Žilić Daria Jurković, Naletilić Šimun, Mihaljević Željko, Gagović Ema, Špičić Silvio, Reil Irena, Duvnjak Sanja, Tuk Maja Zdelar, Hodžić Adnan, Beck Relja
Laboratory for Parasitology, Department for Bacteriology and Parasitology, Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
Laboratory for Pathology, Department of Pathology, Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
Front Microbiol. 2025 Jul 9;16:1632135. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1632135. eCollection 2025.
Hemotropic pathogens of the genera , , , and hemotropic are significant infectious agents in domestic ruminants, most commonly associated with vector-borne transmission. However, their potential for transplacental transmission and their contribution to reproductive disorders remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the presence of hemopathogens in aborted fetuses of cattle, sheep, and goats in Croatia, and to evaluate their potential role in transplacental transmission.
Molecular analyses were conducted on tissue samples from 651 aborted fetuses collected between 2016 and 2019 as part of national abortion surveillance programs. PCR screening followed by sequencing were used to detect Anaplasmataceae, , , and hemotropic .
Thirteen hemopathogens were detected in 94 of 651 fetuses (14.44%), including sp. OT3 and . The highest infection rates were observed in cattle (17.27%) and sheep (15.85%), while goats showed significantly lower prevalence (5.3%). and were the most frequently detected pathogens in bovine and ovine fetuses, respectively. Hemotropic mycoplasmas were reported for the first time in Croatia, with the first Western Balkan record of 'Candidatus '. Our study represents the first molecular documentation of a wide array of hemopathogens in aborted ruminant fetuses in Croatia, strongly indicating the possibility of transplacental transmission. The detection of species-specific patterns and the unexpected identification of protozoan species typically associated with canines highlight complex epidemiological dynamics.
Vertical transmission of the detected pathogens may play a role in abortion in endemic regions and should be integrated into differential diagnostic protocols for reproductive failure investigations.
巴贝斯虫属、泰勒虫属、无形体属和嗜血性支原体属的血液致病病原体是家养反刍动物的重要感染因子，最常见于媒介传播。然而，它们经胎盘传播的可能性及其对生殖障碍的影响仍知之甚少。本研究旨在调查克罗地亚牛、羊和山羊流产胎儿中血液病原体的存在情况，并评估它们在经胎盘传播中的潜在作用。
对2016年至2019年间作为国家流产监测项目一部分收集的651份流产胎儿的组织样本进行分子分析。采用聚合酶链反应（PCR）筛选和测序来检测无形体科、巴贝斯虫属、泰勒虫属和嗜血性支原体属。
在651份胎儿样本中的94份（14.44%）检测到13种血液病原体，包括OT3种和某泰勒虫。牛（17.27%）和羊（15.85%）的感染率最高，而山羊的患病率显著较低（5.3%）。某无形体和某泰勒虫分别是牛和羊胎儿中最常检测到的病原体。嗜血性支原体在克罗地亚首次报道，其中“嗜血性支原体候选种”是西巴尔干地区的首次记录。我们的研究首次对克罗地亚流产反刍动物胎儿中的多种血液病原体进行了分子记录，有力地表明了经胎盘传播的可能性。物种特异性模式的检测以及意外鉴定出通常与犬类相关的原生动物物种，突出了复杂的流行病学动态。
在流行地区，检测到的病原体的垂直传播可能在流产中起作用，应纳入生殖失败调查的鉴别诊断方案。
