Small ruminants are farmed under the traditional extensive system in Algeria, and intensive farming systems have recently been introduced in the country.
The breeding of small ruminants is a primordial activity of the North African breeder (Rondia 2006) and is the main source of red meat in Algeria (Mebirouk-Boudechiche et al. Abortions are also caused by non-infectious etiologies such as toxicities, genetic factors, metabolic and nutritional problems, and physical factors (Vidić et al. Infectious abortions are the most common and are caused by bacteria ( Chlamydia abortus, Campylobacter spp., Listeria spp., Coxiella burnetii, Brucella melitensis), virus (bluetongue virus plague of small ruminants virus, border disease virus), and parasites ( Toxoplasma gondii) (Celli and Gorvel 2004 Khan et al. The etiology may be infectious or non-infectious (Vidić et al. Larger and more robust prevalence studies are needed to adequately support risk assessment and management of animal and public health threats.Ībortion in small ruminants is one of the major problems that can cause considerable economic losses due to the death of fetuses and reduced milk production and it may occur sporadically or as enzootic outbreaks. This study is a comprehensive epidemiological analysis of abortion diseases in small ruminants in Algeria and will therefore be a useful tool for researchers. Toxoplasma gondii infection prevalence among sheep and goats was 21.43% and 32.31% respectively. Border disease and bovine viral diarrhea were detected in 22.68% and 1.01% of sheep examined, respectively. The prevalence of peste des petits ruminants was 15.76% and the overall prevalence of bluetongue in sheep and goats was, respectively, 13.41% and 44.50%. Chlamydia and Q fever were observed in 32.72% and 20.62% of small ruminants, respectively. The overall prevalence of brucellosis was 0.39% in sheep and 5.31% in goats. The majority of the diseases/infections were diagnosed by serological and molecular tests.
The total mean sample size was 53,080 small ruminants. Data were collected from 25 papers published between 20.
Five databases were used to search epidemiological data on the prevalence of different abortive diseases (bacterial, parasitic, and viral). This systematic review provides a comprehensive summary on the prevalence of different abortive diseases and assesses potential risk factors in small ruminants in Algeria. However, there is no comprehensive summary on the occurrence and distribution of these infections in Algeria. Abortive infections are a major health challenge affecting productive and reproductive performance of sheep and goats.