Abstract
Neospora caninum has been implicated as a sporadic cause of abortion and perinatal deaths in sheep flocks globally. However, its significance as a reproductive pathogen for sheep in Australia remains unknown. The aims of this study were to (i) determine the seroprevalence of N. caninum in Australian breeding ewes and (ii) examine if natural exposure to N. caninum is associated with poor reproductive performance of primiparous ewes in southern Australia. Thirty flocks of primiparous ewes (aged 1–2 years old at lambing) from 28 farms in three states (Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria) were monitored between mating and lamb marking. Blood samples were also collected from multiparous mature ewes (aged 3 years or older) at each farm. Seroprevalence for anti-N. caninum IgG using indirect ELISA was determined for a subset of primiparous ewes that were predominantly determined to be pregnant and subsequently failed to rear a lamb (n = 1279) and randomly selected mature multiparous ewes with unknown reproductive status (n = 558). Neopsora caninum apparent seroprevalence was 0.16% (95% confidence interval 0.03%, 0.5%) in primiparous ewes, with seropositivity identified in two ewes from farms located in South Australia and Victoria. There was no evidence of seropositivity in mature ewes with apparent seroprevalence 0% (0%, 0.45%). These findings suggest that N. caninum infection was not widespread in primiparous ewes or mature multiparous ewes on these farms, and exposure to N. caninum infection was unlikely to explain abortion and perinatal mortalities observed for primiparous ewes.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the participating farmers who provided access to their animals and facilities, conducted lambing rounds and collected and stored lambs for necropsy. We thank Celia Smuts, Janine Simmonds and the staff at VetPath Laboratories for their assistance with the serological testing. We thank Tom La and Nyree Philip (Murdoch University), Ryan O’Handley, Louis Lignereux and Rob Paterson (University of Adelaide), Andrew Whale, Mary McQuillan and Patrick Hannemann (Livestock Logic, Hamilton, Victoria), Sean McGrath (Millicent Veterinary Hospital), Simon Edwards and Michelle Smart (Willunga Veterinary Hospital) and Lauryn Stewart and Deb Lehmann (Kangaroo Island Veterinary Hospital) for assistance with sample collection and feedback on the study design. We thank Johann Schroder for helpful feedback on the study design and manuscript.
Funding
This study was funded by Meat and Livestock Australia (B.AHE.0318). Tom Clune received post-graduate scholarships from Meat and Livestock Australia and Sheep Industry Business Innovation (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia). Equipment used for this project was funded by the Murdoch University Veterinary Trust.
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Conceptualisation: Tom Clune, Caroline Jacobson, Amy Lockwood, Serina Hancock, Andrew Thompson, Sue Beetson.
Methodology: Tom Clune, Caroline Jacobson, Sue Beetson, Ryan O’Handley.
Formal analysis and investigation: Tom Clune, Caroline Jacobson, Mieghan Bruce, Amy Lockwood, Serina Hancock, Angus Campbell, Elsa Glanville, Daniel Brooks, Colin Trengove.
Writing—original draft preparation: Tom Clune, Caroline Jacobson, Amy Lockwood.
Writing—review and editing: Tom Clune, Amy Lockwood, Serina Hancock, Andrew Thompson, Mieghan Bruce, Sue Beetson, Angus Campbell, Elsa Glanville, Daniel Brooks, Colin Trengove, Ryan O’Handley, Caroline Jacobson.
Funding acquisition: Caroline Jacobson, Serina Hancock, Andrew Thompson.
Resources: Caroline Jacobson, Serina Hancock, Andrew Thompson, Ryan O’Handley.
Supervision: Caroline Jacobson, Serina Hancock, Andrew Thompson.
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All procedures were conducted according to guidelines of the Australian Code of Practice for the Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes and were approved by the Murdoch University Animal Ethics Committee (R3004/17).
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Participating farms have consented to publication of data. The manuscript was approved for publication by the funding body (Meat and Livestock Australia).
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Clune, T., Lockwood, A., Hancock, S. et al. Neospora caninum is not an important contributor to poor reproductive performance of primiparous ewes from southern Australia: evidence from a cross-sectional study. Parasitol Res 120, 3875–3882 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-021-07328-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-021-07328-z