Sero-epidemiological study of zoonotic bacterial abortifacient agents in small ruminants

Abortion is one of the leading causes of economic losses in the livestock industry worldwide. , , and spp. are the leading cause of late fetal loss in small ruminants. This study determined the seroprevalence of these agents in small ruminants in district Jhang. A total of 385 serum samples were taken from the sheep and goats from different flocks with a history of abortion and subjected to i-ELISA. Further, samples were analysed for liver enzymes and total serum protein using a semi-automated chemistry analyzer. The result of indirect commercial ELISA showed 13.0, 4.2 and 11.2% prevalence for , , and spp., respectively. Values of different serum parameters (ALT, AST, and total protein) of seropositive animals were also determined. There was a significant rise in AST and ALT values of infected animals ( ≤ 0.05). Total protein decreased for all three infections, but a significant drop was noted in positive sheep serum samples. Various risk factors were studied. Binary logistic regression proved a significant role of ticks for coxiellosis and brucellosis. Age, parity, and species did not impact the prevalence of diseases studied.