A Diagnostic Survey of Bovine Abortion and Stillbirth in the Northern Plains States

SUMMARY Specimens of fetal and fetal placental tissues and entire fetuses associated with 2,544 cases of bovine abortion and stillbirth were submitted to the South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory during a 4-year period. Most of the specimens were submitted by practitioners in South Dakota and bordering states. The cause of abortion or stillbirth was determined in 35.3% of the cases examined. Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (ibr) virus, the most commonly diagnosed cause of abortion, accounted for nearly 16% of the cases. Mycotic abortion was diagnosed in 3.5% and vibriosis in 3.0% of the cases. Miscellaneous bacterial infections, dystocias, and anomalies were associated with another 7.4% of the abortions or stillbirths.