Histophilus somni infection in cows with fertility problems and vaginitis
Histophilus somni associated with vaginitis in cattle Fasciolosis still prevalent in cattle Clostridial metritis in a large goat herd Detachment of the ischial tuberosity in pigs Fowl cholera in commercial and backyard flocks These are among matters discussed in the Veterinary Laboratories Agency's (VLA's) disease surveillance report for September
Cattle fertility problems and Histophilus somni
SIR, – We would like to describe an outbreak of infertility and endometritis in a small flying dairy herd in the UK in which Histophilus somni (previously Haemophilus somnus) may have been implicated. All 35 cows were served by a twoyear-old Simmental stock bull, purchased in spring 2005 and not used previously. From July 1, 2005, onwards, many cows developed an endometritis that was unresponsive to treatment. Some cows also had a granular vaginitis, and conception rates in the herd were poor. In November 2005, H somni was isolated from one sample of vaginal discharge in the practice laboratory; samples from three other cows did not yield the organism. Vaginal swabs from all 35 cows in the herd were cultured by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) and five swabs yielded H somni. Culture of a preputial wash from the bull yielded a pure heavy growth of H somni, and a denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis on the wash for Mycoplasma species was positive for Mycoplasma bovigenitalium. No Mycoplasma species were isolated from any of the cows. A complement fixation test for H somni was positive at over 1:40 in eight cows. The stock bull was subsequently culled and artificial insemination was used on all cows presented for service. Most cases of endometritis resolved during the following months, but conception rates remained low at less than 15 per cent. H somni is a Gram-negative coccobacillus with an affinity for the respiratory, nervous and reproductive systems. Different strains are thought to have an affinity for different organ systems and strains have variable virulence (Miller and others 1983). H somni is known both as a pathogen and a commensal organism (Corbeil and others 1986) and has been isolated from the healthy bovine reproductive tract (Humphrey and Stephens 1983). Most of the literature describing H somni as a cause of infertility and endometritis stems from the 1980s and before and originates from abroad, mainly the USA. Corbel and others (1986) carried out a survey in the UK on 422 preputial and vaginal samples and H somni was isolated from 1·3 per cent of samples. The organism was also confirmed in 10 diagnostic samples sent in for identification, and all these samples were associated with fertility problems such as endometritis and balanoposthitis (Corbel and others 1986). No recent prevalence data for H somni in healthy or diseased adult dairy cattle are available in the UK. The outbreak resembles outbreaks of endometritis and infertility associated with H somni in South African dairy herds described by Last and others (2001). In these outbreaks, removal of the bull resulted in a reduction of the incidence of endometritis but, as in the outbreak described here, fertility remained poor. M bovigenitalium can cause fertility problems and granular vaginitis in cattle (S. Bisgaard-Frantzen, K. Miles, L. McAuliffe, S. Bashiruddin, J. Lowes, R. A. J. Nicholas, R. D. Ayling, unpublished data) but the absence of Mycoplasma species in the cows makes it less plausible that this organism contributed to the fertility problems in the above herd. Univariate chi-squared analysis of serological, cultural and clinical findings was carried out; the only significant observation was an association between positive serology (1:80) and positive culture results. It is therefore concluded that H somni was circulating in the herd during the outbreak of fertility problems, and that it was likely that H somni contributed to the fertility problems such as granular vaginitis, endometritis and poor conception rates. We would like to raise awareness of the possible role of H somni infection in outbreaks of endometritis and infertility problems in the UK. We would encourage colleagues to culture or submit adequate samples if H somni involvement in fertility problems is suspected, in order to improve our understanding of the organism and its possible control.
RIP - General Purpose Interactive Display at HHIRF
RIP is a general purpose interactive code for display and analysis of data acquired with the Holifield Heavy Ion Research Facility (HHIRF) accelerators at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The HHIRF data acquisition system includes a version of RIP for on-line display of one-and two-dimensional histograms on color graphic terminals and hard copy on color printer/plotters. General features of the program and interactive techniques will be described.