22 Apr 2013-Journal of Parasitology (American Society of Parasitologists)-Vol. 99, Iss: 2, pp 368-370
TL;DR: Results indicate that N. caninum infection is widespread among dairy cattle in Pakistan, and animals over 2 yr of age and crossbreds were more likely to be seropositive than the other cattle examined.
Abstract: Neospora caninum is a major cause of bovine abortion worldwide. A serological survey was carried out to determine the seroprevalence of exposure to N. caninum in dairy cattle based on age and breed from Punjab and Sindh provinces, Pakistan. Serum samples from 641 animals from 12 herds from Punjab (n = 7) and Sindh (n = 5) provinces were tested for antibodies against N. caninum using a commercially available competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Positive reactions to N. caninum were seen in 277 (43%) of the 641 of the samples. Seropositive animals were present in all 12 herds. Animals over 2 yr of age (47%) and crossbreds (55%) were more likely to be seropositive than the other cattle examined. These results indicate that N. caninum infection is widespread among dairy cattle in Pakistan.
A serological survey was carried out to determine the seroprevalence of exposure to N. caninum in dairy cattle based on age and breed from Punjab and Sindh provinces, Pakistan.
Serum samples from 641 animals from 12 herds from Punjab (n 1⁄4 7) and Sindh (n 1⁄4 5) provinces were tested for antibodies against N. caninum using a commercially available competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Seropositive animals were present in all 12 herds.
The majority of congenital infections result in the birth of apparently healthy calves.
It has been demonstrated that they can become infected by consuming N. caninum– infected tissues (Gondim et al., 2002) or bovine placenta (Dijkstra et al., 2001).
The present study was done in healthy dairy cows from farms in Punjab and Sindh provinces, Pakistan.
Information regarding abortion history was available for only 2 farms (10 and 11).
Age-wise prevalence, though not statistically significant (P . 0.05), was greatest in animals older than 2 yr of age (Table II).
BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research
libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research.
Effects of Age and Breed on the Prevalence of
Neospora caninum
in Commercial
Dairy Cattle from Pakistan
Author(s): Muhammad Mudasser Nazir , Azhar Maqbool , Muhammad Sarwar Khan , Afzal Sajjid , and
David S. Lindsay
Source: Journal of Parasitology, 99(2):368-370. 2013.
TL;DR: The purpose of this study was to estimate the pooled prevalence and determine the risk factors of bovine neosporosis using meta-analytic methods, and adopt measures to prevent the dissemination of N. caninum in cattle herds.
Abstract: Neospora caninum is one of the main infectious agents that cause reproductive disorders in cattle. However, knowledge about the prevalence and causal factors of bovine neosporosis is needed in order to establish control measures. The purpose of this study was to estimate the pooled prevalence and determine the risk factors of bovine neosporosis using meta-analytic methods. Searches for data on N. caninum seroprevalence and potential risk factors were conducted in the PubMed, LILACS, and SciElo databases. The random effects model was used for the meta-analysis of the included studies. The pooled prevalence of N. caninum in cattle was 24% (95% confidence interval (CI), 19–29) in North and Central America, 24% (95% CI, 20–28) in South America, 18% (95% CI, 14–21) in Asia, 15% (95% CI, 12–18) in Europe, 13% (95% CI, 11–16) in Africa, and 8% (95% CI, 4–14) in Oceania. A significant correlation was found between N. caninum infection and abortion in cows (odds ratio (OR) = 2.66, 95% CI, 1.97–3.59). The following risk factors were signicantly associated with N. caninum seroprevalence: presence of dogs on the farm (OR = 2.84; 95% CI, 1.40–5.80) and the type of cattle production system, with dairy cattle being more susceptible to bovine neosporosis (OR = 1.60; 95% CI, 1.16–2.19) than beef cattle. The adoption of measures to prevent the dissemination of N. caninum in cattle herds is suggested, aiming to reduce the economic losses incurred to the dairy and beef industry.
TL;DR: First risk factor-study on N. caninum infection in Antioquia department, Colombia finds abortion, age, origin and poor hygienic practices associated with manual milking are risk factors for the infection.
19 citations
Cites result from "Effects of Age and Breed on the Pre..."
...Similar observations in Brazil (Melo, da Silva, Ortega-Mora, Bastos, & Boaventura, 2006), Pakistan (Nazir et al., 2013) and Senegal (KamgaWaladjo et al....
