investigation of chlamydia infection in aborted fetuses of small ruminants from east azerbaijan province, iran

Chlamydia is a significant bacterial cause of abortion in small ruminants, particularly in sheep and goats, and it is responsible for major economic losses in the livestock industry, which is a critical issue. therefore, this study was conducted in east azerbaijan province, iran, to detect chlamydia infection in the aborted fetuses of sheep and goat flocks using the conventional pcr method, followed by an investigation of the main histopathological changes associated with this infection. a total of 62 aborted fetuses of ewes and does were collected in east azerbaijan province, from nine cities and 42 villages during october to february, 2024. at first, the dna extraction was performed from abomasal content of all samples. then, the pcr method with specific primer pairs was performed to detect the presence of the chlamydia genus. the formalin-fixed tissue samples were used for histopathological examination. out of the 62 samples, 21 (33.87%) tested positive for chlamydia infection by pcr. histopathological studies presented marked focal liquefactive necrosis in the liver and spleen, mild meningoencephalitis associated with interstitial pneumonia and thickening of the alveolar epithelium in the lung samples. this significant detection rate suggests that chlamydia may be a major and notable contributing factor to abortion in small ruminants in this region. the results highlight a significant prevalence of chlamydia infection in sheep and goat flocks of east azerbaijan, iran. it emphasizes the importance of developing more effective strategies for managing this infection and increasing efforts toward prevention to reduce the economic impact of chlamydia infections on the livestock industry.