Seroprevalence of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies in cows of North-Eastern Algeria.

Kamel Miroud,Amar Benlakehal,Rachid Kaidi

doi:10.14202/vetworld.2019.765-768

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

Introduction

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].

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion