Abstract
Aim:The present cross-sectional study aimed at assessing the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum infection both at herd and within herd and at determining risk factors that are associated with its seropositivity.Materials and Methods:A total of 90 cows distributed over seven herds located in two North-Eastern Algerian provinces were blood sampled in order to be tested for the presence of antibodies against N. caninum using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.Results:The individual seroprevalence of N. caninum was found to be 12.22%, and six of the seven herds tested had at least one seropositive cow. The logistic regression model revealed that abortion (odds ratio [OR]=29.15) and parity (OR=7.38) were positively associated with the seropositivity of animals on an individual basis.Conclusion:The study confirms the existence of N. caninum infection in cattle in North-Eastern Algeria. However, a widespread infection rate of 85.71% and its significant statistical association with previous abortion (OR=29.15) need further investigations.
Highlights
Neospora caninum is an obligatory, intracellular, apicomplexan protozoan parasite [1], which is distributed worldwide [2]
Dogs [10], coyotes [11], and Australian dingoes [12] are recognized as the definitive hosts for N. caninum, whereas cattle and many other species are intermediate hosts [2,6]
The objectives of the study were two-fold: To estimate the seroprevalence of N. caninum antibodies in cattle and to correlate the results with the following risk factors: History of the most recent abortion recorded, parity, breed, and location, measured on an individual basis in two Algerian provinces
Summary
Neospora caninum is an obligatory, intracellular, apicomplexan protozoan parasite [1], which is distributed worldwide [2]. It was first recognized in dogs in Norway in 1984 [3] and was identified as a new protozoan for the first time in 1988 [4]. This parasite, considered as the major cause of abortion in cattle, can affect other species [5,6].
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