cellular immunity was evaluated by the county of T- and B-lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, by lymphocyte transformation induced by phytohemagglutinin, and by the index of lymphocyte stimulation. Inhibition of cellular immunity in patients with septic complications was found to depend on the presence of TBG in the peripheral blood. In patients in Group 1, total lymphocyte count was significantly lower in the patients with the presence of TBG, compared with that in the patients in whom TBG was absent (0.53x10(9) and 1.06x10(9), respectively). Similar decline was observed in patients with generalized septic complications (Group 2). In patients with septic complications of induced abortion regardless of their severity, the indices of reaction of spontaneous blast transformation were close to those in healthy pregnancy women only in an absence of TBG. The patients with circulating TBG showed inhibition of reaction of blast transformation. The index of lymphocyte stimulation was also inhibited in the presence of TBG (32.8 in Group 1, 22.0 in Group 2 and 60.0 in health pregnant women; in the absence of TBG, the index of lymphocyte stimulation in Groups 1 and 2 was 42.1 and 28.8, respectively.

Evaluation of hypercoagulability in septic abortion.

Soluble fibrin monomer complexes (SFMC) were determined in patients with septic abortion (body temperatures of more than 39 degree C and/or chills without apparent signs of endotoxic shock), with infected abortion, with non-infected abortion and with normal pregnancies. Quantitative gel filtration (4% agarose) of beta-alanine precipitated plasma samples yielded the relative (percent of total fibrinogen content) and absolute (mg/100 ml plasma) amount of SFMC. The relative (5.5+/-1.4%, mean+/-SD) and absolute (21.5+/-8.6 mg/100 ml) amount of SFMC was significantly increased in patients with septic abortion compared to patients with normal pregnancies or non-infected abortion (p less than 0.001). Patients with infected abortion (p less than 0.001). Patients with infected abortion already revealed increased levels of SFMC (4.3+/-1.2%, 14.2+/-6.8 mg/100 ml) though their platelet count was still unaltered (infected abortion: 221+/-47 X 10(3) platelets/mm3; septic abortion; 99+/-36 X 10(3) platelets/mm3). The use of heparin in patients with septic abortion resulted in a decrease in SFMC. Chain characterization of SFMC frequently revealed a slight degradation of the alpha-chains probably due to fibrinolytic activity in vivo; gamma-gamma dimers representing intermolecular covalent bindings were not observed. The findings are in agreement with our former assumption that patients with septic abortion have a pronounced state of hypercoagulability.

PIP: The effect of septic abortion on plasma levels of soluble fibrin monomer complexes (SFMC) was studied by quantitative gel filtration (4% agarose) of beta-alanine precipitated plasma samples. Pregnant patients and those with infected or noninfected abortions were also studied. The relative and absolute amounts of SFMC were significantly (p less than .001) increased in cases of septic abortion compared with cases of normal pregnancy or uninfected abortion. Patients with infected abortion showed increased absolute and relative levels of SFMC, though not to the extent of septic abortion cases. However, unlike septic abortion cases, platelet count was not reduced. When heparin was used in septic abortion cases, SFMC decreased. A slight degradation of the alpha-chains of SFMC probably due to in vivo fibrinolytic activity was observed. The findings confirm that patients with septic abortion have a marked degree of hypercoagulability.