title: Destructive polyarthropathy in aborted bovine fetuses: a possible association with Ureaplasma diversum infection?
abstract: Severe destructive polyarthropathy with fibrillation and erosion of articular cartilage, deformation of articular surfaces, and proliferation of periarticular soft tissue was diagnosed in 5 bovine fetuses aborted in the last trimester. There was involvement of a single coxofemoral joint in 2 fetuses, both elbows, and a stifle in 1, both stifles and tarsal joints in another, and, in the most severely affected fetus, both hips, stifles, and shoulders as well as 1 carpus. In affected joints, the articular cartilage was irregularly reduced in thickness and contained fibrovascular tissue and, in some cases, inflammatory cells and fibrin. Four of 5 fetuses had microscopic placentitis; all had mild lymphoplasmacytic conjunctivitis. Ureaplasma spp. was identified in 4 cases by polymerase chain reaction or culture. Fetal arthropathy and Ureaplasma diversum-associated joint pathology have not been previously reported in the veterinary literature; however, other Ureaplasma spp. are known to cause reproductive disease and arthritis in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B4, Canada. chelsea.himsworth@usask.ca
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Himsworth
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Wobeser
mesh_terms: D037881:Aborted Fetus / Q000382:microbiology*; D000034:Abortion, Veterinary / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010922:Placenta Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D011247:Pregnancy; D016869:Ureaplasma Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*