[...]
...Similar observations in Brazil (Melo, da Silva, Ortega-Mora, Bastos, & Boaventura, 2006), Pakistan (Nazir et al., 2013) and Senegal (KamgaWaladjo et al., 2010) have been reported....
[...]
...In contrast, other studies in different countries, such as Brazil (Corbellini et al., 2006; Teixeira et al., 2010), Croatia (Beck, Marinculić, Mihaljević, Benić, & Martinković, 2010), Jordan (Talafha and Al-Majali, 2013), Pakistan (Nazir et al., 2013), Romania (Imre et al., 2012), Senegal (Kamga-Waladjo et al., 2010) and Venezuela (Escalona et al., 2010), found no association between age and infection by N. caninum, which suggests that for these herds, transplacental transmission is probably more important....
[...]
..., 2010), Croatia (Beck, Marinculić, Mihaljević, Benić, & Martinković, 2010), Jordan (Talafha and Al-Majali, 2013), Pakistan (Nazir et al., 2013), Romania (Imre et al....
TL;DR: The finding discloses the strong association of N. caninum with reproductive disorders compared to Brucella spp.
Abstract: This case-control study aimed at assessing the relative association of Neospora caninum and Brucella species exposure with reproductive disorders. The study was carried out between October 2011 and June 2012 on 731 dairy cows sampled from 150 dairy farms in selected 17 conurbations of Ethiopia. Two hundred sixty-six of the cows were categorized as cases based on their history of abortion or stillbirth while the remaining 465 were controls. The presence of antibody to N. caninum was screened using indirect ELISA, while Brucella spp. exposure was assayed serially using Rose Bengal Plate Test and Complement Fixation Test. Exposure to N. caninum was more frequently observed among cases (23.8 %) than controls (12.7 %), while no significant difference (p > 0.05) was noted for Brucella exposure between the two groups. Moreover, the proportion of cows with disorders like retention of fetal membrane, endometritis and increased inter-calving period were significantly higher (p < 0.05) among Neospora seropositive cows. In conclusion, the finding discloses the strong association of N. caninum with reproductive disorders compared to Brucella spp. exposure. However, neither N. caninum nor Brucella spp. could explain the majority (73.2 %) of the reported abortions and stillbirths in cattle. Hence, this observation underscores the need for more intensive investigation on the identification of causes of the aforementioned disorders in dairy cattle of Ethiopia.
18 citations
Cites background from "Effects of Age and Breed on the Pre..."
...caninum prevalence rather than the breed itself (Dubey et al. 2007; Nazir et al. 2013)....
[...]
...Due to lack of consistency and conclusive evidence on breed effect, management-related factors have been attributed to variation in N. caninum prevalence rather than the breed itself (Dubey et al. 2007; Nazir et al. 2013)....
TL;DR: This study is the first to report the risk factors for N. caninum , BHV-1, and BVDV infection in the central part of Iran and allows us to conclude that these agents are widely distributed in this region.
Abstract: This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and identify the risk factors associated with Neospora caninum, Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1), and Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection on industrial Holstein dairy cattle farms in Isfahan province, Central Iran. Blood samples were taken from 216 apparently healthy cattle from 16 randomly selected Holstein dairy farms in the North, South, East, and West of Isfahan in the summer of 2017. The antibodies to N. caninum, BHV-1, and BVDV were detected using a commercially available ELISA kit. The overall seroprevalence for N. caninum, BHV-1, and BVDV was 19%, 72.2%, and 52.8%, respectively. The significant major risk factors of BHV-1 in cattle were identified as farm direction, age groups, parity, and milk yield by the univariate analysis (p < 0.05). The significant major risk factors of BVDV in cattle were identified as age groups, parity, milk yield, and stage of pregnancy (p < 0.05). The only significant major risk factor of N. caninum was farm direction (p < 0.05). A significant association of concurrent infection with BVDV and BHV-1 has shown in the current study (p < 0.05). This study is the first to report the risk factors for N. caninum, BHV-1, and BVDV infection in the central part of Iran and allows us to conclude that these agents are widely distributed in this region.
TL;DR: The findings suggest N. caninum is likely to be an important cause of abortion in cattle in Tanzania and management practices, such as restricted grazing, are likely to reduce the risk of infection and suggest contamination of communal grazing areas may be important for transmission.
