Ann. Méd. Vét., 2007, 151 (3), pp 123-149 Diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance of Neospora caninumGHALMI F., CHINA B., LOSSON B.Abstract :
Neospora caninum is a pathogenic parasite responsible for diseases mainly in cattle and dog but other animals could be infected (small ruminants, equids, wild ruminants). In cow, the most frequent clinical manifestation is abortion. The main diagnosis methods are : serology
detection of the parasite in infected tissues by immunohistochemisty and the observation of lesions in infected tissues. The polymerase chain reaction can
be applied on different tissues types. Statistical methods allow the determination of the more powerful method. These serological techniques were used to determine the seroprevalence in
animals. Studies indicated that the seroprevalence is higher in farm dogs compared to urban dogs or in aborting cows compared to non-aborting cows. The
isolation of the parasite is usually
performed from the brain of aborted bovine foetus. It is clear that the improvement of diagnosis methods will allow a better understanding of the parasite transmission ways and a better
control of this recently described pathogen. Get the PDF Contact person : blosson@ulg.ac.be |