UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 
 COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE BENJ - ,DE WHEELER - '»■ — »" 
 
 THOMAS FORSYTH HUNT. DEAN AND DIRECTOR 
 BERKELEY H - E - VAN NORMAN < VICE-DIRECTOR AND DEAN 
 
 University Farm School 
 
 CIRCULAR No. 183 
 
 INFECTIOUS ABORTION IN COWS 
 
 By F. M. HAYES 
 
 With the exception of tuberculosis, no disease of cattle is of so 
 much economic importance in California at this time as infectious 
 abortion. The direct loss from calves dropped too early to live, and 
 from decreased milk production, is great; but the indirect loss from 
 such conditions as sterility, retained after-birth, and some ill-defined 
 calf troubles, which evidence indicates are closely associated with 
 abortion infection, rival the calf and milk loss. A knowledge of 
 the cause, means of infection, manner of spread and the proper 
 application of remedial measures recommended will aid materially 
 in reducing not only the number of abortions but also the allied 
 troubles. 
 
 The cause of infectious abortion is a germ which can be found in 
 large numbers in the discharges from the womb, in the afterbirth, in 
 the aborted fetus and, in many cases, in the milk of infected cows. 
 Any treatment applied must be directed toward the destruction of 
 the germs from these sources of distribution and toward the keeping 
 of healthy cows from coming in contact with the infected ones. 
 
 Symptoms. — The expulsion of the immature fetus at any period 
 of gestation is usually the most prominent symptom noticed. How- 
 ever, there may be observed the usual symptoms of normal calving 
 three or four days prior to the actual abortion. Following the abor- 
 tion a dirty, yellowish-gray, flaky discharge, continuing for varying 
 lengths of time, is usually present. The afterbirth is frequently 
 retained, especially in cows that abort after the sixth month of preg- 
 nancy, whereas in abortions occurring during the third or fourth 
 month the fetus may be expelled with the fetal envelopes intact. In 
 all herds wherein abortion infection exists there are such allied con- 
 ditions as sterility in virgin heifers, sterility following abortions, 
 retained afterbirths after normally and prematurely born calves, 
 inflammation of the womb, and calf scours and pneumonia. These 
 latter conditions are considered by many investigators to be symptoms 
 of abortion just as much as the phenomenon of abortion. Viewed 
 from this basis there are very few dairy herds that are free from the 
 disease. 
 
 It is at times difficult to determine whether a single abortion is of 
 the infectious type. It may be considered by some that an abortion 
 now and then is to be expected from other causes. However, no 
 
abortion is a normal condition and in the light of our present knowl- 
 edge all such cases should be handled as an abortion induced by 
 infection. If several abortions occur during the season and there 
 are also retained afterbirths and calf troubles it is sufficient evidence 
 that the infectious form exists. There are laboratory tests that can 
 be made upon the blood of cows which can be relied upon to determine 
 whether the infection is present in the herd, but which are not suf 
 ficiently developed to pick out all of the individual cows that have 
 the disease in their system. 
 
 The Veterinary Division of the University will make these tests 
 upon the blood free of charge, in certain instances where the tests 
 seem to be especially desirable. Before any samples of blood are 
 submitted, however, the matter should be taken up by letter to the 
 Veterinary Division and special arrangements for making the tests 
 made. 
 
 Abortion is spread by the discharges from infected cows. The 
 germs in these discharges may enter the healthy animals in at least 
 two important ways, viz., by the digestive tract, and by the vagina 
 through service to a bull contaminated with the discharges. The 
 digestive tract is a very important route. Healthy cows that have 
 access to water, feed and pastures contaminated with the discharges 
 from an infected cow are likely to contract the disease. Likewise 
 floors, stanchions and cows upon which the discharge has lodged may 
 be licked by the healthy cows and the germs taken into the digestive 
 tract. 
 
 The experimental evidence indicates that the bull is only a mechan- 
 ical carrier of the germs. After serving a cow which still has a 
 discharge or the germs in the vagina, he may mechanically carry the 
 infcetion to the next healthy cow to which he is served. 
 
 PREVENTION AND TREATMENT 
 
 Drugs and Vaccines. — At present there is no known remedy for 
 curing or preventing infectious abortion. Many different drugs have 
 been recommended in the past and are still being advertised. The 
 dairyman would do well to disregard the alluring statements made 
 in the advertising of these remedies and save the money for approved 
 methods of handling the abortion problem. Vaccines, bacterins and 
 serums are also advertised, but the use of these is at present only in 
 the experimental stage. The claims made for them by some people 
 are unwarranted. The principles of immunization by vaccines, etc., 
 are, no doubt, correct and something of this nature may be developed 
 in the near future. It is characteristic of the abortion disease to be 
 rampant in some herds and less virulent in others. The same may 
 occur in any individual herd at different times. Cows affected have 
 a tendency to acquire immunity and some, although infected, never 
 abort; many abort only once, and only a small percentage abort the 
 second and third time. The value of many advertised drugs and 
 vaccines is based upon this natural tendency. 
 
