Seroprevalence of Chlamydia abortus infection in sheep and goats in Iran

Chlamydia abortus is a zoonotic bacterium that commonly causes abortions in ruminants. This microorganism is one of the most important infectious agents causing abortion and major economic losses in sheep and goats worldwide. The objective of this study was investigating the status of C. abortus infection among small ruminant flocks of some regions in Iran. A total of 1440 sera samples from sheep and goats were collected from 113 flocks of 7 provinces and tested with CHEKIT®-ELISA for antibodies against C.abortus. The study detected overall seroprevalence levels of 25.6% for the individual animals, and 81.4% flocks had at least one positive animal. Analysis of different sheep groups based on their age revealed that the highest numbers of infected animals were registered in the 2 years age group (p<0.05). These results indicate that the seroprevalence of C.abortus infection in sheep and goats is very high in Iran. Therefore, it is necessary that Iran’s veterinary organization set up appropriate surveillance and control programs to reduce economic losses of this disease.