Seroepidemiology of neosporosis in dairy cattle in Uruguay

A seroepidemiological survey of Neospora caninum was done in a dairy farm in Uruguay employing indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Sera from 217 cattle (155 cows, 31 heifers and 31 calves) were tested for N. caninum antibodies in July 2000 and it was found that abortions were significantly associated with the seropositivity of the cows by chi(2)-test (P = 0.025). The cows with an IFAT titre of 1:3200 were at a significantly higher risk of abortion than seronegative cows (P = 0.0013). Neospora organisms were detected in the brains of two aborted foetuses by immunohistochemical examination. The infection of N. caninum was considered postnatal because of the even distribution of seropositive cows (60%), low seroprevalence (20%) in calves and no significant correlation in the serostatus between calves and their dams (P = 0.43). A fitted binomial generalised linear model revealed that there was an increasing risk of abortion with increasing IFAT titre and increasing age between 2 and 6 years.     

Influence of Trypanosoma evansi infection on milk yield of dairy cattle in northeast Thailand.

Effect of subclinical Trypanosoma evansi infection on the milk yield of newly introduced Holstein Friesian dairy cattle were investigated. Five hundred pregnant heifers were introduced in Loei Province, northeast Thailand and a total of 168 blood samples were collected at 20 farms during 6 visits over 2 years. Trypanosomes were found in cattle in June and November 1996, after which the parasite was rarely seen. On the other hand, the infection prevalences by antigen-detection ELISA (Ag-ELISA) were around 40% from the first sampling through October 1997; then, antigenemic cattle decreased to 20% by June 1998. Milk yields of the cattle with detectable parasitaemia in June and November 1996 were significantly lower than those of the non-infected cattle by Student's t-test. Similarly, the milk yields of Ag-ELISA positive cattle were lower than those of negative cattle at every sampling and significant differences were observed during the first year and in February, 1998 (tested by 2-way ANOVA; T. evansi status and herd as factors). This study suggested that subclinical trypanosomosis caused decrease in milk yield of newly introduced dairy.     

Proportion of abortions due to neosporosis among dairy cattle in Japan

A retrospective cohort study was conducted to clarify the association between seropositive reactions to Neospora caninum and subsequent reproductive disorders among dairy cattle in Japan. A statistically significant association between Neospora seropositive reactions and abortions was observed (P=0.016), and seropositive cattle were 6.1 times more likely to abort compared to seronegative cows. No significant differences were observed between seropositive reactions and other reproductive disorders such as conception failure, perinatal death and calf mortality. As indicated by estimation of the attributable fraction, 83.6% of abortions in Neospora seropositive animals may be attributed to N. caninum. Considering seroprevalence of N. caninum in the cattle which aborted in Japan, 21.8% of abortions were estimated to be caused by neosporosis in Japan.     

A longitudinal study of seroprevalence and seroconversion of Neospora caninum infection in dairy cattle in northeast Thailand

A long-term study was carried out in 11 dairy herds in the Khon Kaen province of northeast Thailand between August 2001 and November 2004. The objective was to investigate seroprevalence dynamics of Neospora caninum infection in the herds and to demonstrate patterns of seroconversion in individual cattle. Each herd was visited once a year, in total four times, and sera from cattle > 3 months of age and farm dogs as well as a sample from the bulk milk were collected. All samples were analysed for presence of specific antibodies by an N. caninum iscom ELISA. The overall percentage of antibody-positive cattle was constant and varied only between 10 and 13% over the 4 years, but the variation in within-herd seroprevalence between herds was substantial. Two herds had > or = 20% seropositive animals at all samplings and consistently high bulk milk OD, whereas two herds had no seropositive animal at the last two samplings and low bulk milk OD. Five herds had a decreasing trend of within-herd seroprevalence, whereas the remaining six herds had a higher portion of test-positive individuals at the end of the study. A total of 424 individuals were sampled more than once; 344 (81%) and 32 (8%) were consistently antibody-negative and antibody-positive, respectively. The proportions of animals that changed from being seronegative to seropositive and from being seropositive to seronegative between the years were 3.9-4.6% and 19-39%, respectively. Apparent vertical and horizontal transmission rates were 58% (95% CI; 44-71%) and 5% (95% CI; 3-7%), respectively. In conclusion, the overall percentage of N. caninum antibody-positive cattle was constant over the years, but the within-herd seroprevalence varied substantially between the herds. Seroconversions were likely to occur in individual cattle although most animals had consistent serological status throughout the study.     

