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Vetdle Archive

Archive Case #179: Ovine Campylobacteriosis

Sheep veterinary case - Medium - August 29, 2026

Clinical Clues

  1. A flock experiences an outbreak of abortions in the final weeks of pregnancy.
  2. The farmer reports that several ewes abort over a short period but remain otherwise reasonably bright.
  3. Some aborted fetuses have liver lesions, and placental changes are also noted.
  4. The pattern suggests an infectious cause rather than a nutritional deficiency.
  5. Placental and fetal testing support a bacterial abortion outbreak rather than a metabolic problem.
  6. Campylobacteriosis is an important infectious cause of late-term abortion in sheep.

Diagnosis

Ovine Campylobacteriosis

This case is most consistent with Ovine Campylobacteriosis because the flock has a late-gestation abortion storm with compatible fetal and placental lesions. The most important clues are the timing and infectious flock pattern, which make pregnancy toxaemia 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 Campylobacteriosis, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

  1. Clue 1: A flock experiences an outbreak of abortions in the final weeks of pregnancy.
  2. Clue 2: The farmer reports that several ewes abort over a short period but remain otherwise reasonably bright.

Clues 3-4

  1. Clue 3: Some aborted fetuses have liver lesions, and placental changes are also noted.
  2. Clue 4: The pattern suggests an infectious cause rather than a nutritional deficiency.

Clues 5-6

  1. Clue 5: Placental and fetal testing support a bacterial abortion outbreak rather than a metabolic problem.
  2. Clue 6: Campylobacteriosis is an important infectious cause of late-term abortion in sheep.

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 Campylobacteriosis?
  3. How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Ovine Campylobacteriosis?

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.