IS 200 fingerprinting of Salmonella enterica serotype Abortusovis strains isolated in Iran

Salmonella enterica serovar Abortusovis is one of the most common pathogens responsible for abortion in sheep. In Iran, the spread of Abortusovis is highly dependent on the nomadic life style. In this study we performed IS 200 fingerprinting to identify the clonal lines circulating in Iran. All the isolates contained 4 or 5 copies of the transposon and could be classified in 4 genotypes. A single genotype was highly prevalent and very likely it has circulated in Iran since 1970. All the isolates showed a high degree of relatedness.