EXAMINATION OF BRUCELLA OVIS (OVINE EPIDIDIMYTIS) INFECTION IN SHEEP

Abstract

Brucella ovis is caused by clinically manifested disease named ram epididimytis. The causative agent is a gram-negative coccobacillus or short rod, facultative intracellular pathogen. The diseases is characterized by genital lesions manifested in a form of epididimytis and plecentitis in sheep, but the in fection may also be subclinical. The consequences of this disease are reduced fertility in rams, frequent abortions in sheep and in creased perinatal mortality. Most of ten the infection enters into a flock through in fected rams, that shed great num ber of Brucella, however passive genital transmission is the usual way of infec tion. B. ovis causes inflammation of epididymis, semen and influences the fertility of rams, but in sheep it causes abortion and placentitis. Rams are more susceptible than sheep, and the disease affects adult animals. The diagnosis based only on clinical identification most of ten is not sufficiently reliable, so the samples of semen, vaginal swab, milk and the smears of susceptible tissues are taken and then stained, microscop i cally examined and cultivated on nutritive agar. Our examination encompassed sheep and rams from the munic ipalities in South ern Bačka and Srem district, as well as the samples from Middle Banat. The examination included also the rams with clinicalsymptoms of epididimytis, what had bee proven by NIV-NS. There were 1500 sera samples from sheep and rams examined by the method of complement fixation (MCF). The findings of specific antibodies against B. ovis in dilution 1:5 was considered positive. Specific antibodies against B.ovis were de tected in the sheep that originated from Bečej and Titel municipality, Southern Bačka district. The prevalence was very low and was 0.89%. In Middle Banat district, where only rams were examined, a higher prevalence was diagnosed for B. ovis (4.29%), but in Srem district no animals were seropositive on B. ovis. The examined rams with clinical symptoms of epididimytis were not seropositive on B.ovis.