Molecular detection of Ovine listeric abortion in Nineveh governorate, Iraq

Listeriosis is a important abortive diseases in sheep , and is considered one of the most risky bacterial zoonotic disease worldwide.The study was carried out in 50 sheep flocks placed in the Nineveh governorate, Iraq during November and December 2022, a total of 300 specimens of blood , abomasum content and brain ( 100 each)were collected from local breed ovine aborted fetues(in the last stage of gestation) were obtained to be tested for molecular detection of Listeria monocytogenes . L monocytogenes DNA was detected in a total of 61(20.3%) specimens , distributed as: 35(57.4%) ,15(24.6% and 11(18.0%) strains from fetal brain, abomasum and blood specimens respectively using direct genus-specific conventional polymerase chain reaction (prfA gene) C- PCR. Two L. monocytogenes strains ( HMB1 listeriolysin, HMB 2 listeriolysin ) deposited in GenBank under accession numbers LC769365.1,and LC769366.1. All L. monocytogenes strains were positive for three genes (InlJ, InlA, and hlyA) except actA gene was detected in 46 (75.4%) strains. In conclusion , L. monocytogenes is one of the important causal agents of abortion in sheep flocks in Nineveh province , Iraq, and most of the brain specimens were positive for listeric infection compared to the other specimens.