Seroepidemiology of Neospora Caninum in Dairy Cattle Farms with a History of Abortion in Isfahan Province, Iran

Abstract

Background: Neospora caninum is a worldwide-distributed pathogen which causes abortions in dairy cattle, leading to economic losses in the cattle industry. The main objectives of the present work was to determine the seroprevalence of N. caninum antibodies in dairy cattle farms in Isfahan province, central Iran and to investigate the factors associated with the infection. Methods: 611 sera from Holstein dairy cattle were collected from 25 farms with an abortion history. The sera were divided according to age, pregnancy, lactation state, farm type, feed and contact with caniide. The antibodies to N. caninum were detected using a commercially available ELISA kit. Results: N. caninum antibodies were detected in 32.1% of the sera and 96% of the farms. The percentage of infection of animals in different farms ranged from 0.0% to 60% which is statistically significant difference (p<0.05). N. caninum seroprevalence was significantly higher in pregnant cattle as compared to that in non-pregnant cattle (p<0.05). Also cattle contact to watch- dog and wildcaniide showed a higher seroprevalence than cattle contact alone to watch-dog (p<0.05). No statistically significant difference in N. caninum seroprevalence was noted between age groups, lactation states, farm types, and cattle feed groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: The results demonstrate that the seroprevalence of N. caninum is relatively high in cattle from the Isfahan province, central Iran. Further investigation is needed for the confirmation of infection and to confirm the effects of co-infection on N. caninum infection in cattle.