Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Serological study of Neospora caninum infection in dogs and cattle from west of Iran

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Comparative Clinical Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum infection in dogs and cattle from Hamedan province (West of Iran). Blood samples were collected from 1,046 cattle and 270 dogs in this area. Cattle and dog samples were tested and analyzed using ELISA and IFAT, respectively. IgG-antibodies to N. caninum were found in 27 and 17.4 % of dogs and cattle samples, respectively. In cattle study, The association between infection and type of cattle was statistically significant (P = 0.004). Also, significant statistical differences were observed regarding to stray canids presence in farm (P < 0.0001), and abortion history (P < 0.001), unlike to age (P = 0.195) and breed (P = 0.077). In dog study, there was statistical differences among age groups (P < 0.001) and type of dogs (P < 0.001) opposite to gender (P = 0.112). This study is the first report of N. caninum infection in dogs and cattle from west of Iran. There is both horizontal and vertical transmission of N. caninum in this area, and the presence of stray dogs may be a risk factor for N. caninum infection in cattle. N. caninum is an important factor in the economic losses of the cattle breeding in Hamedan province. Therefore, further investigations and designing control strategies for improving management in cattle farms is highly recommended.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson ML, Andrianarivo AG, Conrad PA (2000) Neosporosis in cattle. Anim Rep Sci 61:417–431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson RA, Cook RW, Reddacliff LA (2000) Seroprevalence of N. caninum infection following an abortion outbreak in a dairy cattle herd. Austuralian Vet J 78:262–266

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barling KS, Sherman M, Peterson MY (2000) Spatial association among density of cattle, abundance of wild canids and seroprevalence to N. caninum in a population of beef calves. J Am Vet Med 217:1361–1365

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barling KS, Mc-Neill JW, Paschal JC (2001) Ranch-management factors associated with antibody seropositivity for N. caninum in consignments of beef calves in Texas, USA. Prev Vet Med 52:53–61

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chanlun A, Näslund K, Aiumlamai S (2002) Use of bulk milk for detection of N. caninum infection in dairy herds in Thailand. Vet Parasitol 110:35–44

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coskun S, Aydynl L, Bauer C (2000) Seroprevalence of N. caninum infection in domestic dogs in Turkey. Vet Rec 164:649

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubey JP, Schares G (2011) Neosporosis in animals—the last five years. Vet Parasitol 180:90–108

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dubey JP, Schares G, Ortegamora LM (2007) Epidemiology and control of Neosporosis and Neospora caninum. Clin Micro Rev 20:323–369

    Article  PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gharekhani J, Heidari H, Akbarein H (2012) Seroepidemiology of Neospora caninum in Iranian native and crossbreed cattle: a cross sectional study. J Vet Res 67(4):325–329

    Google Scholar 

  • Haddadzadeh HR, Sadrebazzaz A, Malmasi A, Talei-Ardakani H, Khazraii-Nia P, Sadreshirazi N (2007) Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum infection in dogs from rural and urban enviroments in Tehran, Iran. Parasitol Res 101:1563–1565

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hemphil A, Gottestin BA (2000) Europian perspective on N. caninum. Int J Parasitol 30:877–924

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosseininejad M, Hosseini F, Mahzounieh M, Raisi-Nafchi A, Moshrraf M (2010) Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum infection in dogs in Chaharmahal-va-Bakhtiari province, Iran. Comp Clin Pathol 19:269–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hossininejad M, Hosseini F (2011) Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii infection in dogs from west and central parts of Iran using two indirect ELISA test and assessment of associatite risk factors. Iran J Vet Res 12(1):46–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins M, Baszler T, Bjorkman C (2002) Diagnosis and seroepidemiology of N. caninum associated bovine abortion. Int J Parasitol 32:631–636

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen AM, Bjorkman C, Kjeldsen AM (1999) Associations of N. caninum seropositivity with gestation number and pregnancy outcome in Danish dairy herds. Prev Vet Med 40:151–163

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khanmohammadi M, Fallah E (2011) Prevalence of Neospora caninum antibodies in shepherd dogs in Sarab district, East Azarbaijan province, Iran. Afr J Micro Res 5(28):5062–5066

    Google Scholar 

  • Kyaw T, Virakul P, Muangyai M (2004) Neospora caninum seroprevalence in dairy cattle in central Thailand. Vet Parasitol 121:255–263

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • López-Gatius F, Santolaria P, Almeria S (2005) Neospora caninum infection does not affect the fertility of dairy cows in herds with high incidence of Neospora associated abortions. Vet Publ Health 52:51–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Malmasi A, Hosseininejad M, Haddadzadeh H, Badii A, Bahonar A (2007) Serologic study of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies in household dogs and dogs living in dairy and beef cattle farms in Tehran, Iran. Parasitol Res 100:1143–1145

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mc-Allister MM, Bjorkman C, Anderson R (2000) Evidence of point-source exposure to N. caninum and protective immunity in a herd of beef cows. J Am Vet Med 217:881–887

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nematollahi A, Jaafari R, Moghaddam G (2011) Seroprevalence of N. caninum infection in dairy cattle in Tabriz, Northwest Iran. Iran J Parasitol 6(4):95–98

    PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen T, Choe S, Byun J, Bumkoh H, Soolee H, Womkang S (2010) Seroprevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum in dogs from Korea. Acta Parasitol 57(1):7–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nourollahifard SR, Khalili M, Aminzadeh A (2008) Prevalence of antibodies to N. caninum in cattle in Kerman province, South East Iran. Vet Arch 78(3):253–259

    Google Scholar 

  • Ould-Amrouche A, Klein F, Osdoit C (1999) Estimation of N. caninum seroprevalence in dairy cattle from Normandy, France. Vet Res 30:531–539

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paré J, Fecteau G, Fortin M (1998) Seroepidemiologic study of N. caninum in dairy herds. J Am Vet Med 213:1595–1598

    Google Scholar 

  • Quintanilla-Gozalo A, Pereira-Bueno J, Tabare E (1999) Seroprevalence of N. caninum infection in dairy and beef cattle in Spain. Int J Parasitol 29:1201–1209

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Razmi GR, Mohammadi GR, Garrosi T (2006) Seroepidemiology of N. caninum infection in dairy cattle herds in Mashhad area, Iran. Vet Parasitol 135:187–189

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sadrebazzaz A, Haddadzadeh H, Esmailnia K (2004) Serological prevalence of N. caninum in healthy and aborted dairy cattle in Mashhad, Iran. Vet Parasitol 124:201–204

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salehi N, Haddadzadeh HR, Shayan P (2010) Serological study of N. caninum in pregnant cattle in Tehran, Iran. Int J Vet Res 4(2):113–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Schares G, Bärwald A, Staubach C (2004) Potential risk factors for bovine N. caninum infection in Germany are not under the control of the farmers. Parasitol 129:301–309

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sharifdini M, Mohebali M, Keshavarz H, Hosseininejad M, Hajjaran H, Akhondi B, Rahimi-Foroushani A, Zarei Z, Charehdar S (2011) Neospora caninum and Leishmania infantum co-infection in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) in Meshkin-shahr District, Northwestern Iran. Iran Jl Arthropod-Born Dis 5(2):60–68

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vaclavek P, Koudela B, Modry D (2003) Seroprevalence of N. caninum in aborting dairy cattle in the Czech Republic. Vet Parasitol 115:239–245

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wouda W, Moen AR, Schukken YH (1998) Abortion risk in progeny of cows after a N. caninum epidemic. Theriogenol 49:1311–1316

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wouda W, Dijkstra TH, Kramer AM (1999) Seroepidemiological evidence for a relationship between N. caninum infections in dogs and cattle. Int J Parasitol 29:1677–1678

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yakhchali M, Javadi S, Morshedi A (2010) Prevalence of antibodies to Neospora caninum in stray dogs of Urmia, Iran. Parasitol Res 106(6):1455–1458

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yousefi MR, Arabkhazaeli F, MollaHassan T (2009) Seroprevalence of N. caninum infection in rural and industrial cattle in Northern Iran. Iran J Parasitol 4(1):15–18

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We greatly appreciate the staff members of Hamedan Veterinary Office for sampling and Prof. Hameidreza Haddadzadeh and Dr. Gholamreza Naderisefat for their kind help. Also, we are thankful to Farayand Danesh Arian and Shimi Teb Sina companies for the supply of kits.

Conflict of interest

We declare no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Parasitology and Molecular Biology, Central Veterinary Laboratory, Iranian Veterinary Organization, Hamedan, Iran

    Jamal Gharekhani

  2. Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Gholamreza Tavoosidana

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Veterinary Faculty of Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

    Hesamedin Akbarein

  4. Department of Parasitology, Central Veterinary Laboratory, Hamedan Veterinary Office, Hamedan, Iran

    Jamal Gharekhani

Authors
  1. Jamal Gharekhani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gholamreza Tavoosidana
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hesamedin Akbarein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jamal Gharekhani.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gharekhani, J., Tavoosidana, G. & Akbarein, H. Serological study of Neospora caninum infection in dogs and cattle from west of Iran. Comp Clin Pathol 23, 1203–1207 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-013-1763-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-013-1763-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation