Donahoe Shannon L, Lindsay Scott A, Krockenberger Mark, Phalen David, Šlapeta Jan
Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl. 2015 Apr 24;4(2):216-38. doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2015.04.002. eCollection 2015 Aug.
Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan parasite that is the etiologic agent of neosporosis, a devastating infectious disease regarded as a major cause of reproductive loss in cattle and neuromuscular disease in dogs worldwide. This protozoan pathogen is maintained in the environment by a heteroxenous life cycle that involves a definitive canid host and a wide range of intermediate hosts. In recent years, a number of wildlife species have been investigated for their possible involvement in the N. caninum life cycle and many have been implicated as intermediate hosts. However, in many instances these studies have utilized serological and molecular techniques to detect infection in clinically normal animals, and investigation of possible associated morbidity, mortality, and pathology has been neglected. As such, the occurrence and importance of Neospora-associated disease in wildlife species are unknown. In order to improve our understanding of the significance of N. caninum infection in nondomestic species, the present review provides an up-to-date summary of clinical neosporosis and N. caninum-associated pathologic lesions in naturally and experimentally infected wildlife species. We provide a list of all free-ranging and captive wildlife species identified with N. caninum infection to date using currently available diagnostic tools. The advantages and disadvantages of diagnostic methods in wildlife are addressed in order to recommend optimal diagnosis of confirming N. caninum infection and neosporosis in nondomestic species. Although current data would suggest that N. caninum infection does not adversely impact wildlife populations, there is a need for greater international uniformity in the diagnosis of N. caninum infection and neosporosis in nondomestic species in order to assess the true consequences of parasite infection.
犬新孢子虫是一种顶复门寄生虫，是新孢子虫病的病原体，新孢子虫病是一种具有毁灭性的传染病，被认为是全球牛繁殖损失和犬神经肌肉疾病的主要原因。这种原生动物病原体通过一种异宿主生命周期在环境中得以维持，该生命周期涉及终末宿主犬科动物和多种中间宿主。近年来，人们对一些野生动物物种参与犬新孢子虫生命周期的可能性进行了研究，许多物种被认为是中间宿主。然而，在很多情况下，这些研究利用血清学和分子技术来检测临床正常动物的感染情况，而对可能相关的发病率、死亡率和病理学的调查却被忽视了。因此，野生动物中新孢子虫相关疾病的发生情况和重要性尚不清楚。为了增进我们对犬新孢子虫感染在非家养物种中的重要性的理解，本综述提供了自然感染和实验感染的野生动物物种中临床新孢子虫病和犬新孢子虫相关病理损伤的最新总结。我们列出了迄今为止使用现有诊断工具确定感染犬新孢子虫的所有自由放养和圈养野生动物物种。文中讨论了野生动物诊断方法的优缺点，以便推荐在非家养物种中确诊犬新孢子虫感染和新孢子虫病的最佳诊断方法。尽管目前的数据表明犬新孢子虫感染不会对野生动物种群产生不利影响，但为了评估寄生虫感染的真正后果，在非家养物种中诊断犬新孢子虫感染和新孢子虫病需要更大的国际一致性。
