Tissue from a cross-bred bovine fetus in the third trimester of gestation was submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) to investigate the cause of abortion. According to the history provided by the submitting veterinarian, this animal was the second of two full term fetuses that had been born dead in the…
Between the months of August to December, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) performs drug testing on more than 1,000 urine, blood, fecal, and feather samples from approximately 45 different livestock shows and fairs across the country. As officials and volunteers prepare for these events, please remember TVMDL offers the following collection supplies:…
Neospora caninum is a protozoal organism that is associated with abortion in cattle and the birth of weak calves. Dogs are the definitive hosts for this organism, and the organism is spread in the feces of infected dogs. Cattle become infected by ingesting the organism in feedstuffs contaminated with infected dog feces, but vertical transmission from…
Recently, bovine conjoined twin calves were submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL). Both the dam and sire were angus crosses from a herd of 250 head in the eastern region of Texas. There had been no prior occurrences of conjoined twins or other congenital abnormalities on the property. The dam had…
The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) has seen quite a few cattle testing positive for Johne’s Disease in the last several months. Clinically affected cattle are usually mature adults that are gradually losing body condition despite having a normal appetite. Chronic watery diarrhea is also usually recognized, but it can be sporadic during…
Anaplasma marginale is a rickettsial bacterium that invades the red blood cells (RBCs) of ruminants, primarily cattle, and is considered the most common tick-borne infection of cattle. In addition to tick vectors (Dermacentor spp., Rhipicephalus spp.), biting flies and blood-tainted fomites can also transmit this organism. Anaplasma marginale is typically a clinical disease of adult cattle. Calves infected with the organisms usually…
Two hundred and forty straight stocker cattle were on a wheat and grass pasture with access to old barns filled with moldy hay, chemicals, fertilizers, and other substances. Six percent of the animals reportedly died within a 24-hour period. Two 7-month-old calves were necropsied on site and were noted to have melting abdominal fat, hemorrhage…
An adult, female, 800 lb., Brangus cow in poor body condition was submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) for necropsy. The animal was part of a herd that reported multiple losses in the previous weeks and days. The clinical signs exhibited by other animals was not reported by the owner or…
Bovine thrombotic meningoencephalitis (TEM), formerly known as thromboembolic meningoencephalitis (TEME), is a neurological disease, primarily of feedlot cattle between the ages of 6 to 12 months. The condition is caused by Histophilus somni (previously known as Haemophilus somnus), a Gram-negative opportunistic bacterium that can be cultured very commonly from the respiratory and reproductive tracts of normal cattle. Calves…
Anaplasmosis is a blood cell parasite of cattle with a worldwide distribution, but the disease is most common in tropical and subtropical areas. Anaplasma marginale is the most common organism involved in cattle, and it is transmitted through the bite of Dermacentor spp. ticks or tabanid flies, as well as through the use of blood-contaminated instruments. As a result,…