Common infectious causes of abortion in the ruminant population in Iran-a literature review

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 D.V.M., University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Department Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

3 Assistant professor at Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran

4 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran

10.22092/ari.2024.366520.3258

Abstract

Abortion is one of the most crucial problems of ranchers in Iran in different aspects, i.e. economical, animal healthcare or zoonotic. Each year the farm animal industry in Iran suffers from major economic losses due to abortion. Until now, some epizootological studies have been set up on infectious agents of ruminant abortion in Iran. However, there is no comprehensive information on the ruminant abortion status in Iran. We aimed at collecting all the available information on common infectious causes of abortion in ruminants in Iran to have a better picture of the situation in the country.
This review covers all of published documents in the main English and Persian-language databases on infectious agents of ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats, camels and buffalo) abortion in Iran from 1980 until May, 2024.
Although occurrence of abortion in the ruminants of this country has multifactorial etiologies, but the present study could represent infectious diseases as a serious risk factor in predisposing the ruminants to abortion. Important putative infectious agents that cause abortion in sheep and goats include toxoplasmosis, chlamydiosis, brucellosis and coxiellosis and in cattle include neosporosis, BVDV and BoHV-1.
According our result, a well-defined control strategy for preventing and controlling infectious abortion in Iran should be based on further epidemiological studies on cause of abortion, accurate records keeping, perform laboratory analysis, control of animal trafficking from neighboring countries and from one region to another within the country, employing good biosecurity practices that inhibit the introduction and spread of infectious causes of abortion and using vaccination programs.

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