Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neospora caninum infection found in 7% of German breeding bitches
By Villagra-Blanco, Rodolfo et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2018·Clinic for Obstetrics, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum-specific antibodies in German breeding bitches.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 218 German breeding bitches were tested for a parasite called Neospora caninum, which can cause serious health issues in dogs. Out of these, 16 bitches (about 7%) had antibodies indicating they were infected with this parasite. Most of the infected dogs were between two and seven years old, and some lived in kennels while others were household pets. The study found that even though the infection rate was low, more research is needed to understand how this parasite affects breeding dogs.
People also search for: dog parasite infection · Neospora caninum in dogs · breeding bitches health issues
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Neospora caninum is an intracellular obligate apicomplexan parasite responsible for multisystemic lesions in dogs. Being definitive hosts and reservoirs, dogs excrete environmentally resistant oocysts. Breeding bitches represent a susceptible dog group and infected bitches may spread this parasite through transplacental transmission. RESULTS: A total of 218 serum samples of German breeding bitches were collected to determine the presence of N. caninum. Antibodies were detected in 16 (7.33%) bitches using a commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immunoblotting analysis confirmed all seropositive samples detected by ELISA, proving that the animals were infected with N. caninum. The owners were interviewed regarding breed, age, environment, type, vaccine status, feeding habits and the presence of reproductive disorders. Seropositive animals were between the ages of two to seven years; three of them were kept in kennels while the others were household dogs, one of which was additionally a hunting dog. Owners of four seropositive bitches reported one gestation, while multiple pregnancies had been recorded for the other twelve bitches. Fourteen bitches were regularly vaccinated and six were fed with fresh raw meat. CONCLUSIONS: Although the results confirmed a low incidence of N. caninum seropositive German breeding bitches, further epidemiological and surveillance studies are required to complement our findings regarding the current situation of neosporosis in this specific canine population of Germany.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29454376/