Seroprevalence of neosporosis in beef and dairy cattle breeds in Northeast Hungary

In order to assess the seroprevalence of bovine neosporosis with indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT), blood samples were collected randomly from 1063 beef and dairy cattle belonging to 12 different breeds in Northeast Hungary. Antibodies to Neospora caninum were detected in 27 (2.5%) of the animals, kept on 19 of the 42 settlements included in this survey. Since samples were collected on 50 farms, herd prevalence amounted to 38%. The percentage of cattle with seroconversion increased with age, suggesting a postnatal source of infection. The highest rate of positivity was detected in Aberdeen Angus (3.3%) and Holstein-Friesian cows (3.2%), and the lowest in Limousine (0.9%), but no breed predisposition was statistically substantiated. Neosporosis was more prevalent in dairy (3.4%) than in beef (1.9%) cattle, although the difference was not significant. Only three out of the seropositive cows, all of them Holstein-Friesians, had a history of abortion.     

奶牛新孢子虫病PCR检测方法的建立

根据已发表的新孢子虫（N.caninum）Nc-5基因序列设计合成了1对特异性引物,建立了检测新孢子虫PCR方法。从新孢子虫ELISA检测抗体阳性奶牛血液中提取DNA,用PCR方法对新孢子虫基因组DNA进行扩增,并对扩增产物进行克隆及序列测定,证明其可靠性。结果显示,扩增的目的片段大小为350bp,扩增产物经MspⅠ酶切为218bp和132bp2条片段,与预期结果一致;序列分析表明,本试验扩增的Nc-5基因片段与GenBank发表的其他新孢子虫Nc-5基因序列同源性为99.6%～95.4%;通过敏感性、特异性、重复性试验证明,该方法具有特异、灵敏、快速、准确、可靠的优点。     

Neospora caninum seroprevalence in dairy cattle in central Thailand

The seroprevalence, in dairy cattle, of antibodies to Neospora caninum, the relationship between seropositivity and age (heifer versus cow), the relationship of herd infection with herd size and the relationship of herd infection with the presence of dogs on the farm were studied. The study involved 549 cows and 82 dogs in 59 dairy herds in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) with NC-specific monoclonal antibody was used to detect the NC antibodies in the sera. Individual and herd seroprevalence of NC were 5.5% (30/549) and 34% (20/59), respectively. No significant relationships between NC seropositivity with the age of the cows (heifer versus cow; P > 0.05) and between herd infection and the presence of dogs on the farm (P > 0.05) were found. Herd size significantly affected herd infection (P < 0.05) with higher infection in large than small herds (> or = 21 versus < or = 20 cows). Of 12 cows with a history of abortion, one was seropositive to NC. The seroprevalence of NC antibodies in dogs was 1.2% (1/82). This is the first NC seroprevalence study in dogs in Thailand. It was concluded that Neospora infection was more common at the herd level rather than the individual level in Thailand and the presence of dogs on the farm was not related to the level of herd infection. Caution should be taken in the interpretation of serological tests from the farm dogs.     

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of neosporosis in beef and dairy cattle in Italy

A cross-sectional serological survey for Neospora caninum was carried out on beef and dairy cattle in southern and northern Italy. A total of 111 herds and 1140 animals were tested using an ELISA assay (CHEKIT-Neospora) to detect anti-N. caninum antibodies. Management and individual data were collected and analysed both by linear and logistic multiple-regression models in order to find good predictors of the cattle seroprevalence and anti-N. caninum antibody level. At least one seropositive animal was found in 49 herds (44.1%), of which 31 (39.7%) from southern Italy and 18 (54.5%) from northern Italy. A total of 126 head of cattle (11%) were found to be seropositive and the seroprevalence was lower in southern (8.7%) than in northern Italy (16%). One of the best predictors of neosporosis seroprevalence in this study was the practice of self-rearing replacement heifers. Further risk factors were linked to higher stocking density, i.e. animals farmed in large herds and with no summer or permanent grazing practices were more likely to be seropositive than others. Farms with two or more dogs had higher herd seropositivity than farms with one or no dogs and this factor interacted significantly with the farm size and presence of poultry. Among individual characteristics, seropositivity was higher in animals sampled in mid- or late-pregnancy compared to animals either in early pregnancy or not pregnant. There was a significant interaction between the factors for pregnancy status and grazing practices. None of the epidemiological data recorded was a good predictor of the anti-N. caninum antibody level.     

