Distribution of Arcanobacterium pluranimalium in animals examined in veterinary laboratories in the United Kingdom.

Arcanobacterium pluranimalium was first reported in 2001 for 2 isolates, from a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) and a fallow deer (Dama dama). The same organism was subsequently reported from ovine material. A review of material submitted to veterinary laboratories in the United Kingdom from a range of domestic and wild animals during the following years revealed that A. pluranimalium had been recovered from ovine specimens on 33 occasions. Twenty ovine isolates came from abortion material, 5 from semen samples, 3 from abscesses, 3 from viscera, and 1 case each of navel ill and peritonitis. The only other A. pluranimalium isolate recovered during the period was from a milk sample collected from a cow with mastitis. The findings of the current study suggest that sheep were the host most frequently affected by infection with A. pluranimalium with recovery most commonly made from abortion material.