Mycotic Placentitis in a First-Calf Holstein Heifer
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The Ambulatory and Production Medicine Service at Cornell was called to a dystocia in a 2-year-old first-calf Holstein heifer. Upon examination, the patient was showing no signs of progression through labor. Vaginal examination revealed rough, raised, granular material on the surface of the placenta, presumptive placentitis, and abnormal fetal posture. After manual repositioning and delivery of a live calf, an approximately 5 cm by 10 cm piece of placenta was retrieved by manual, blunt dissection and submitted to the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center for histopathology. Grossly, a severe, multifocal to coalescing, necrotic placentitis was present. Histopathology revealed innumerable spherical yeast, Candida sp., filling the cytoplasm of numerous trophoblasts associated with the necrotizing placentitis. No treatment was administered for mycotic placentitis and the cow and calf were reported to be doing well two weeks after the dystocia.