# Bovine abortions due to the rare Salmonella serovars Kingston and Kedougou

## TL;DR

Rare Salmonella serovars Kingston and Kedougou were found to cause bovine abortions, marking their first reported association with such outcomes in cattle.

## Contribution

Identifies Salmonella serovars Kingston and Kedougou as potential causes of bovine abortion, a novel clinical association.

## Key findings

- Salmonella serovar Kingston was isolated from multiple tissues of an aborted bovine fetus.
- Salmonella serovar Kedougou was similarly isolated from another fetus, with no prior reports of these serovars causing cattle abortions.
- Both serovars were found in chorionic vessels and fetal organs without significant inflammation or necrosis.

## Abstract

Two aborted bovine fetuses were submitted (6 mo apart) with portions of their chorioallantois for postmortem examination. In both cases, microscopic examination revealed large numbers of gram-negative bacilli in the chorionic vessels and, to a lesser extent, in capillaries and venules of fetal organs of one fetus; the bacteria were not associated with noticeable inflammation or necrosis. Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Kingston was isolated from the placenta, abomasal contents, lung, and liver in case 1; Salmonella serovar Kedougou was isolated from the abomasal contents, lung, and liver in case 2. Both are rare serovars that have been isolated from various species but are not known to cause clinical disease in cattle, and, to our knowledge, have not been reported as the cause of abortion in dairy cattle.