Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42098278›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) as disease reservoirs for bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis): experimental and epidemiological evidence.

Logan F Thomas, Dallas Clontz, Chase M Nunez, Jack J Richison, Robert O Dittmar, J Hunter Reed, Sara R Wyckoff, Froylán Hernandez, Shawn S Gray, Raquel R Rech and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Independent Discovery ofAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Logan F ThomasDepartment of Horticulture and Natural Resources, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA. Logan201@ksu.edu.
Dallas ClontzVeterinary Diagnostic Pathology, LLC, Polkton, NC, 28135, USA.
Chase M NunezBrush Country Wildlife Consulting, Seguin, TX, 78155, USA.
Jack J RichisonDepartment of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
Robert O DittmarBig Game Program, Wildlife Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX, 78744, USA.
J Hunter ReedBig Game Program, Wildlife Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX, 78744, USA.
Sara R WyckoffBig Game Program, Wildlife Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX, 78744, USA.
Froylán HernandezBig Game Program, Wildlife Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX, 78744, USA.
Shawn S GrayBig Game Program, Wildlife Division, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX, 78744, USA.
Raquel R RechDepartment of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
Walter E CookDepartment of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.

Funding

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department TX W-207-R-1 F20AF10359-00Wild Sheep Foundation GIA 2021-71
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study evaluates the role of aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) as a maintenance host and reservoir for significant respiratory pathogens hindering bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) conservation; Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and leukotoxigenic Pasteurellaceae. An experimental commingling trial and regional disease surveillance revealed significant interspecies transmission risks and epidemiological patterns. Experimentally, 80% of bighorn sheep exposed to aoudad inoculated with M. ovipneumoniae and leukotoxigenic Pasteurellaceae died of pneumonia under both indirect and direct contact conditions. Conversely, aoudad exhibited prolonged relatively asymptomatic shedding of M. ovipneumoniae without severe clinical outcomes. Surveillance of 351 free-ranging aoudad revealed 9.4% with M. ovipneumoniae DNA in nasal swabs and M. ovipneumoniae-specific antibodies in 55.8%. Aoudad diagnostic profiles were heterogeneous across populations, including variations in strain diversity and distribution. Shedding rates were higher among juveniles than adults. Aoudad can sustain and transmit M. ovipneumoniae under free-ranging and experimental conditions, presenting significant risks to bighorn sheep populations. Research on strategies to mitigate pathogen transmission, such as reducing shared water access and aoudad removal, is critical for predicting complex biological outcomes for multi-species management. This study emphasizes the importance of longitudinal herd-specific disease surveillance and fundamental pathobiology research for understanding M. ovipneumoniae dynamics in aoudad to inform bighorn sheep conservation efforts in Texas.

Indexed as

Disease ReservoirsRuminantsSheep, BighornSheep DiseasesAnimalsMycoplasma ovipneumoniaePasteurellaceaeSheep

Identifiers

PMID42098278
PMCPMC13342677

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.