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Transplacental transmission in cattle: is Toxoplasma gondii less potent than Neospora caninum?

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Abstract

We compared the transplacental-transmission ability of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in cattle. One uninfected pregnant heifer served as control, while three were inoculated with N. caninum K9WA strain and four with T. gondii RH strain at their midgestational period. Both infected groups showed clinical signs and antibodies either to N. caninum or T. gondii, while the control animal was normal. Two (50%) Toxoplasma dams aborted on days 6 and 11 postinoculation. T. gondii tachyzoites were found in various organs of those dams that had abortions but not in their fetuses. Two Neospora dams did not abort but gave birth to subclinically infected calves. The remaining two Toxoplasma dams and one from Neospora group became recumbent. Those two dams and their fetuses showed disseminated Toxoplasma DNA, but no Neospora DNA was found. Our findings suggest that maternal toxoplasmosis could be a cause of abortion and congenital toxoplasmosis in cattle, especially when they are infected by virulent strains.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Thailand Research Fund (TRF). We wish to thank all staff and workers at the Livestock & Wildlife Hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Mahidol University, Kanchanaburi Campus for all of their help and support. We also thank the National Institute of Animal Health for the in-kind support in screening test of the cattle before starting the experiment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Protozoology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Jitbanjong Wiengcharoen & Yaowalark Sukthana

  2. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mahanakorn University of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand

    Jitbanjong Wiengcharoen

  3. Division of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia

    R. C. Andrew Thompson

  4. Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Chawalit Nakthong & Parntep Rattanakorn

  5. Mahidol University International College, Salaya Campus, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

    Yaowalark Sukthana

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  1. Jitbanjong Wiengcharoen
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  2. R. C. Andrew Thompson
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  3. Chawalit Nakthong
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  4. Parntep Rattanakorn
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  5. Yaowalark Sukthana
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Correspondence to Yaowalark Sukthana.

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Wiengcharoen, J., Thompson, R.C.A., Nakthong, C. et al. Transplacental transmission in cattle: is Toxoplasma gondii less potent than Neospora caninum?. Parasitol Res 108, 1235–1241 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2172-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2172-8

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