A one-year flock study found that the strain mix detected in individual sheep changed between sampling periods.
Repeated swabs in one flock
ARS researchers collected nasal swabs from three domestic-sheep breeds in a single flock over one year. Deep amplicon sequencing distinguished variants of Mesomycoplasma ovipneumoniae, a respiratory bacterium. The manuscript was accepted on 3 September 2026; the ARS record does not list a publication date.
Strain patterns varied by animal
Samples from individual sheep often contained one dominant variant and one or more minor variants. Multiple variants were detected more often in May and September; February samples from some Rambouillet and Targhee sheep shifted toward single-variant detections. The team reported seasonal variation in Targhee and more stable patterns in Suffolk sheep.