{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T05:00:34Z","timestamp":1787029234828,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,11]],"date-time":"2025-12-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1765411200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Central funds project for guiding local technological development","award":["23ZYQG0001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["23ZYQG0001"]}]},{"name":"Group Project \u201cComprehensive Control Technology for Brucellosis and Hydatid Disease in Xinjiang\u201d","award":["2024312885"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024312885"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012421","name":"Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CAAS-ZDRW202410"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CAAS-ZDRW202410"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012421","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences","award":["CAASASTIP-2021-LVRI"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CAASASTIP-2021-LVRI"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Equine bacterial abortion presents substantial economic and One Health challenges; however, comprehensive epidemiological data from China are limited. This study sought to ascertain the overall prevalence of key pathogens\u2014namely, Chlamydia spp., Coxiella burnetii, Salmonella abortus equi, and Brucella spp.\u2014in equine populations in northwestern China. In this study, we aimed to further elucidate the characteristics of co-infections, profile antimicrobial resistance genes, and identify associated risk factors. Conducted as a cross-sectional analysis across four provinces, we collected 508 blood samples and 24 abortion tissue samples from 15 farms. Pathogen detection was performed using ELISA and real-time PCR, complemented by a targeted PCR panel screening for 29 AMR genes. The highest prevalence was observed for S. abortus equi (serology: 35.03%; molecular: 23.03%), followed by C. burnetii (28.94%; 15.35%) and Chlamydia spp. (18.90%; 14.17%). No PCR-confirmed cases of Brucella spp. were detected, despite low-level seropositivity. Notably, donkeys and horses aged 5\u201310 years exhibited higher positivity rates, and co-infections were common, particularly S. abortus equi + C. burnetii (n = 44). Among the 196 PCR-positive samples, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) genes were predominant, with CTX-M (n = 158) and TEM-1 (n = 106) being the most prevalent. Additionally, we identified a high prevalence of genes conferring resistance to fluoroquinolones (qnrA\/B), tetracyclines (tetM), macrolides (ermA\/B\/C), and sulfonamides (sul1), along with sporadic occurrences of carbapenemase genes. This study presents the inaugural comprehensive analysis of pathogen prevalence and associated antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene carriage in equine abortion cases in northwest China. The findings highlight the imperative for integrated serological and molecular surveillance, revealing a significant discrepancy between empirical therapeutic approaches and the prevalent resistance genotypes. Consequently, this research lays the groundwork for evidence-based biosecurity measures and antimicrobial stewardship within a One Health framework.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens14121275","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,11]],"date-time":"2025-12-11T17:13:34Z","timestamp":1765473214000},"page":"1275","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Unveiling Equine Abortion Pathogens: A One Health Perspective on Prevalence and Resistance in Northwest China"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Wei","family":"Gao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China"},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, College of Animal Medicine and Biosafety, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mengyao","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, College of Animal Medicine and Biosafety, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kastai","family":"Nurdaly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, College of Animal Medicine and Biosafety, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Duojie","family":"Caidan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, College of Animal Medicine and Biosafety, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yunlong","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, College of Animal Medicine and Biosafety, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jingang","family":"Duan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, College of Animal Medicine and Biosafety, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiangshan","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Urumqi 830063, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaowei","family":"Gong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, College of Animal Medicine and Biosafety, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jizhang","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, College of Animal Medicine and Biosafety, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yong","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9639-6932","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Qiwei","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, College of Animal Medicine and Biosafety, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"366","DOI":"10.1111\/j.2042-3306.1983.tb01825.x","article-title":"Equine herpesvirus abortion in Australia 1977 to 1982","volume":"15","author":"Sabine","year":"1983","journal-title":"Equine Vet. 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