Abstract
Donkeys (Equus asinus) are closely related to horses and are known to be infected by several equine pathogens. Neospora caninum and Neospora hughesi are protozoan parasites that infect horses, but they were not confirmed in donkeys up to this date. The aim of this study was to evaluate the exposure of donkeys (Equus asinus) to Neospora spp. using tachyzoites of N. caninum as antigen and employing two common serologic methods, IFAT and immunoblot. Sera from 500 donkeys were obtained from 30 municipalities in Bahia state and tested by IFAT. Two of 500 sera were positive for Neospora spp. by IFAT with antibody titers of 100, and recognized a 37kDa antigen in immunoblot. Approximately 22% of the samples showed strong apical reactions and/or incomplete fluorescence, what may cause confusion in the interpretation of IFAT. We concluded that Neospora spp. are possibly of minor importance for Brazilian donkeys. Future studies are necessary to prove that Neospora spp. can naturally infect donkeys.
Highlights
Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite that causes a great economic impact in cattle industry worldwide (REICHEL et al, 2013)
Neospora caninum and Neospora hughesi are protozoan parasites that infect horses, but they were not confirmed in donkeys up to this date
We tested the exposure of 500 donkeys to Neospora spp
Summary
Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite that causes a great economic impact in cattle industry worldwide (REICHEL et al, 2013). A second species was proposed in the genus Neospora (N. hughesi), isolated from a horse with neurological disease. The equine protozoal mieloencephalitis (EPM), a serious neurologic disease of horses, which had Sarcocystis neurona as its sole agent (DUBEY et al, 1991), was shown to have Neospora hughesi (N. hughesi) as a second etiologic agent. Walsh et al (2000) tested whether dogs could serve as definitive hosts for N. hughesi. Two dogs were fed brains from N. hughesi-experimentally infected mice. The dogs did not excrete Neospora-like oocysts in their feces. These authors concluded that dogs do not appear to be definitive hosts of the parasite. No animal has been identified as DH of N. hughesi
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