Prevalence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies and DNA in Raw Milk of Various Ruminants in Egypt

Abstract

The prevalence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in raw milk samples was estimated in different ruminants and Egyptian governorates. Of 13 bulk milk samples tested by ELISA, five (38.5%) were positive for antibodies to N. caninum, and two samples were additionally positive for antibodies to T. gondii, resulting in a seroprevalence of 15.4% for both T. gondii and co-infection. In individual milk samples (n = 171) from the same bulks, antibodies to N. caninum were detected in 25.7%, to T. gondii in 14%, and 3.5% had antibodies to both parasites. A strong correlation between the OD values of the bulk samples and of the relevant individual milk samples was found for T. gondii (Pearson r = 0.9759) and moderately strong for N. caninum (Pearson r = 0.5801). Risk factor assessment for individual milk samples revealed that antibodies to T. gondii were significantly influenced by animal species, while no risk factors were detected for N. caninum antibodies. Additionally, DNA of N. caninum was detected in a bulk milk sample of cattle for the first time in Egypt, and DNA of T. gondii was found in bulk milk samples of cattle, sheep and goats. This is the first study in Egypt in which bulk milk samples of different ruminants were tested for the presence of N. caninum and T. gondii antibodies and DNA. Both individual and bulk milk samples are useful tools for monitoring antibody response to N. caninum and T. gondii infections in different ruminants in Egypt.

Seroprevalence and risk factors analysis of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in cattle of Beheira, Egypt

“…For instance, using a TgSAG2t-ELISA, 10.8% of the cattle sera from the Delta region ( 23 ), and 23.6% of the cattle from Qena, Kafr Elsheikh, and Minoufia tested positive ( 19 ). In Shebein El-Kom, molecular detection in cattle milk revealed 19.35% (6/31) positive for T. gondii DNA ( 30 ), while one in ten bulk milks tested positive for T. gondii DNA in a recent study ( 26 ). Cattle meat samples from Sohag city showed 31.3% positive by PCR ( 20 ).…”

“…In comparison to the previous studies on N. canimum in cattle in Egypt, this work reported a similar prevalence rate (24.6%) to the 20.43% reported in cattle of the Delta region ( 23 ), a neighboring region of Beheira governorate, and also to the 18.9% in cattle from southern Egypt ( 24 ). Recently, three of ten bulk milks from different farms and different regions in Egypt were shown to contain antibodies to N. caninum , and one of these bulk milks was additionally positive for N. caninum DNA ( 26 ). For other livestock like camels, variable seroprevalences of 3.6% ( 37 ), 11% ( 21 ), and 25.7% ( 25 ) have been reported.…”