Previously Unrecognized Exposure Of Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis Nelsoni) To Mycoplasma Ovipneumoniae In The California Mojave Desert

A 2013 outbreak of respiratory disease in bighorn sheep from California's Mojave Desert metapopulation caused high mortality in at least one population. Subsequent PCR and straintyping indicate widespread infection of a single strain of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae throughout this region. Serosurvey of archived samples showed that some populations have had antibodies to M. ovipneumoniae since at least 1986, although pre-2013 strain-type data are unavailable.