Serologic and other diagnostic evidence of Neospora caninum presence in North Dakota beef herds
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol40no1p51-56Keywords:
antibodies, antibody testing, beef cattle, beef cows, beef herds, calves, coccidiosis, cows, diagnosis, disease prevalence, disease surveys, ELISA, epidemiological surveys, epidemiology, immunodiagnosis, infections, neosporosis, parasites, parasitoses, protozoal infections, serological surveys, seroprevalenceAbstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of Neospora caninum antibodies in beef herds in North Dakota. A total of 212 cattle (97 calves and 115 cows) from seven cow-calf herds originating from four counties in North Dakota participated in the study. Blood was obtained from cattle by venipuncture and serum tested for N. caninum antibodies by indirect ELISA. Additionally, data of N. caninum cattle cases were retrieved from NDSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) and analyzed. N. caninum cattle cases were characterized by location, time of diagnosis, age, diagnostic test and sample, and presenting syndrome. Serologic prevalence of N. caninum was 5.2% (5/97) and 5.2% (6/115) for calves and adult cattle, respectively. Overall prevalence was 5.2% (11/212; 95% CI, 2.6%, 9.1%). Within-herd seroprevalence for cows and calves ranged from 0 to 13.3%, with a median prevalence of 3.3%. The 2004 VDL records indicated that 23 N. caninum cases were diagnosed in cattle, calves and fetuses of various breeds presenting with varying history. We concluded that N. caninum antibodies were present in the beef herds in ND, and may be as common in calves as in adult cattle. These findings underscore the need for further investigation of bovine neosporosis as a potential source of economic loss to the ND beef industry.
