Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T07:26:52.653Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infection in dairy cows in subtropical southern China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 May 2012

M. J. XU*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730046, People's Republic of China
Q. Y. LIU
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730046, People's Republic of China Animal Reproduction Institute, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Subtropical Bioresource Conservation and Utilization, Guangxi University, Nanning 530005, People's Republic of China
J. H. FU
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730046, People's Republic of China College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, People's Republic of China
A. J. NISBET
Affiliation:
Parasitology Division, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Midlothian EH26 0PZ, Scotland, UK
D. S. SHI
Affiliation:
Animal Reproduction Institute, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Subtropical Bioresource Conservation and Utilization, Guangxi University, Nanning 530005, People's Republic of China
X. H. HE
Affiliation:
College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, People's Republic of China
Y. PAN
Affiliation:
Animal Reproduction Institute, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Subtropical Bioresource Conservation and Utilization, Guangxi University, Nanning 530005, People's Republic of China Guangxi Veterinary Research Institute, Nanning 530001, People's Republic of China
D. H. ZHOU
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730046, People's Republic of China
H. Q. SONG
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730046, People's Republic of China
X. Q. ZHU*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730046, People's Republic of China College of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, People's Republic of China
*
*Corresponding author: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, CAAS, Lanzhou 730046, People's Republic of China. Tel: +86 931 8342837. Fax: +86 931 8340977. E-mail: mjxu@yahoo.cnxingquanzhu1@hotmail.com
*Corresponding author: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, CAAS, Lanzhou 730046, People's Republic of China. Tel: +86 931 8342837. Fax: +86 931 8340977. E-mail: mjxu@yahoo.cnxingquanzhu1@hotmail.com