Investigation of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in vaccinated dairy cattle in Thailand

SUMMARY An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that spread between two related vaccinated dairy herds was investigated. Although the cattle were of similar vaccination status, in one herd there was high morbidity, whereas in the other there was considerably lower morbidity. The relationship between the vaccine virus and the outbreak virus was expressed as an r value determined by the two-dimensional neutralisation test. Bovine serum homologous to the vaccine virus indicated a close antigenic relationship between the vaccine virus and the outbreak virus (r = 0.61). The source of the outbreak virus was not determined. The investigation suggested a requirement for close contact between stock for foot-and-mouth disease to spread in a tropical environment, in contrast to the capacity of the disease to spread considerable distances by aerosol transmission in temperate climates.     

Neospora caninum associated with epidemic abortions in dairy cattle: The first clinical neosporosis report in Turkey

Neospora caninum, a protozoan parasite, has been considered as one of the most important etiological agents responsible for abortion in dairy cattle throughout the world since it was first identified in dogs in 1988. In this report, characteristics of neosporosis, detected in a dairy cow ranch having epidemic abortions as high as 18.4%, were described. Blood samples were collected from 25 infertile or aborted dairy cattle, 6 calves born in 2006 and 40 heifers that were born in 2005 and raised in the same ranch. Necropsy was conducted in a 20-day-old Simmental calf that exhibited neurological signs including incoordination, head shaking, hyperextension in forelimbs and hindlimbs and tremor. The seroprevalance in aborted or infertile dairy cattle, heifers, and calves was 60%, 40%, and 33.3%, respectively. The mothers of seropositive two calves including clinically affected calf and its dam were N. caninum seropositive. In immunoperoxidase examinations, N. caninum antigen immunopositivity was observed in the degenerative and necrotic neurons in the brain, cerebellum as well as neurons in dorsal root ganglia of the cervical and thoracic regions of the spinal cord. In the heart, myocytes and Purkinje cells exhibited granular and linear patterns of immunoreactivity. Striated myofibers around the eyeball also showed immunolocalization for N. caninum antigen. Ultrastructurally, tachyzoites with typical apical complex, rhoptries and double-layered parasitic membrane were detected in the brain and heart sections. In conclusion, this report described clinical neosporosis for the first time in Turkey with tissue localization of the causative agents. This scientific communication also discusses the possible impact of cattle neosporosis by clinical, serologic and pathologic evidences collected from the survey of calves born in two successive generations in a ranch.     

An abortion storm in cattle associated with neosporosis in Taiwan

An abortion storm associated with acute neosporosis involving 18 cattle was observed in a dairy farm in Taiwan. Aborted fetus age ranged from 3 to 8 months. Of the 38 cattle in that farm examined during the abortion storm, 52.6% (20/38), 13.2% (5/38) and 10.5% (4/38) contained both IgG and IgM, only IgG and only IgM antibodies to Neospora caninum, respectively. No antibody to N. caninum was detected prior to the abortion storm. Follow-up study conducted a year later showed that 23 out of 28 cattle had sero-converted. Since some cattle were positive to either only IgG or IgM, we suggest that both IgG and IgM should be tested for diagnosing neosporosis. Neosporosis surveillance of naive cattle herd is recommended.     

The role of the dog in the epidemiology of neosporosis in cattle

Neospora caninum is an intracellular protozoan parasite that was discovered in a dog in 1988. Since then, N. caninum has been demonstrated in a variety of animal species and it has been recognized as an important cause of abortion in cattle. An infection with N. caninum can be maintained in cattle herds for several generations by transplacental transmission from cow to calf. Recently, it was demonstrated that dogs can act as definitive hosts of N. caninum and therefore may be a source of infection for other species by shedding oocysts. Further evidence of a role of the dog in spreading the infection to cattle has been derived from epidemiological studies. The present state of knowledge is reviewed in this paper.     

Selenium poisoning in dairy cattle

An outbreak of chronic selenium poisoning occurred in a mob of 30 Friesian dairy cows. These cows were all autumn calvers on a well-managed dairy farm.     

Digital dermatitis in dairy cattle

A condition of digital dermatitis causing lameness in a dairy herd is described. The lesion was a small circumscribed area of epidermal inflammation in the skin immediately above the coronet between the bulbs of the heel. Topical treatment, consisting of excoriation and application of a gentian violet and tetracycline aerosol spray, was effective. Although the high incidence and rapid onset of the condition suggested an infectious cause, no organism was isolated consistently.