Naslov
Seroprevalence and potential risk factors of Neospora caninum infection in dairy cattle in Croatia

Autori
Beck, Relja ; Marinculić, Albert ; Mihaljević, Željko ; Benić, Miroslav ; Martinković, Franjo

Izvornik
Vterinarski arhiv (0372-5480) 80 (2010), 2; 163-171

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Neospora caninum; cattle; abortion; risk factors; Croatia

Sažetak
Neospora caninum, a cyst forming coccidian parasite, is an important cause of abortion in cattle worldwide. The present work aims to update knowledge of the presence of Neospora in cattle from Croatia. The survey was carried out on dairy cows in the Bjelovar-Bilogora County in northwest Croatia (2652 km2). The cows were selected by simple randomization from county dairy producer records. Cows were tested for the presence of N. caninum antibodies with the Neospora-Ab iscom enzyme-linked immunoassay kit (SVANOVIR). N. caninum antibodies were detected in 23 from 395 (5.6%) (confifidence interval (CI) ; CI 95% ; 3.5 to 8.1) lactating cows. Epidemiological studies of potential risk factors, such as the presence of a dog, cat, swine, free range poultry and management practices, such as silage processing and pasture practising showed that none of these factors was associated with N. caninum antibodies. Seropositivity of cows was associated to abortion (odds ratio (OR) ; OR = 8.307, P = 0.002) and to purchasing of replacement animals from other sources (OR = 5.27, P = 0.0002). A strong correlation was also found between antibodies, history of abortion and origin (imported animals) of heifers or cows (OR = 5.52 ; P = 0.001).

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Veterinarska medicina

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