Abstract

In the dairy industry, cattle abortion results in substantial financial losses due to decreased milk production, higher veterinary expenses, and possible disease transmission. Although, several bacteria species are known to cause abortion in cows, the role of Acinetobacter baumannii is still poorly understood.
This case discussed a flock of 60 Jersey cows where abortion was recorded followed by mortality. The flock had been experiencing signs of fever, uterine discharge, preterm birth, abortion and decreased milk production. Liver, spleen, and placenta samples were harvested at post-mortem from a 2-and-a-half-year-old Jersey cow which aborted before mortality. Tentative diagnosis was preterm birth and abortion. Bacterial isolation, identification and antibiotic sensitivity tests were carried out using cultural, VITEK 2 system and antibiotic susceptibility test methods, respectively.
The bacterial isolate was identified as Acinetobacter baumannii. Out of the eleven antibiotics tested, it showed resistance to six (belonging to three different classes); hence, it is considered to be multidrug-resistant. The isolate was sensitive to gentamicin, tobramycin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Ciprofloxacin antibiotic was prescribed for treatment.
The clinical relevance of Acinetobacter baumannii in bovine abortion was highlighted in this report. In addition, the essence of specific antibiotic treatment based on susceptibility testing cannot be overemphasized. It emphasizes the need for further study into the function of Acinetobacter species in bovine reproductive problems as well as the wider consequences for the spread of zoonotic diseases and antibiotic resistance.

Key words: Acinetobacter baumannii, bovine abortion, dairy cow, multidrug resistance.