Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae

Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is a species of Mycoplasma bacteria that specifically inhabits and affects ovine animals.

In July 2007, it was discovered that this particular species of Mycoplasma was responsible for the deaths of bighorn sheep in the Western United States. It has been theorized that the pathogen was passed onto the wild bighorn sheep by domestic sheep that come into close contact with their wild counterparts while grazing.