Simultaneous Use of Two Primer Pairs Increases the Efficiency of Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay in the Diagnosis of Bovine Leukemia Virus Infection

Abstract

mans.8 The clinical significance of C. burnetii infection in seals is unclear; this harbor seal was euthanized because of protozoal encephalitis, unrelated to the placental infection. The potential for C. burnetii infection to cause abortion in seals, as it does in sheep and goats,1 is also uncertain. In this animal, the placental infection was not associated with perceptible fetal lesions, and the full-term fetus was still viable at the time of the dam’s death. The most significant aspect of this infection may be the potential for zoonosis for zoo or rehabilitation center workers that may be exposed to placental tissues or newborn seal pups.