Development of a new ELISA Kit for detection of Neospora caninum antibodies in bovine serum and milk

摘要

Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite first observed in dogs. This parasite is also responsible for bovine neosporosis which is now recognised as an important abortive disease with a worldwide distribution. Abortion in cows usually occurs between the fourth and seventh months of gestation. Depending on the number of infected cows in the herd, the abortion rate ranges from 5% to 30%. Neospora can spread by horizontal transmission by ingestion of infected food, water or grass contaminated by dog faeces. Vertical contamination by transmission from mother to offspring can occur in 80% when the mother is seropositive. The control of the disease implies the elimination of the positive lineages. A PCR can be performed on the foetus.