Molecular identifications of co-infected pathogens in aborted sheep in Garmian administration, Iraq

Background: Abortion is one of the main factors of large financial losses in the worldwide livestock sector due to infectious and non-infectious causes.
Objective: It was conducted to estimate the molecular identification of co-infections of ovine abortions caused by Brucella spp., Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii), Mycoplasma spp., Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), Chlamydia abortus (C. abortus), Leptospira spp., Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., and Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in aborted ewes.
Materials and Methods: Fifty blood samples were attempted directly from the jugular veins of aborted ewes (n=50) from 23 flocks in Garmian Administrations (GA), Kurdistan Region-Iraq, during August 2024 to January 2025. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to analyze the blood samples collected from 50 aborted ewes
Results: It was concluded that Brucella spp. (90 %) was the main cause of the abortions, followed by Mycoplasma spp with 72%, and C. burnetii with 62%. Other pathogens were not detected in any of the specimens investigated. Mixed infections with Brucella spp., Mycoplasma spp., and C. burnetii were observed in 42% of the specimens examined.
Conclusions: Brucellosis was the most prominent outcome associated with ewe abortions in the Garmian administration, Iraq. This study also confirmed the co-occurrence of Brucella spp., C. burnetii, and Mycoplasma spp. infections in aborted sheep. For the first time, the Mycoplasma spp. was found as a causative agent of ovine abortion in Kurdistan region by using PCR test, and no one mentioned this agent.