A field investigation of bacterial etiology of abortions among migratory sheep and goats in North-West hill states of India

A field study on the bacterial etiology of abortions among sheep and goats having migratory practices in the northwest hilly states of India was carried out. A total of 203 flocks were investigated. Abortion outbreaks occurred in 51 flocks and sporadic abortions occurred in 114 flocks. Vaginal swabs from aborted sheep and goats were collected and processed for isolation of bacterial agents from 37 flocks with abortion outbreaks and 56 flocks with sporadic abortions. Bacteria known to cause abortions were identified in 30 flocks with abortion outbreaks including Chlamydophila spp. (17 flocks), Brucella melitensis (4 flocks), Listeria monocytogenes (8 flocks), and one salmonella Dublin. L. ivanovii was also isolated from sheep in one of the flocks with L. monocytogenes. No specific causes of abortion were identified in flocks having sporadic abortions. The results also show that Chlamydophila spp. abortions are more likely to occur in goats than in sheep and that Brucella abortions occur more often in sheep.