Corynebacterium pyogenes and bovine abortion

In the examination of bovine fetal material it was found that there was a significant increase in the proportion of mixed infections identified as the time between abortion and the collection of the samples increased. Examination of paired serum samples from abortions from which only Corynebacterium pyogenes was isolated revealed evidence of active infection in two-thirds, suggesting that C. pyogenes may have been acting as a primary abortifacient in these cases.