Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neospora caninum infection passed from mother Bernese Mountain dogs
By Kwok, Benjamin et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports·2018·Sydney School of Veterinary Science, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Presumptive vertical transmission of Neospora caninum in related Bernese Mountain dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Bernese Mountain dogs was studied to see if a parasite called Neospora caninum, which can cause serious health issues, was being passed from mother dogs to their puppies before birth. Out of eight mother dogs tested, five had the parasite, and one had a very high level of it. Only one puppy from her first litter showed signs of being infected. This study highlights the need for testing mother dogs and their puppies for this parasite, especially if there are health concerns in newborn puppies.
People also search for: Bernese Mountain dog parasite transmission · Neospora caninum in puppies · testing for dog infections · puppy health issues · congenital infections in dogs
Abstract
Neospora caninum is a tissue cyst-forming coccidium capable of causing spinal cord or skeletal muscle disease in dogs. Infected bitches can transmit the parasite to their pups in utero. Seroprevalence of N. caninum was studied in naturally-infected, privately owned Bernese Mountain dogs, using antibody detection via an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) to identify infected individuals. A retrospective study was undertaken on available dogs from 14 litters. Five of eight dams tested seropositive. The index case was a bitch with a titre of 1:3200 by IFAT. Only one offspring from her first litter was seropositive. The frequency of putative congenital transmission in the breeding kennel was variable. Our results reiterate the importance of serological testing of all dams and littermates in a breeding kennel when clinical neosporosis is suspected in neonatal puppies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31014740/