FIFTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION 227 



Infectious Abortion 



Infectious abortion is a disease very prevalent in dairy 

 herds and causes excessive losses to dairymen each year. 



The symptoms v^hich denote its presence in a herd are 

 rather indefinite and inconstant. The act of abortion is 

 probably the symptom v^hich is most v^idely knov^n and 

 readily observed, but may easily be misinterpreted, since 

 not all cov^s v^hich abort are affected with the infectious 

 disease. Its prompt recognition in diseased herds is ren- 

 dered difficult by the fact that many animals which ac- 

 quire the disease may never abort. 



Cows that abort as a result of the disease often retain 

 their afterbirths. 



It has been observed that barrenness is usually a 

 troublesome factor in herds in which the disease has gained 

 entrance. Often cows that have aborted conceive promptly, 

 but it is not infrequently necessary to breed an aborter five 

 or six times before conception takes place. 



The presence of the disease in herds not only causes 

 loss of calves but may seriously interfere with milk produc- 

 tion as well. 



At the present time no specific cure for infectious ab- 

 ortion is known. The proper course to pursue is dependent 

 in a measure upon how extensively the disease has spread. 

 The disposal of aborters may afford but slight relief, since 

 their elimination from the herd usually means that only a 

 portion of the affected animals have been removed. 



Abortion losses in infected herds may be prevented to 

 no small degree by appropriate sanitary measures, such as 

 (1) isolation of aborting animals or those about to abort, as 

 long as they continue to have uterine discharges; (2) dis- 

 posal of fetuses, afterbirths, and bedding contaminated 

 with uterine discharges in such a manner that they will be 

 inaccessible to the rest of the herd; (3) precautions against 

 tracking discharges about premises; and (4) liberal use 

 of disinfectants about stables. 



Maternity stalls should be provided for all cows in the 

 herd at time of calving> in which they should be confined 



