Background Determining the infectious cause of abortion in cattle is difficult. This case-control study was set up to investigate the infectious causes of abortion by determining the seroprevalence of three reproductive pathogens in dairy cattle in Ecuador and their association with abortion: Brucella abortus, Neospora caninum and Coxiella burnetii . Results Ninety-five blood samples were obtained from cows that had experienced a mid- or late gestation abortion of their first calf and seventy-seven samples from a control group of cows with the same age that did not experience abortion problems. No antibodies were detected for B. abortus in any of the serum samples, but a high seroprevalence for both C. burnetii (52.9%) and N. caninum infection (21.5%) was found in group of cows. The seroprevalence of N. caninum infection in cattle that had experienced abortions was significantly higher ( p < 0.05) than the seroprevalence in the control cows on one of the cattle farms, but no association between abortion and seropositivity for C. burnetii was found. Conclusion We conclude that Neosporosis plays an important role in the epidemiology of abortion on one cattle farm, but that Q fever is apparently not an important cause for abortion in this setting. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-019-1924-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The genus Prototheca, a unicellular, non-photosynthetic, yeast-like microalgae, is a pathogen of concern for the dairy industry. It causes bovine mastitis that currently cannot be cured, and hence generates significant economic losses in milk production. In this study, for the first time in Ecuador, we identify Prototheca bovis as the etiologic agent of chronic mastitis in dairy cattle. Milk samples (n = 458) of cows with chronic mastitis were cultured on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA). Microscopy and cytB gene sequencing were used to identify Prototheca, whereby Prototheca bovis was isolated from 15.1% (n = 69) of the milk samples, one of the highest infection rates that can be found in the literature in a “non-outbreak” situation. No other Prototheca species were found. We were unable to isolate the alga from environmental samples. We showed that P. bovis was relatively resistant to disinfectants used to sterilize milking equipment on the cattle farms where it was isolated. We discuss how to avoid future infection and also hypothesize that the real prevalence of Prototheca infection in bovine mastitis is probably much higher than what was detected. We recommend a protocol to increase the diagnostic yield in the bacteriology laboratory.

Background: Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causal agent of paratuberculosis, a chronic infectious contagious disease of the intestinal tract of ruminants that are also associated with Crohn's disease in humans. The existence of paratuberculosis in Ecuador is virtually unknown; hence, the present study was performed to gain insight into the prevalence of this disease. Methods: Three dairy cattle farms in different geographic regions in Ecuador were investigated for the infection with MAP, and 600 blood samples, 200 of each cattle herd, were processed with an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Fecal samples of the seropositive cows were processed for culture on modified Löwenstein–Jensen medium. Results: One hundred and fifty bovines (25%) resulted seropositive and we confirmed with culture the presence of MAP in 4.7% (7/150) of the seropositive cows. Approximately 20% of the fecal samples of seropositive cows yielded nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species including M. avium subsp. avium, a NTM species closely related to MAP. Conclusions: The seroprevalence of paratuberculosis in this first study for Ecuador is high (25%). We discuss a possible interference of NTM species, isolated from fecal samples, with the diagnosis of paratuberculosis. With this report, a baseline study, we confirm for the first time the presence of paratuberculosis in Ecuador, and we provide the necessary information for future studies and control of this disease.

The genus Prototheca, unicellular, non-photosynthetic, yeast-like microalgae, is a pathogen of concern for the dairy industry causing bovine mastitis that currently cannot be cured and hence generates significant economic losses in milk production. In this study, for the first time in Ecuador, we identify Prototheca bovis as the etiologic agent of chronic mastitis in dairy cattle. Milk samples (n=458) of cows with chronic mastitis were cultured on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA). Microscopy and cytB gene sequencing were used to identify Prototheca, whereby Prototheca bovis was isolated from 15.1% (n=69) of the milk samples, one of the highest infection rates that can be found in the literature in a &ldquo;non-outbreak&rdquo; situation. No other Prototheca species were found. We were unable to isolate the alga from environmental samples. We showed that P. bovis was relatively resistant to disinfectants used to sterilize milking equipment on the cattle farms where it was isolated. We discuss how to avoid future infection and also hypothesize that the real prevalence of Prototheca infection in bovine mastitis is probably much higher than what was detected. We recommend a protocol to increase the diagnostic yield in the bacteriology laboratory.