Evaluation of abortions spontaneously induced by Neospora caninum and risk factors in dairy cattle from Lima, Peru

Abstract

Our objective was to identify the direct and indirect presence of Neospora caninum in dairy cattle and their aborted fetuses from Lima, Peru. A total 219 blood samples obtained from dairy cattle with records of spontaneous abortion were collected to detect antibodies against N. caninum in serum with indirect ELISA and search for risk-factor associations. 68 fetal aborted tissue samples of these cows were analyzed by PCR, indirect ELISA and histopathology assay to detect N. caninum presence. The prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. Univariate analysis was performed using the chi-squared test. Among the 68 aborted fetuses collected, 10 (15%) were positive in at least two diagnostic tests. Among 219 serum samples, 46.6% (95% CI: 40.0%-53.3%) were positive. Cows with 4 years or older (PR: 7.10; 95% CI: 4.89-10.67) and multiparous (PR: 1.76; 95% CI: 1.11-2.80) were found to be more likely to possess N. caninum antibodies. This study detects presence of N. caninum in dairy cattle and their aborted fetus from Lima valley, suggesting biosecurity management improve to neosporosis control.

Neospora caninum Infection in Cattle in the Province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, Southwest of Iran: Seroprevalence and Molecular Assessment

“…In cattle, the two main routes of Neospora infection are vertical transmission from mother to fetus, as well as transmission through ingestion of contaminated water or forage with oocysts excreted in dog feces [1]. Studies in different areas of the world show that a high percentage of aborted fetuses in cattle is due to infection with this parasite [4][5][6].…”

Establishment of Novel High-Standard Chemiluminescent Assay for NTPase in Two Protozoans and Its High-Throughput Screening

“…Neospora caninum was recently discovered to be another type of protozoa belonging to phylum Apicomplexa [6]. It infects animals such as dogs and cows [6], resulting in Encephalomyelitis and Myositis-Polyradiculitis in dogs [7,8], and abortion in cows [9,10]. Neospora caninum also exhibits close similarities in morphology and phylogenetics of Toxoplasma gondii [6,11].…”