Seroprevalence of antibodies to Neospora caninum in dogs in the state of Alagoas, Brazil

Abstract

This study investigated occurrences of antibodies to anti-Neospora caninum in dogs in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, and the risk factors associated with the infection. To investigate antibodies against N. caninum, an indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) was used. To identify risk factors associated with infection by N. caninum, univariate analyses on variables of interest were conducted. The study analyzed 237 samples from dogs of both sexes and different breeds and ages, both from rural and from urban areas. Ten animals (4.2%) were seropositive: five (4.8%) from rural areas and five (3.8%) from urban areas. Regarding sex, five (4.0%) were male and five (4.5%) were female. In relation to breed, four animals of undefined breed and six of defined breed were positive. The ages of the seropositive animals ranged from two months to eleven years. Results show there are no significant associations between seropositivity and the variables analyzed. Results indicate neosporosis must be included in differential diagnosis of dog neurological disorders.Keywords: Neosporosis, dogs, epidemiology, diagnosis, IFAT. ResumoInvestigou-se a ocorrência de anticorpos anti-Neospora caninum em cães no Estado de Alagoas, Brasil e os fatores de risco associados à infecção. Para a pesquisa de anticorpos contra N. caninum empregou-se a Reação de Imunofluorescênica Indireta (RIFI). Para identificar os fatores de risco associados à infecção pelo N. caninum foi realizada análise univariada das variáveis de interesse. Foram analisadas 237 amostras de cães de ambos os sexos, diferentes raças e idades e procedentes de áreas urbanas e rurais. Obteve-se 10 (4,2%) animais soropositivos, sendo cinco (4,8%) de áreas rurais e cinco (3,8%) de áreas urbanas. Com relação ao sexo, cinco (4,0%) eram machos e cinco (4,5%) fêmeas. Quanto às raças foram positivos quatro animais de raças indefinidas e seis de raças definidas. As idades dos animais soropositivos variaram de dois meses a 11 anos. Os resultados da análise estatística revelaram não haver associação significativa entre a soropositividade e as variáveis analisadas. Os resultados indicam a necessidade de incluir a neosporose no diagnóstico diferencial das desordens neurológicas caninas.

Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Leishmania spp. serology and Leishmania spp. PCR in dogs from Pirassununga, SP

“…However, De Sousa et al (2012) obtained a seroprevalence of 4.2%, with half of the dogs' population from urban areas and half from rural areas with no significant difference observed between the groups.…”

Serosurvey for Leishmania spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Trypanosoma cruzi and Neospora caninum in neighborhood dogs in Curitiba-Paraná, Brazil

“…For dogs living in stray situation in Brazil, as neighborhood dogs, the seroprevalence for Leishmania spp. have been ranging from 0.0027% to 32.5% (FREHSE et al, 2010;SEABRA et al, 2015;TRONCARELLI et al, 2009;VALADAS et al, 2010), for T. gondii from 31.6% to 68.4% (MEIRELES et al, 2004;SEABRA et al, 2015;SOUZA et al, 2003;VALADAS et al, 2010), for T. cruzi from 2.0% to 4.0% (MORAIS et al, 2013;TRONCARELLI et al, 2009) and for N. caninum from 3.2% to 22.1% (FRIDLUND-PLUGGE et al, 2008;SEABRA et al, 2015;SOUSA et al, 2012;VALADAS et al, 2010).…”

Risk factors and anti-Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum antibody occurrence in dogs in João Pessoa, Paraíba state, Northeastern Brazil

“…In Brazil, recent studies on the seroprevalence of T. gondii in dogs demonstrated variation from 11.5% to 70.8% (DANTAS et al, 2013;LANGONI et al, 2014), while for N. caninum this variation was from 4.2% to 43.1% (SOUSA et al, 2012;RAIMUNDO et al, 2015). The main risk factors reported in relation to T. gondii were the following: contact with cats (RODRIGUES et al, 2016); male sex (LANGONI et al, 2014;RODRIGUES et al, 2016); and greater age and access to the streets (AZEVEDO et al, 2005;DANTAS et al, 2013;RAIMUNDO et al, 2015).…”