Which treatment in late gestation may help prevent adverse pregnancy events when abortions are occurring due to Coxiella burnetii?

• A. Vaccination of all animals during gestation.
• B. Use of penicillin for 5 days.
• C. Administer long-acting oxytetracycline in late gestation.
• D. No treatment helps.

Answer: (C)

When Coxiella burnetii is causing abortions in late gestation, using a tetracycline during the final stage of pregnancy is the most effective way to reduce adverse pregnancy events. Long-acting oxytetracycline maintains therapeutic levels in the animal for an extended period, allowing the drug to reach intracellular Coxiella bacteria inside placental and fetal tissues. This helps suppress bacterial replication, reduces fetal losses, and lowers the amount of infectious material shed into the environment.

Vaccinating all animals during gestation isn’t the immediate corrective measure for an ongoing outbreak and may not prevent abortions once exposure has occurred. Penicillin isn’t effective against Coxiella burnetii because the organism is intracellular, limiting penicillin’s ability to reach and affect it. Saying no treatment helps ignores the evidence that targeted antibiotic therapy can mitigate abortion events and environmental contamination during outbreaks.