Independent Discovery of Mesomycoplasma conjunctivae in Non-Native Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) in Texas.

Conservation of native species is an ongoing task, especially when non-native species present a threat via competition and disease transmission. In Texas, native desert bighorn sheep (DBS) compete directly with non-native aoudad for resources. Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia, also known as Barbary sheep), introduced into the United States from Africa, are competent hosts of Mesomycoplasma ovipneumoniae and are thought to be the primary reservoir for transmitting pneumonia to DBS. A recent epidemic (circa December 2025) of infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) in aoudad was reported in western Texas. Herein, we compare newly derived microbial data (16S rRNA sequencing) to results derived from a previous dataset (multi-locus sequence typing). Five M. conjunctivae haplotypes were indicated by 16S sequence data obtained from 33 individuals. Phylogenetic analyses identified these haplotypes as members of a clade containing sequences from wild ungulate hosts, whereas sequences from domestic ungulates formed a divergent clade (6.58%). Together, these data indicate the presence of an aoudad-like M. conjunctivae obtained from four mountain ranges in western Texas during 2018-2020. These implications suggest that monitoring for IKC and identifying the bacterial pathogen is paramount in case of spillover from aoudad to DBS. Based on the data presented herein, effective management strategies should take a dual approach of bacterial surveillance and preparation in case of antibiotic intervention for DBS conservation.