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

Abstract

IntroductionNeospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii are closely related obligate intracellular protozoan parasites. They are considered to be the major causes of infectious abortions and congenital abnormalities in livestock worldwide resulting in huge economic losses. Currently, there are no reports on the prevalence of neosporosis or toxoplasmosis in cattle in Beheira, Egypt's most important region for cattle industry.MethodsThe current study investigated the presence of anti-N. caninum and anti-T. gondii antibodies in apparent healthy cattle from eight localities representing the whole area of Beheira. A total of 358 plasma samples were randomly collected from 6 dairy and 10 beef farms and analyzed by commercially available ELISAs. Production type (dairy versus beef), sex (female vs male), age (< 3 years, 3–5, and > 5 years old), breed (mixed vs Holstein vs Colombian Zebu), and location (various locations) were assessed as risk factors for N. caninum and T. gondii infections.Results and discussionOf the samples, 88 (24.6%) and 19 (5.3%) were positive for anti-N. caninum and anti-T. gondii antibodies, respectively, and mixed infection was detected in 7. Of the 16 herds, 6 dairy and 7 beef herds were positive for antibodies to N. caninum. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 4, and 5 of dairy and beef herds, respectively. Production type (dairy) and, therewith, sex (female), age (aged over 5 years), and location were considered as risk factors for N. caninum infection. No factors statistically associated with T. gondii infection were identified. Overall, this study provided the first serological detection of N. caninum and T. gondii infections in cattle from Beheira, demonstrating the endemicity of both parasites in the main cattle rearing region of Egypt. This study also confirmed earlier reports of N. caninum being more present in dairy cattle than in beef cattle. Routine monitoring of N. caninum and T. gondii infections and the implementation of control strategies are urgently needed.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Trichinella spp. in Pigs from Cairo, Egypt

“…Neospora caninum infection in Egyptian animals is underestimated, with a few seroprevalence reports in cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, camels, dogs, and cats, as well as limited information on clinical neosporosis. In our previous reports using the same ELISA as in the current study, we demonstrated seroprevalence rates for N. caninum of 3.9% in camels [44], 15.5% and 5% in sheep and goats, respectively [45], 5.8% in dogs, 3.4% in cats [49], and 24.6% in cattle [50]. Nonetheless, serum samples from aborted cows revealed N. caninum infections in addition to Coxiella burnetii [51] or Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus [52].…”

“…Although N. caninum might not be a serious parasite for the pig industry, its detection in pigs might constitute a major risk for ruminants and other animals because of multiple species being raised in the same place. The seroprevalence in pigs was most similar to rates reported in cattle (24.6% [ 50 ], 29% [ 51 ], and 30.2% [ 52 ]) and higher than the rates reported in all other animal species, with the exception of one study in buffaloes ( Table 5 ). Furthermore, in comparison with the seroprevalence rate of N. caninum in domestic pigs from other countries, our infection rate seemed higher.…”

“…Concerning N. caninum in pigs, the available data are very scanty, both in Egypt and globally. Nevertheless, the location is considered a potential risk factor for N. caninum in other animal species [ 45 , 50 , 67 , 68 ]. Similarly, and taking into account the limited data concerning pigs, sex is regarded as a risk factor for T. gondii and N. caninum in cases of other animal species [ 50 , 69 ].…”

“…Nevertheless, the location is considered a potential risk factor for N. caninum in other animal species [ 45 , 50 , 67 , 68 ]. Similarly, and taking into account the limited data concerning pigs, sex is regarded as a risk factor for T. gondii and N. caninum in cases of other animal species [ 50 , 69 ]. Age is usually also a risk factor for seropositivity to T. gondii or N. caninum , but this could not be assessed in our study, as all pigs were slaughtered at approx.…”

Serosurvey of selected reproductive pathogens in domestic ruminants from Upper Egypt

“…To the best of our knowledge, this is the first seroepidemiological study evaluating jointly co-exposure of the three tested reproductive pathogens in different domestic ruminant species in Egypt. Metwally et al ( 23 ) detected 1.9% (7/358) of T. gondii and N. caninum co-exposure in cattle in Beheira governorate in Lower Egypt. Similarly, Aboelwafa et al ( 29 ) reported a co-exposure rate of 4.3% (4/92) of T. gondii and N. caninum in sheep in Luxor, Upper Egypt.…”