Veterinary Pathology of The Female Genital System

1. Veterinary Pathology of The Female
Genital System

2. Abnormalities of Development
• Sex determination and differentiation –
genetic or hormonal origin
• Hermaphroditism
– True--ovotestis
– Pseudo – single type of gonades
• Freemartinism – females infertile---mixing of fetal
circulation

3. Ovarian Cysts
• Oophoritis– rare in domestic animals
• Paraovarian cysts – remnants of male
genital system
• Cystic Ovarian Disease
– Follicular cysts (2.5 cm) - behavior of the cow
is variable  nymphomania, …….anestrous
– LH deficiency
– Uterine infection is probable cause----
….decreased PgF2alpha production

4. Fallopian Tubes
• Hydrosalpinx – obstruction (congenital or
inflammatory)
• Salpingitis – serous, catarrhal, fibrinous, or
purulent
– Usually bilateral----ascending infection

5. Uterus
• Hernias
• Torsion
• Prolapse
• Rupture
• Irregularities of Endometrial Growth
– Atrophy – ovariactomy, cachexia
– Hypoplasia (cystic hypoplasia)
• Prolonged estrogen stimulation in cattle, legumes, zeralenone
• Progesterone in dogs and cats
• Hydrometra and Mucometra
– It accompanies cystic hyperplasia or is proximal to an
obstruction

6. Metritis
• Endometritis
• Metritis
• Perimetritis - serosa
• Parametritis – suspensory ligament

7. Endometritis and Metritis
• Cattle
– Trichomonas fetus
– Compylobacter fetus
– Pyogenic cocci
– E. coli
• Mare
– β-hemolytic streptococci, Klebsiella pneumoniae, E.
coli, and Taylorella equigenitalis

8. • Sequelae
– Chronic endometritis – endometrial
destruction and replacement with scar tissue--
--Low conception rates
– Uterine abscesses – not common
– Parametritis and perimetritis
– Salpingitis
– pyemia

9. Periglandular fibrosis Mixed infiltration
PMN infiltration Infiltration and edema

10. Pyometra
• Acquired or congenital stenosis of cervix
– Relatively common in bitch, queen, cow, and mare
• Pyometra in Bitch and Queen
– Old animals that are not bred
– After estrus  depression, anorexia, vomiting, polyuria,
polydipsia, and vaginal discharge
– Enlargement of uterus with mild endometrial hyperplasia and
inflammation
– Condition start by luteal hormones followed by bacterial
infection
• Pyometra in cow
– Uterine disease causes persistent CL and elevated
progesterone secretion
• Pyometra in mare
– Difficult parturition – cervical adhesions

11. Specific Causative Types of Uterine
infection
• Fusobacterium necrophorum
– Postparurient sheep and cow – fatal
• Tuberculosis

12. Diseases of Pregnant Uterus
• Embryonic Death – chromosomal
anomalies
• Fetal Death
• Mummification, maceration, abortion
(stillborn) of the Fetus

13. Abortion and Stillbirth
• Bacteria, fungi, and viruses
• Toxic, nutritional, genetic, and physical

14. Brucellosis
• Brucella mellitensis, B. abortis
• Between the endometrium and chorion
there abundant exudate, which is
odorless, dirty yellow, slightly viscid, and
slimy, and contains gray-yellow,
pultaceous floccules of detritus

15. Campylobacter (Vibrio) Infections
• C. fetalis subsp. Venerealis
• Coital
• Endometrial lesion are mild – lymphocytic
infiltrations and nodules and scattered cystic
glands
• Aborted placenta are often autolyzed
• Placental lesion resemble brucellosis, but are
less severe
• Intercotyledonary placenta is edematous,
opaque, may be leathery

16. • Listeria monocytogenes
• Flexispira rappini
• Leptospirosis
• Actinomyces (Corynebacterium) pyogenes
• Salmonella
• Yersinia
• Haemophilus somnus
• Clamydial
• Coxiella
• Mycotic – Aspergillus, Mortierella, Absidia, Mucor, and
Rhizopus
• Protozoan - Toxoplasma, Neospora, Sarcocystis
• Trichomoniasis
• Bovine viral diarrhoea
• Equine viral arteritis---------

17. The Cervix
• Cysts – cow – fusion of rugae
• Stenosis
• Cervicitis

18. The Vagina and Vulva
• Granular Venereal Disease
– Papular eruptions of the
vulval mucosa
• Infectious Pustular
Vulvovaginitis (vesicular
vaginitis or coital
exanthema)
– Bovine herpes virus-1) -
epitheliotropic
– Highly contagious
– Balooning degeneration of
vulval and vaginal mucosa

19. • Necrotic Vaginitis and vulvitis
– Diphtheritic inflammation
– Trauma with contamination (usually bite wounds,
complications of dystokia)
• Dourine (Trypanosoma equiperdum)
– Venereal disease
– Organism proliferates in the submucosa
– Genital, cutaneous, nervous, and general
manifestations
– External genitalia swollen and doughy
– Skin – urticaria like lesions
– Nervous signs – hyperethesia – diminished sensitivity
– General manifestations – emaciation, intermittant
fever, severe anemia

20. Mastitis
• An inflammation of the milk secreting tissues of
the udder, caused by microbial infections in one
or more quarters.
• Affects 25 to 30 percent of all quarters
• The most costly disease of dairy cattle
– Rs20000 /cow/year
– Rs200 Billion annually

21. Mastitis Affects on Profitability• Decreased milk production
– 70% of total costs
– Not visible to producers
• Milk dumped due to treatment
• Veterinary and drug costs
• Labor costs
• Culling and death losses
• Lost quality premiums

22. Determinants of Mastitis
Host
Infectious
AgentEnvironment
Pathogenicity,
virulence, number
Resistance,
nutrition, stress
Housing, equipment,
hygiene, weather, bedding

23. Mastitis Infection
• Almost always caused by bacteria that
generally enter through the teat canal.
• The environment inside the udder is warm
and moist with plenty of available
nutrients, so bacteria multiply rapidly.

24. Mastitis Terminology
– Clinical – Presence of clinical signs
• Signs of infection
• Udder shows signs of inflammation (Rewdness, swollen,
tender, hard, etc.)
• Milk is abnormal
– Flecks, gargot (clots), off color, bloody
– Goal <2% per month
– Subclinical
• No evidence of abnormality except milk positive on
special tests.

25. Detecting Subclinical Mastitis• Increased Somatic Cells
– Bulk Tank SCC
– DHI Individual Cow SCC
Direct Count, spectroscopy
– CMT
• Sterile Milk Culture
– Find mastitis causing organisms
• Electrical Conductivity
• Antibody ELISA
• NAGase
– N-Acetyl-B-D-Glucosaminidase ----present in cells

26. Mastitis in a Herd
Clinical
Subclinical