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Vetdle Archive

Archive Case #128: Ovine Enzootic Abortion

Sheep veterinary case - Medium - July 9, 2026

Clinical Clues

  1. Several pregnant ewes abort within a short period late in gestation.
  2. Many affected ewes seemed well until the final weeks before lambing.
  3. Some surviving lambs are weak at birth.
  4. Placental membranes from one abortion are thickened and discolored.
  5. The pattern suggests a contagious abortion storm in sheep.
  6. Chlamydia abortus infection causes ovine enzootic abortion.

Diagnosis

Ovine Enzootic Abortion

This case is most consistent with Ovine Enzootic Abortion because the flock has late-gestation abortions with placental lesions and contagious spread. The most important clues are the timing in pregnancy and abortion storm pattern, which make a single toxic insult less likely.

Learning review

Review the case evidence

Use the paired clues to explain how the evidence in this sheep case supports the provided diagnosis, Ovine Enzootic Abortion, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

  1. Clue 1: Several pregnant ewes abort within a short period late in gestation.
  2. Clue 2: Many affected ewes seemed well until the final weeks before lambing.

Clues 3-4

  1. Clue 3: Some surviving lambs are weak at birth.
  2. Clue 4: Placental membranes from one abortion are thickened and discolored.

Clues 5-6

  1. Clue 5: The pattern suggests a contagious abortion storm in sheep.
  2. Clue 6: Chlamydia abortus infection causes ovine enzootic abortion.

Self-review prompts

  1. After clues 1-2, what evidence from this sheep case shaped your initial interpretation?
  2. When you compare clues 3-4 with clues 1-2, what changed in your reasoning about Ovine Enzootic Abortion?
  3. How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Ovine Enzootic Abortion?

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.