Elucidating the emergence of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae-associated respiratory disease in ruminants requires identification of the pathogen host range. This bacterium was thought to be host restricted to subfamily Caprinae, but we describe its identification in healthy moose, caribou, and mule deer and diseased mule and white-tailed deer, all species in subfamily Capreolinae.
Keywords: Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae; United States; bacteria; bison; deer; goats; host specificity; pneumonia; polymerase chain reaction; reindeer; respiratory infections; ribosomal RNA 16S; sheep; zoonoses.