Failure to isolate Brucella abortus from embryos or ova from culture-positive superovulated cows

Nine, Brucella abortus culture positive 2-yr-old cows were used to test the hypothesis that embryos and ova collected from such cows are not infected. Superovulation was induced at varying times postpartum or postabortion with intramuscular injections of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). The cows were artificially inseminated with B. abortus-negative semen. Superovulations and nonsurgical embryo collections nonsurgical embryo collections were attempted twice for each cow. Jugular blood, udder secretions, cervical swabs, uterine collections, embryos and ova were cultured bacteriologically from the nine cows simultaneously at nonsurgical embryro collections, and B. abortus was isolated only from the udder secretions of seven cows. Brucella abortus was not isolated from 15 uterine collections, 21 embryos, or 18 ova from the culture-positive cows. It was concluded that B. abortus was not present at the detection limits of the culture method employed, which supports the finding or view that embryos and ova collected from donor cows at 100 days or greater post partum or post abortion are not likely to harbor Brucella.