Abstract: Neospora caninum is a protozoan intracellular parasite of animals with a global distribution. Dogs act as definitive hosts, with infection in cattle leading to reproductive losses. Neosporosis can be a major source of income loss for livestock keepers, but its impacts in sub-Saharan Africa are mostly unknown. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence and identify risk factors for N. caninum infection in cattle in northern Tanzania, and to link herd-level exposure to reproductive losses. Serum samples from 3,015 cattle were collected from 380 households in 20 villages between February and December 2016. Questionnaire data were collected from 360 of these households. Household coordinates were used to extract satellite derived environmental data from open-access sources. Sera were tested for the presence of N. caninum antibodies using an indirect ELISA. Risk factors for individual-level seropositivity were identified with logistic regression using Bayesian model averaging (BMA). The relationship between herd-level seroprevalence and abortion rates was assessed using negative binomial regression. The seroprevalence of N. caninum exposure after adjustment for diagnostic test performance was 21.5% [95% Credibility Interval (CrI) 17.9–25.4]. The most important predictors of seropositivity selected by BMA were age greater than 18 months [Odds ratio (OR) = 2.17, 95% CrI 1.45–3.26], the local cattle population density (OR = 0.69, 95% CrI 0.41–1.00), household use of restricted grazing (OR = 0.72, 95% CrI 0.25–1.16), and an increasing percentage cover of shrub or forest land in the environment surrounding a household (OR = 1.37, 1.00–2.14). There was a positive relationship between herd-level N. caninum seroprevalence and the reported within-herd abortion rate (Incidence Rate Ratio = 1.03, 95% CrI 1.00–1.06). Our findings suggest N. caninum is likely to be an important cause of abortion in cattle in Tanzania. Management practices, such as restricted grazing, are likely to reduce the risk of infection and suggest contamination of communal grazing areas may be important for transmission. Evidence for a relationship between livestock seropositivity and shrub and forest habitats raises questions about a potential role for wildlife in the epidemiology of N. caninum in Tanzania.
TL;DR: The results of this study suggest that the N. caninum-infection can be maintained over several generations at a nearly constant prevalence level, apparently without a need for dispersion by an definitive host.
TL;DR: Twenty-nine cows from a 240-cow drylot Holstein dairy in north-central New Mexico aborted over a period of approximately 5 months, and nine aborted fetuses were necropsied, revealing focal necrotizing encephalitis and nonsuppurative myocarditis in 7 of the 9 fetuses.
Abstract: Twenty-nine cows from a 240-cow drylot Holstein dairy in north-central New Mexico aborted over a period of approximately 5 months. Nine aborted fetuses were necropsied, and all but 1 of the fetuses were between 5 and 7 months of gestation. Microscopic examination of fetal tissues revealed focal necrotizing encephalitis and nonsuppurative myocarditis in 7 of the 9 fetuses. Additional lesions observed in some fetuses were focal hepatic necrosis, nonsuppurative myositis, focal necrotizing placentitis, focal nonsuppurative pneu- monia, and focal nonsuppurative nephritis. A few groups of Neospora caninum -like protozoan organisms were observed adjacent to necrotic foci in the brain of 2 fetuses and in the kidney of a third fetus. No other cause of abortion was detected. There are several reports of abortion in cattle at- tributed to Toxoplasma 3 and Sarcocystis. 10 Experi- mental studies have substantiated Sarcocystis as a cause of abortion in cattle; however, they have not conclu- sively established Toxoplasma as a cause of abortion in cattle. Most of the reports of naturally occurring sporozoan abortion have involved only 1 animal in a herd. We report here a major abortion outbreak in a herd of dairy cattle associated with a Neospora cani- num -like organism. Materials and methods Case history. Over a 5-mo period, beginning in late Sep- tember 1987, 29 cows from a 240-cow drylot Holstein dairy in north-central New Mexico aborted. Four to 8 cows aborted each month during the 5-mo period. No signs of illness were observed in the cows that aborted. Placentas were retained for several days following abortion. Cows were in good nu- tritional condition, and all but 1 were lactating at the time they aborted. All of the cows in the dairy were young (≤ 5 yr old), and all of the cows that aborted were in their second or third pregnancy. The cows were fed alfalfa hay, corn silage, wheat middlings, whole cotton seed, and a vitamin-mineral supplement. They were vaccinated annually with a mixed clostridial bacterin and with a vaccine containing modified- live infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), bovine virus diarrhea (BVD), and parainfluenza-3 (PI-3) viruses and killed Leptospira sp., Campylobacter sp., and Haemophilus som- nus. a