Summary

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are closely related protozoan parasites which cause lowered production and increased abortion in dairy cows. The aim of the present study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum infection in dairy cows in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), subtropical southern China. In total, 875 serum samples were collected from the tail veins of dairy cows in 6 main dairy cow-rearing districts of 4 administrative cities in GZAR. The samples were surveyed for T. gondii antibody using the Indirect Haemagglutination Test (IHA), and 365 of the serum samples were examined for N. caninum antibody by indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii in dairy cows was 13·71% (120/875), and the average seroprevalence of N. caninum was 15·07% (55/365). There were significant differences in the seroprevalence of N. caninum infection between different districts (P = 0·002, χ2 = 9·261). The highest prevalences of T. gondii and N. caninum were found in cows older than 8 years and those that had completed 5–6 pregnancies. Five cows (1·37%) presented antibodies against both T. gondii and N. caninum, and dairy cows with both T. gondii and N. caninum antibodies had higher abortion rates. The present results indicate widespread exposure of dairy cows to T. gondii and N. caninum in GZAR, subtropical southern China.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bartova, E. and Sedlak, K. (2011). Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in slaughtered pigs in the Czech Republic. Parasitology 138, 13691371.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bartova, E., Sedlak, K. and Literak, I. (2006). Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum antibodies in wild boars in the Czech Republic. Veterinary Parasitology 142, 150153.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coelho, W. M., Do, A. A., Apolinario, J. C., Coelho, N. M., de Lima, V. M., Perri, S. H. and Bresciani, K. D. (2011). Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, and Leishmania spp. infections and risk factors for cats from Brazil. Parasitology Research 109, 10091013.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Czopowicz, M., Kaba, J., Szalus-Jordanow, O., Nowicki, M., Witkowski, L. and Frymus, T. (2011). Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infections in goats in Poland. Veterinary Parasitology 178, 339341.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dangoudoubiyam, S., Oliveira, J. B., Viquez, C., Gomez-Garcia, A., Gonzalez, O., Romero, J. J., Kwok, O. C., Dubey, J. P. and Howe, D. K. (2011). Detection of antibodies against Sarcocystis neurona, Neospora spp., and Toxoplasma gondii in horses from Costa Rica. Journal of Parasitology 97, 522524.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Craeye, S., Speybroeck, N., Ajzenberg, D., Darde, M. L., Collinet, F., Tavernier, P., Van Gucht, S., Dorny, P. and Dierick, K. (2011). Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in wildlife: common parasites in Belgian foxes and Cervidae? Veterinary Parasitology 178, 6469.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dubey, J. P. (2003). Review of Neospora caninum and neosporosis in animals. Korean Journal of Parasitology 41, 116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dubey, J. P. (2010). Toxoplasmosis of Animals and Humans. CRC Press Inc., Boca Raton, New York, USA.Google Scholar
Dubey, J. P. and Schares, G. (2011). Neosporosis in animals–the last five years. Veterinary Parasitology 180, 90108.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dubey, J. P., Schares, G. and Ortega-Mora, L. M. (2007). Epidemiology and control of neosporosis and Neospora caninum. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 20, 323367.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garcia-Bocanegra, I., Cabezon, O., Pabon, M., Gomez-Guillamon, F., Arenas, A., Alcaide, E., Salas-Vega, R., Dubey, J. P. and Almeria, S. (2012). Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum antibodies in Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica hispanica). Veterinary Journal 191, 257260.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Houk, A. E., Goodwin, D. G., Zajac, A. M., Barr, S. C., Dubey, J. P. and Lindsay, D. S. (2010). Prevalence of antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi, Toxoplasma gondii, Encephalitozoon cuniculi, Sarcocystis neurona, Besnoitia darlingi, and Neospora caninum in North American opossums, Didelphis virginiana, from southern Louisiana. Journal of Parasitology 96, 11191122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Konnai, S., Mingala, C. N., Sato, M., Abes, N. S., Venturina, F. A., Gutierrez, C. A., Sano, T., Omata, Y., Cruz, L. C., Onuma, M. and Ohashi, K. (2008). A survey of abortifacient infectious agents in livestock in Luzon, the Philippines, with emphasis on the situation in a cattle herd with abortion problems. Acta Tropica 105, 269273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langoni, H., Greca, H. J., Guimaraes, F. F., Ullmann, L. S., Gaio, F. C., Uehara, R. S., Rosa, E. P., Amorim, R. M. and Da, S. R. (2011). Serological profile of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infection in commercial sheep from Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Veterinary Parasitology 177, 5054.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Molina-Lopez, R., Cabezon, O., Pabon, M., Darwich, L., Obon, E., Lopez-Gatius, F., Dubey, J. P. and Almeria, S. (2011). High seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in the Common raven (Corvus corax) in the Northeast of Spain. Research in Veterinary Science [Epub ahead of print].Google ScholarPubMed
Reiterová, K., Spilovská, S., Antolová, D. and Dubinský, P. (2009). Neospora caninum, potential cause of abortions in dairy cows: the current serological follow-up in Slovakia. Veterinary Parasitology 159, 16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stieve, E., Beckmen, K., Kania, S. A., Widner, A. and Patton, S. (2010). Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii antibody prevalence in Alaska wildlife. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 46, 348355.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomasson, D., Wright, E. A., Hughes, J. M., Dodd, N. S., Cox, A. P., Boyce, K., Gerwash, O., Abushahma, M., Lun, Z. R., Murphy, R. G., Rogan, M. T. and Hide, G. (2011). Prevalence and co-infection of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in Apodemus sylvaticus in an area relatively free of cats. Parasitology 138, 11171123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wanha, K., Edelhofer, R., Gabler-Eduardo, C. and Prosl, H. (2005). Prevalence of antibodies against Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in dogs and foxes in Austria. Veterinary Parasitology 128, 189193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weiss, L. M. and Dubey, J. P. (2009). Toxoplasmosis: A history of clinical observations. International Journal for Parasitology 39, 895901.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yildiz, K., Kul, O., Babur, C., Kilic, S., Gazyagci, A. N., Celebi, B. and Gurcan, I. S. (2009). Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in dairy cattle ranches with high abortion rate: special emphasis to serologic co-existence with Toxoplasma gondii, Brucella abortus and Listeria monocytogenes. Veterinary Parasitology 164, 306310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yu, J., Xia, Z., Liu, Q., Liu, J., Ding, J. and Zhang, W. (2007). Seroepidemiology of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in cattle and water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in the People's Republic of China. Veterinary Parasitology 143, 7985.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed