Kwok Benjamin, Crisman Robin, Malik Richard, Šlapeta Jan
Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
Somersby Veterinary Hospital, Somersby, New South Wales 2250, Australia.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2018 Dec;14:7-10. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2018.07.011. Epub 2018 Aug 4.
Neospora caninum is a tissue cyst-forming coccidium capable of causing spinal cord or skeletal muscle disease in dogs. Infected bitches can transmit the parasite to their pups in utero. Seroprevalence of N. caninum was studied in naturally-infected, privately owned Bernese Mountain dogs, using antibody detection via an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) to identify infected individuals. A retrospective study was undertaken on available dogs from 14 litters. Five of eight dams tested seropositive. The index case was a bitch with a titre of 1:3200 by IFAT. Only one offspring from her first litter was seropositive. The frequency of putative congenital transmission in the breeding kennel was variable. Our results reiterate the importance of serological testing of all dams and littermates in a breeding kennel when clinical neosporosis is suspected in neonatal puppies.
