Also see Management of Reproduction: Goats.
Noninfectious causes of abortion in goats include plant toxins, such as broomweed or locoweed; dietary deficiencies of copper, selenium, vitamin A, or magnesium; and certain drugs (eg, estrogen, glucocorticoids, phenothiazine, carbon tetrachloride, or levamisole) in late gestation.
Major infectious causes of abortion in goats are chlamydiosis, toxoplasmosis, leptospirosis, brucellosis, Coxiella burnetii, listeriosis, and parachlamydiosis. Campylobacter causes abortions but is not nearly as important in does as in ewes.
Brucellosis as a Cause of Abortion in Goats
In goats, Brucella melitensis is a major cause of abortion, stillbirth, and weak kids (see B melitensis and images). Brucella abortus is occasionally involved.
Aborted goat fetus with marked organomegaly and multifocal bronchopneumonia, consistent with severe systemic infection by Brucella melitensis.
Courtesy of Dr. Vincenzo Di Marco Lo Presti.
Aborted goat fetus with marked organomegaly and serous to serohemorrhagic effusions, consistent with severe systemic infection by Brucella melitensis.
Courtesy of Dr. Vincenzo Di Marco Lo Presti.
Abortion due to brucellosis can be accompanied by mastitis and lameness and is most common in the fourth month of gestation. The placenta is grossly normal; however, chronic uterine lesions can develop.
B melitensis infection in adult goats is lifelong, and the organisms are shed in the animals' milk. B melitensis is zoonotic but rare in the US.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis of B melitensis infection is based on serological testing and, when possible, direct detection of the organism. Serum can be screened using the Rose Bengal or card agglutination tests, and complement fixation or ELISA can be used as confirmatory tests, depending on the applicable regulatory program.
Definitive diagnosis of brucellosis can be established by isolation of B melitensis from the placenta, fetal stomach contents, fetal tissues, uterine or vaginal discharge, or milk. PCR detection of Brucella DNA from fetal tissues, placenta, or milk can provide a rapid complementary diagnostic method.
Because B melitensis is highly zoonotic, culture should be performed only by appropriately equipped diagnostic laboratories.
Prevention: In the US, brucellosis is controlled by test-and-cull. Tube agglutination and card tests can be used as screening tests.
Caprine Herpesvirus 1 as a Cause of Abortion
Caprine herpesvirus 1 is closely related to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus of cattle and, in goats, causes sporadic outbreaks of late-term abortions often unassociated with other clinical signs. The virus also causes vulvovaginitis, balanoposthitis, and respiratory disease in adult goats, as well as enteric and systemic diseases in neonatal goats.
Diagnosis: Goat fetuses aborted because of caprine herpesvirus 1 infection can be fresh or autolyzed and do not contain diagnostic gross lesions. Presumptive diagnosis of infection is based on microscopic identification of necrosis, with the presence of intranuclear inclusion bodies in the liver, lungs, and other organs. Definitive diagnosis is based on identification of caprine herpesvirus 1 by isolation, PCR assay, or immunological staining methods.
Not all aborted fetuses contain lesions or virus, so multiple fetuses should be submitted for testing. Infected goats can become latently infected and can shed the virus during times of stress.
Prevention and control:Vaccines against caprine herpesvirus 1 are not commercially available in the US.
Chlamydiosis (Enzootic Abortion) in Goats
Chlamydia abortus, the agent of enzootic abortion of ewes, also causes enzootic abortion in goats. In previously naive herds, abortion rates can be substantial, with affected does often aborting or producing stillborn or weak kids. Abortions can occur at any stage of pregnancy, but they usually occur during late gestation (1).
Reproductive failure is usually the only sign of C abortus infection in goats; occasionally, however, there is concurrent respiratory disease, polyarthritis, conjunctivitis, and retained placentas in the flock.
Diagnosis: Kids aborted as a result of C abortus infection are usually fresh, with no gross lesions. Placentitis is usually present and consists of reddish-brown exudate covering cotyledons and intercotyledonary areas (see ).
Goat fetus aborted as a result of infection by Chlamydia abortus. The fetus was aborted fresh, and the placenta was covered by brown exudate.
Courtesy of Dr. Giuseppe Cuttone.
Microscopically, necrotizing vasculitis and neutrophilic inflammation are present in the placenta in cases of goat abortion due to C abortus infection. Chlamydial organisms can be visualized in appropriately stained placental smears; however, they cannot be differentiated from Coxiella burnetii.
Fluorescent antibody or immunohistochemical staining, ELISA, PCR assay, or culture can be used to definitively identify C abortus in goats. The placenta is the specimen of choice; sometimes, however, the diagnosis can be based on tests of the liver, lung, and spleen.
Prevention and control: During an outbreak of C abortus infection, aborting does should be isolated, and tetracyclines should be administered orally or parentally. There is no chlamydial vaccine for goats, but the vaccine for sheep is relatively effective.
Like sheep, goats that abort because of C abortus infection are immune. Sheep that abort remain infected for years, if not life, and they shed the organism during ovulation; whether this occurs in goats is not known.
C abortus is zoonotic, occasionally causing serious disease in pregnant women.
Coxiella burnetii Infection as a Cause of Abortion in Goats
Coxiella burnetii is increasingly recognized as an important cause of abortion in goats. Late-term abortions, stillbirths, and weak kids are the common clinical signs of C burnetii infection. Up to 50% of the herd can be involved (2).
Diagnosis: In cases of caprine coxiellosis, the placenta is covered by gray-brown exudate, and the intercotyledonary areas are thickened (see C burnetii and images).
Goat fetus aborted as a result of infection by Coxiella burnetii (the cause of Q fever). The doe showed no clinical signs but aborted 3–4 weeks early. The fetus is fresh and premature.
Courtesy of Dr. Michela Ciccarelli.
Placenta from a goat abortion due to Coxiella burnetii infection (Q fever), showing meconium staining with associated necrotizing placentitis.
Courtesy of Dr. Vincenzo Di Marco Lo Presti.
Microscopically, there is a necrotizing vasculitis in the placenta, and many chorionic epithelial cells are distended by small, coccobacillary organisms < 1 mcm in diameter (see ). Infection involves only the placenta; without it, the diagnosis usually cannot be made.
Photomicrograph of a histological section of placental tissue from a goat, showing numerous intracytoplasmic Coxiella burnetii bacteria (arrows) within chorionic trophoblasts. H&E stain; magnification 80X.
Courtesy of Drs. Christopher Mandella and Allan Pessier.
Diagnosis of coxiellosis is based on identification of C burnetii in placental tissue by immunological staining methods, PCR assay, or isolation. Coxiella is zoonotic, causing Q fever in humans.
Treatment, prevention, and control: There is limited evidence that antimicrobial treatment decreases abortion caused by C burnetii infection and shedding of C burnetii in goats; routine antimicrobial treatment is not recommended as a reliable method of controlling coxiellosis. Oxytetracycline administered during late gestation has been used during abortion outbreaks; however, controlled evidence of its efficacy in goats is lacking (3).
Leptospirosis as a Cause of Abortion in Goats
The most common serovars of Leptospira bacteria involved in abortion in goats are Grippotyphosa, Pomona, Icterohaemorrhagiae, and Autumnalis.
Although sheep are relatively resistant to leptospirosis, goats are susceptible, with abortions occurring at the time of leptospiremia. Some does have anemia, icterus, and hemoglobinemia; others are afebrile and are not icteric.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis of leptospirosis is based on serological testing or on the identification of Leptospira spp in the dam’s urine, the placenta, or the fetal kidney.
Leptospirosis is zoonotic; humans can contract the disease from contact with infected goat urine or tissues.
Treatment, prevention, and control: Treatment of does with leptospirosis should be initiated promptly, using appropriate antimicrobials. Streptomycin and tetracyclines have been used and can decrease urinary shedding and reproductive losses; however, treatment might not completely eliminate the carrier state.
Control of leptospirosis should combine antimicrobial treatment, vaccination, and management practices aimed at decreasing exposure to contaminated urine and water. Vaccination should include serovars prevalent in the geographical area because protection is largely serovar/serogroup specific.
In an outbreak of leptospirosis-associated reproductive failure in goats, implementation of antimicrobial treatment, vaccination, and environmental management was associated with a marked decrease in reproductive problems during the next year (4).
Listeriosis as a Cause of Abortion in Goats
The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is a common pathogen in goats and causes sporadic abortions. There are no specific fetal lesions with listeriosis, and the fetus is often autolyzed. Does usually show no signs before abortion; however, they might develop severe metritis after abortion.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis of listeriosis in goats is based on isolation of L monocytogenes from placental tissue, fetal gastric contents, or uterine discharge.
Prevention: In the rare cases of herd outbreaks of listeriosis in goats, preventive treatment with tetracycline is recommended.
Toxoplasmosis as a Cause of Abortion in Goats
Toxoplasmosis is a common cause of abortion in goats in the US, and toxoplasmal abortion in goats is similar to the syndrome in ewes.
Other Causes of Abortion in Goats
The bacterium Parachlamydia acanthamoebae is an emerging cause of abortion in sheep and goats. It was detected in necrotizing placentitis when other causes were excluded (5).
P acanthamoebae is a Chlamydia-related organism considered to be an emerging agent of pneumonia in humans.
For More Information
de la Concha-Bermejillo A, Romano J. Pregnancy loss in small ruminants. Clin Theriogenol. 2021;13(3):194-205.
References
Kaus FM, Eggimann H, Tschulena B, Hirsbrunner G, Zanolari P. A review of infectious and non-infectious causes of pregnancy loss in goats. Reprod Domest Anim. 2026;61(3):e70198. doi10.1111/rda.70198. This is currently the most useful comprehensive reference and specifically discusses C abortus in goats, as well as the US distinction from C psittaci.
Reichel R, Mearns R, Douglass N, et al. Description of a Coxiella burnetii abortion outbreak in a dairy goat herd, and associated serology, PCR and genotyping results. Res Vet Sci. 2012;93:1217-1224. doi:10.1016/j.rvsc.2012.04.007
Plummer PJ, McClure JT, Menzies P, Morley PS, Van den Brom R, Van Metre DC. Management of Coxiella burnetii infection in livestock populations and the associated zoonotic risk: a consensus statement. J Vet Intern Med. 2018;32(5):1481-1494. doi:10.1111/jvim
Hamond C, Medeiros M, Lilenbaum W. Diagnosis and control of an outbreak of leptospirosis in goats with reproductive failure. Vet J. 2012;193(2):600-601. doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.01.016
Ruhl S, Goy G, Casson N, et al. Parachlamydia acanthamoebae infection and abortion in small ruminants. Emerg Infect Dis. 2008;14(12):1966-1968. doi:10.3201/eid1412.080582