TL;DR: Investigation of a herd of dairy cattle in which sporadic abortions had been observed since the establishment of the farm in 1980 indicated that Neospora sp has the ability to be transmitted from dam to offspring for several generations, which would explain the maintenance of infection in a population of cattle despite the lack of a definitive host for the parasite.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To investigate the route of transmission of Neospora sp in a herd of dairy cattle in which sporadic abortions had been observed since the establishment of the farm in 1980. DESIGN: Serum samples were screened for antibodies to Neospora sp, and records from an artificial insemination program were analyzed. ANIMALS: 58 female cattle. PROCEDURE: An ELISA was used to screen serum samples of antibodies to Neospora sp. Fertility, calf mortality, and relationships between specific cattle were investigated. Statistical analysis was performed on the fertility data. RESULTS: Antibodies were detected in 17 of 58 (29%) tested cattle. All seropositive cattle were descendants of 2 cows purchased in 1980. Cattle that were descendants of those 2 cows were compared with their herdmates, but significant differences were not detected in the number of inseminations per confirmed pregnancy or in the number of cattle that required more than 1 insemination/ pregnancy. Since 1980, there were 323 confirmed pregnancies in the herd, and calf mortality (prenatal and perinatal mortality) was 24 of 323 (7%). CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Congenital transmission of Neospora organisms together with the apparent lack of horizontal transmission observed in the herd reported here indicated that Neospora sp has the ability to be transmitted from dam to offspring for several generations. This mode of transmission would explain the maintenance of infection in a population of cattle despite the lack of a definitive host for the parasite.
TL;DR: It is concluded that ingestion of bovine placenta by dogs is an effective mode of transmission of N. caninum from cattle to dogs.
185 citations
"Effects of Age and Breed on the Pre..." refers background in this paper
...It has been demonstrated that they can become infected by consuming N. caninum– infected tissues (Gondim et al., 2002) or bovine placenta (Dijkstra et al., 2001)....
TL;DR: The aim of this experiment was to demonstrate cyclical oral transmission of N. caninum between dogs and cattle and to demonstrate the role of sporulated oocysts in this transmission.
Abstract: Scarce information is available about Neospora caninum oocysts and sporozoites, in part because only small numbers of oocysts have typically been produced by experimentally infected dogs. We hypothesized that 1 reason for low experimental production of oocysts is that dogs have been fed tissues from experimentally infected mice instead of tissues from cattle (which are natural intermediate hosts of N. caninum). In this study, 9 dogs were fed tissues from N. caninum–infected calves, and oocyst production was compared with 6 dogs that were fed infected mouse carcasses. The number of oocysts produced by dogs that ingested infected calf tissues (mean = 160,700) was significantly greater (P = 0.03) than the number of oocysts shed by dogs that ingested infected mice (mean = 5,400). The second goal of our experiment was to demonstrate cyclical oral transmission of N. caninum between dogs and cattle. As few as 300 oocysts were used to successfully infect calves, and tissues from these calves induced patent infect...
Q1. What have the authors contributed in "Effects of age and breed on the prevalence of neospora caninum in commercial dairy cattle from pakistan" ?
Animals over 2 yr of age ( 47 % ) and crossbreds ( 55 % ) were more likely to be seropositive than the other cattle examined. The authors have recently reported the seropositivity rate of N. caninum in dairy herds with a history of high rates of abortion ( Shabbir et al., 2011 ). In the present study, the authors examined animals from 3 age groups to consider this question. Additionally, the authors examined the effects of breed on prevalence to determine if genetic factors may play a role in susceptibility to N. caninum. The present study was done in healthy dairy cows from farms in Punjab and Sindh provinces, Pakistan. Farm 10 reported abortions in the last year, while farm 11 reported abortions over the last 4 yr. The authors sampled 3 age groups of cows, including calves ( 8 mo of age ), heifers (. 8 mo to 2 yr old ), and adult lactating cows (. 2 yr old ) to determine the variations of serological prevalence against N. caninum between different age groups ( Table II ).