Detection of Pathogens in Ovine and Caprine Abortion Samples from Sardinia, Italy, by PCR

Abstract

Abstract. During 2003During -2005 abortion samples (315 fetuses and 84 placentae) were collected from 107 ovine and caprine farms in northern Sardinia. Tissues from aborted fetuses and placentae were examined by PCR assay to detect DNA from Coxiella burnetii, Chlamydophila abortus, Salmonella enterica Serovar abortusovis, Toxoplasma gondii, and Neospora caninum. The DNA from at least 1 of these 5 infectious agents was amplified in 41% of ovine fetuses, while only 17% of the caprine fetuses yielded a positive amplification result for at least 1 of the 5 agents. Out of a total of 366 ovine aborted samples, T. gondii DNA was detected most frequently (18.1% of fetuses and 13.1% of placentae), followed by S. abortusovis (13% of fetuses and 14.4% of placentae), C. burnetii (10.9% of fetuses, of 9.2% placentae), C. abortus (2.4% of fetuses, 6.5% of placentae), and N. caninum (2% of placentae). In 33 fetuses and 9 placentae, the simultaneous presence of pathogens with different associations was detected. Out of a total of 31 caprine aborted samples, T. gondii was detected most frequently (13% of fetuses and 25% of placentae), followed by C. abortus (12.5% of placentae), C. burnetii (12.5% of placentae), and N. caninum (8.6%).

Occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in sheep naturally infected and slaughtered in abattoirs in Pernambuco, Brazil

“…The presence of T. gondii DNA in the placenta, heart and brain of the fetus of a sheep that was positive in the serology confirmed the vertical transmission of the parasite in naturally infected sheep in Brazil. The following data, related to spontaneous abortions caused by T. gondii, are recorded in the literature: 10.6% in Germany (Steuber et al 1995); 11.1% and 18.1% in Italy (Masala et al 2003(Masala et al , 2007; 14.3% in Brazil (Moraes et al 2011);16.9% and23.2% in Spain (Hurtado et al 2001, Pereira-Bueno et al 2004) and 17.5% in the USA (Dubey & Kirkbride 1990).…”

“…In Spain, Pereira & Bueno (2004) also demonstrated the presence of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in aborted fetuses from naturally infected sheep. Masala et al (2007) detected T. gondii DNA in the tissues of aborted fetuses in Italy. In Brazil, Moraes et al (2011) found T. gondii in aborted and stillborn sheep fetuses in nested PCR, thereby demonstrating the significance of this disease in sheep reproduction.…”

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum antibodies in goats in the Czech Republic

“…In Brazil, congenital neosporosis was described in a goat kid with difficulty rising, ataxia, opistothotonos and non-suppurative encephalitis (Corbellini et al 2001). In Italy, N. caninum was found by PCR in 2 of 23 (8.7%) aborted foetuses (Masala et al 2007). Furthermore, one goat foetus aborted.…”

Multivariate model for the assessment of risk of fetal loss in goat herds

“…On the other hand, fetal loss may have non-infectious etiology as well, to mention only mechanical injuries, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and poisonings (Smith and Sherman 2009). As an infectious etiological agent can be identified in a small proportion of cases of fetal loss (Chanton-Greutmann et al 2002, Masala et al 2007, it is suggested that non-infectious causes predominate in etiology of the condition in goats (Waldeland and Løken 1991). An analysis carried out by Engeland et al (1998) indicated inferior natural lighting in the stables, pre-heated drinking water and a building design with a combined feeding and milking platform involving large and crowded pens to be risk factors for non-infectious fetal loss.…”