ABORTION-BACTERIN TREATMENT OF COWS HAVING 
UDDERS INFECTED BY BACTERIUM ABORTUS 1 
By J. M. Buck, Associate Bacteriologist , and G. T. Creech, Associate Veterinarian, 
Pathological Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, United States Department of 
Agriculture 
INTRODUCTION 
For a number of years investigators of bovine infectious abortion 
have recognized that when cows become infected with Bacterium 
abortus the microorganism shows a tendency to localize in the udder 
and to live and multiply in this organ for widely varying periods of 
time. It is also common knowledge that Bad. abortus readily thrives 
in the uteri of pregnant bovines, but is seldom found in this organ 
longer than two months after the expulsion of a fetus, living or dead. 
Schroeder and Cotton , 2 in their efforts to determine whether the 
organism becomes localized in the cow’s body elsewhere than in the 
organs mentioned, found the infection present in the supramammary 
lymph glands and certain other lymph glands at the brim of the 
pelvis. The present writers were able in a single instance to isolate 
the infection from the femoro-tibial joint of a cow; lameness in this 
joint prompted the search for the organism in this particular location. 
Although in rare instances the infection has been found localized 
in organs other than the uterus, udder, and associated lymph glands 
of the latter, it seems highly probable that it is commonly the udder 
which harbors the infection in the animal between gestation periods, 
and acts as a source of infection for the uterus when conditions 
are favorable for the multiplication of Bad. abortus therein. When 
second and third abortions in the same animal are observed as 
being associated with Bad. abortus, and placental infection with this 
organism in those cases which harbor the infection is common, even 
though a living calf is produced, it seems that the devising of a method 
whereby this focus of infection may be eliminated would accomplish 
much toward solving the abortion problem. Some investigators 
have been of the opinion that success in such an undertaking may 
not be unattainable. Experimental use has been made of certain 
drugs which, it was thought, might possiblv exert antiseptic action 
during their elimination through the udder. Results from such 
medication seem to have yielded but slight encouragement so far. 
In this paper are discussed the procedure followed and the results 
obtained in an endeavor to overcome Bad. abortus udder infection by 
repeated subcutaneous administrations of Bad. abortus bacterin. In 
undertaking this line of treatment it did not appear wholly unreason¬ 
able to infer that any immunity which might be engendered by such 
treatment would have a desirable effect at the seat or seats of the 
infection. 
1 Received for publication Nov. 21, 1924; issued December, 1925. 
* Schroeder, E. C., and Cotton, W. E. some facts about abortion disease. Jour. Amer Vet. 
Med. Assoc, (n. s. 3) 50: 321-330. 1916. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
( 663 ) 
Vol. XXXI, No. 7 
Oct. 1, 1925 
Key No. A-100 
