Identification of Chlamydia abortus, Coxiella burnetii, and Brucella species from ruminant fetal abomasal contents using molecular methods.

This study aimed to detect Coxiella burnetii, Chlamydia abortus, and Brucella species in the abomasal contents of aborted ruminant fetuses from the Central Anatolia region of Türkiye using PCR between 2020 and 2023. The abomasal contents of a total of 97 aborted fetuses from cattle, sheep, and goats with a history of abortion, collected between the years 2020 and 2023, were tested in this study. As a result of PCR analysis of 97 abomasal contents, four (4.10%; 95.00% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33 - 10.82) of them were C. abortus, including three sheep and one goat. Two (2.10%; 95.00% CI: 0.36 - 7.96) of them were C. burnetii, including one sheep and one cow. A total of 60 (61.90%; 95.00% CI: 51.40 - 71.37) samples from 47 cattle, nine sheep, and four goats were determined by Brucella genus-specific PCR. Following multiplex PCR analysis of the positive Brucella spp. samples, 39 (65.00%; 95.00% CI: 51.52 - 76.55) samples were identified as B. abortus, including two sheep, one goat, and 36 cattle. Additionally, 19 (31.70%; 95.00% CI: 20.60 - 45.09) isolates were identified as Brucella melitensis, including five sheep, two goats, and 12 cattle. In two sheep samples, both B. melitensis and C. abortus were identified from the same animals. In conclusion, Brucella spp. were the predominant abortion-causing pathogens, with C. abortus also contributing significantly. Effective control strategies under the One Health approach are essential to prevent the uncontrolled spread and inter-species transmission of these zoonotic agents in the region and country.