[Pathomorphological studies of aborted fetuses from sheep infected with R. burneti].

Abstract

Serologic investigations were carried out with 441 samples of blood sera from ewes, coupled with histopathologic studies of 18 aborted fetuses. Positive serologic Q fever results were obtained by the CF-test with 14.4 per cent of the sheep. Abortions were ascertained with 4 to 8 per cent of the animals per flock in the final month of pregnancy. Nonviable lambs were also obtained that died in the course of the first hours after lambing. The gross lesions observed consisted in the swelling and hyperemia of the cotyledons, with gray-whitish deposits; the chorion was diffusely thickened, was folded, with a dirty-reddish colour, and in some cases also presented gray-whitish deposits. Histopathologically, featuring in the fetuses were the lympho-leukocytic accumulations and the lytic micronecrotic foci in the liver, kidneys, adrenals, and lymph nodes, while the central nervous system showed lympho-leukocytic meningoencephalitis.