 Treatment of the Cow. — The dairyman should have a sanitary 
 box stall or a small barn with three or four sanitary stalls which 
 can be used for a hospital. At the first indication that an abortion 
 is likely to occur the cow should be isolated from the herd. When 
 
the abortion has occurred, the afterbirth, fetus and soiled litter should 
 be burned or buried deeply. If the afterbirth is retained a veteri- 
 narian should be called unless the owner thoroughly understands the 
 manner of removal. At no time should the vagina or uterus be entered 
 with the hand until the root of the tail and vulva are cleansed with 
 soap and water, followed by the application of a disinfectant solution, 
 such as eight tablespoonfuls of cresol compound in a gallon of water 
 or by the use of 1-1000 corrosive sublimate solution. The finger nails 
 should be trimmed and the hands and nails disinfected in a like 
 solution. 
 
 Douching after an abortion or removal of the afterbirth, is of 
 doubtful value. The introduction of disinfectants may do consider- 
 able harm. If any douche is given it should be for the purpose of 
 washing out the accumulated discharge and not for disinfection of the 
 genital passages. It is safer for the untrained to inject nothing into 
 the uterus and to confine the douche to the vagina only. The best 
 solution for this purpose can be made of four tablespoonfuls of com- 
 mon salt added to a gallon of clean, preferably boiled, warm water. 
 It may be introduced into the vagina through a soft rubber horse stom- 
 ach tube with a funnel in its elevated end. The tube should be soaked 
 in one of the above disinfectants for at least ten minutes after use 
 and before using on any other cow. 
 
 External disinfection of the cows that have aborted is the most 
 important part of the treatment of the cow. This will prevent the 
 spread of the abortion germs to other cows and prevent other harmful 
 germs from entering the genital passages. These passages are in a 
 weakened condition at such periods and harmful or fatal infection 
 may take place. 
 
 As long as a discharge soils the tail of any cow in the herd, 
 whether a known aborter or not, the external parts should be disin- 
 fected. This may be accomplished by using one of the two disinfectant 
 solutions mentioned above. The solution should be applied twice a 
 day to the rump, hind legs, escutcheon, vulva and all of the tail. 
 Keep the cow away from others for several days after she has cleaned 
 up and do not breed her again for at least sixty days. It requires 
 time for the womb to become normal again. Keep in mind, also, that 
 the main factors in controlling infectious abortion effectively are to 
 kill the germs in the discharge, and to keep healthy cows from coming 
 in contact with these discharges. 
 
 Treatment of the Bull. — If the same bull is used for all of the cows 
 his sheath should be disinfected before and after each service with 
 y 2 per cent compound solution of cresol, two teaspoonfuls to three 
 pints of water. Clip the long hairs of the prepuce and sheath. Use 
 a tube and funnel or an ordinary household douche bag. Insert the 
 tube into the prepuce and hold it so as to prevent the escape of the 
 disinfectant until the sack is filled. The outside of the sheath should 
 also be sponged with the disinfectant. 
 
 Treaatment of the Premises. — The first factor in the prevention 
 of disease is to have barns so constructed that there is plenty of light, 
 sunshine and air. The opposite of these conditions aids in harboring 
 and transmitting the germs of disease. Frequently sweep ceilings, 
 walls, stanchions and floors, and apply strong disinfectants with a 
 
spray pump. The interior should be covered with whitewash, to each 
 gallon of which should be added four ounces of chloride of lime, once 
 or twice a year, and especially after any attack of an infectious 
 disease. 
 
 Treatment of the Herd. — The practice of selling all of the cows 
 that abort is wrong. No cow should be sacrificed for meat unless she 
 has been proved unprofitable from the dairy standpoint. On the 
 other hand, no unprofitable cow should be retained in the herd and 
 an effort should be made to feed only those that pay their way. A 
 cow that has the abortion infection has a tendency to develop an 
 immunity. If she is properly cared for following the abortion she 
 may breed regularly thereafter. If she were sold because she aborted 
 she probably would have to be replaced with a cow of unknown history 
 or with a non-infected cow which may acquire the infection, abort, and 
 bring the situation to the same point that it was before selling. The 
 best plan seems to be to retain the aborters, giving them a fair chance 
 to breed before disposing of them, and raise the heifer calves to keep 
 the herd up to the required number. 
 
 The carrying out of the aforementioned suggestions for the sup- 
 pression of infectious abortion may seem an arduous task. It is the 
 price, however, that has been paid by many breeders and dairymen 
 for success. 
 
 Abortion in Range Cattle. — The extension of infectious abortion 
 to cattle ranges is becoming an important economic problem in this as 
 well as in other states. The recommendations given above for its con- 
 trol in dairy herds are not all practical to apply to cattle on the 
 ranges. In view of this it is strongly advised that special efforts be 
 made to prevent the introduction of the disease to the range. Since 
 the principal means of infecting the range is through the turning on 
 of bulls and ' ' cull ' ' cows from dairy herds it is evident that the best 
 means of prevention is to discontinue this practice.