Penicillin G procaine: a possible cause of embryonic death in swine

A field case involving seven recently inseminated Yorkshire sows injected with penicillin is described. About four hours after injection, the pigs showed shivering, incoordination, vomiting, extreme lassitude, pyrexia (41 degrees C) and to;al inappetence. In each case, a thick, white mucous discharge appeared from the vulva one to three days after injection, with distinct embryos in some cases. Further experiments on pregnant and fattening pigs indicated that untoward reactions to penicillin could arise in swine--in particular, embryonic death.