The incidence of Neospora caninum in dairy cows with abortion and infertility problems

Abstract

The contribution of animal husbandry to the national economy cannot be ignored. The causes of infertility are various and complex. Economic losses are increasing in dairy cattle breeding due to infectious and non-infectious causes. The percentage of abortion due to infectious agents is not fully known, but infectious agents lie in about 90% of the cases whose etiology can be determined. Neospora caninum is considered to be one of the most important abortion factors of cattle. Although, this protozoa is always ignored. It causes abortion in cows. In this study, it was aimed to detect N. caninum from the blood serum obtained from 137 dairy cattle brought to Aksaray University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine between 2017-2019 and suffering from abortion and infertility problems. For serological diagnosis, ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) test was performed. As a result, N. caninum agent was detected in 37.22 % (51/137) of the samples that belong to cattle with abortion and infertility problems. It was concluded that economic loss due to infertility in dairy cattle and protozoa, which are one of the infection factors, should be given importance.