Diagnosis of bovine neosporosis: Recent advances and perspectives

• Autorzy: Ortega-Mora L M , Fernandez-Garcia A. , Gomez-Bautista M.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

Neospora caninum is considered a major cause of abortion in cattle. Appropriate techniques for diagnosis of bovine neosporosis, both in vivo and in aborted foetuses, have been developed in the last ten years and some of them are commercially available. For diagnosis in live animals, detection of antibodies in serum or milk has been shown to be the best option both at the herd and the individual level. These techniques are excellent tools to examine N. caninum-associated abortion problems and to adopt some basic herd-control measures. Concerning foetal diagnosis, detection of compatible lesions by histological examination and parasites by PCR in brain (as well as heart and liver) are the best choices. Diagnostic criteria to distinguish foetal infection and Neospora-associated abortion are based not only on the demonstration of the parasite in the foetus but also on the extent and severity of the lesions in the foetus, foetal age and the assessment of neosporosis at the herd level. In the near future, new tools to diagnose infection should help to detect animals with parasite reactivation by testing the immune response to stage-specific antigens and lead to the development of molecular typing methods to characterise different parasite isolates. Finally, uniform diagnostic procedures need to be established between laboratories and countries in order to standardise result interpretation. The role of National or Regional Reference Laboratories is essential in countries or regions where control programmes for the disease are being developed.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

infection; diagnosis; cattle; Neospora caninum; bovine neosporosis; serological diagnosis

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Parasitologica
• Rocznik: 2006
• Tom: 51
• Numer: 1
• Opis fizyczny: p.1-14,fig.,ref.

Twórcy

autor

Ortega-Mora L M

• Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain

autor

Fernandez-Garcia A.

autor

Gomez-Bautista M.

Bibliografia

• Aguado-Martínez A., Álvarez-García G., Arnaiz-Seco I., Innes E., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2005. Use of avidity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and avidity western blot to discriminate between acute and chronic Neospora caninum infection in cattle. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 17, 442–450.
• Ahn H.J., Kim S., Kim D.Y., Nam H.W. 2003. ELISA detection of IgG antibody against a recombinant major surface antigen (Nc-p43) fragment of Neospora caninum in bovine sera. Korean Journal of Parasitology, 41, 175–177.
• Almería S., De Marez T., Dawson H., Araujo R., Dubey J.P., Gasbarre L.C. 2003. Cytokine gene expression in dams and foetuses after experimental Neospora caninum infection of heifers at 110 days of gestation. Parasite Immunology, 25, 383–392.
• Álvarez-García G., Collantes-Fernández E., Costas E., Rebordosa X., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2003. Influence of age and purpose for testing on the cut-off selection of serological methods in bovine neosporosis. Veterinary Research, 34, 341–352.
• Álvarez-García G., Pereira-Bueno J., Gómez-Bautista M., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2002. Pattern of recognition of Neospora caninum tachyzoite antigens by naturally infected pregnant cattle and aborted foetuses. Veterinary Parasitology, 107, 15–27.
• Anderson M.L., Andrianarivo A.G., Conrad P.A. 2000. Neosporosis in cattle. Animal Reproduction Science, 60–61, 417–431.
• Andrianarivo A.G., Barr B.C., Anderson M.L., Rowe J.D., Packham A.E., Sverlow K.W., Conrad P.A. 2001. Immune responses in pregnant cattle and bovine fetuses following experimental infection with Neospora caninum. Parasitology Research, 87, 817–825.
• Atkinson R., Harper P.A., Reichel M.P., Ellis J.T. 2000. Progress in the serodiagnosis of Neospora caninum infections of cattle. Parasitology Today, 16, 110–114.
• Barr B.C., Anderson M.L., Sverlow K.W., Conrad P.A. 1995. Diagnosis of bovine fetal Neospora infection with an indirect fluorescent antibody test. Veterinary Record, 137, 611–613.
• Barr B.C., Conrad P.A., Breitmeyer R., Sverlow K., Anderson M.L., Reynolds J., Chauvet A.E., Dubey J.P., Ardans A.A. 1993. Congenital Neospora infection in calves born from cows that had previously aborted Neospora-infected fetuses: four cases (1990–1992). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 202, 113–117.
• Barr B.C., Conrad P.A., Dubey J.P., Anderson M.L. 1991. Neospora-like encephalomyelitis in a calf: pathology, ultrastructure, and immunoreactivity. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 3, 39–46.
• Bartels C.J.M., Maanen C. van, Meulen A.M. van der, Dijkstra T., Wouda W. 2005. Evaluation of three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for detection of antibodies to Neospora caninum in bulk milk. Veterinary Parasitology, 131, 235–246.
• Bartels C.J.M., Ruiz-Santa-Quiteria J.A., Arnaiz-Seco I., Björkman C., Frössling J., Blumröder D. von, Conraths F.J., Schares G., Maanen C. van, Wouda W., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2006. Supranational comparison of Neospora caninum seroprevalences in cattle in Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. Veterinary Parasitology, in press.
• Bartels C.J., Wouda W., Schukken Y.H. 1999. Risk factors for Neospora caninum-associated abortion storms in dairy herds in The Netherlands (1995 to 1997). Theriogenology, 52, 247–257.
• Basso W., Venturini L., Venturini M.C., Hill D.E., Kwok O.C., Shen S.K., Dubey J.P. 2001. First isolation of Neospora caninum from the feces of a naturally infected dog. Journal of Parasitology, 87, 612–618.
• Baszler T.V., Adams S., Vander-Schalie J., Mathison B.A., Kostovic M. 2001. Validation of a commercially available monoclonal antibody-based competitive-inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of serum antibodies to Neospora caninum in cattle. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 39, 3851–3857.
• Baszler T.V., Gay L.J.C., Long M.T., Mathison B.A. 1999. Detection by PCR of Neospora caninum in fetal tissues from spontaneous bovine abortions. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 37, 4059–4064.
• Baszler T.V., Knowles D.P., Dubey J.P., Gay J.M., Mathison B.A., McElwain T.F. 1996. Serological diagnosis of bovine neosporosis by Neospora caninum monoclonal antibody-based competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 34, 1423–1428.
• Bergeron N., Fecteau G., Pare J., Martineau R., Villeneuve A. 2000. Vertical and horizontal transmission of Neospora caninum in dairy herds in Quebec. Canadian Veterinary Journal, 41, 464–467.
• Bjerkås I., Jenkins M.C., Dubey J.P. 1994. Identification and characterization of Neospora caninum tachyzoite antigens useful for diagnosis of neosporosis. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, 1, 214–221.
• Björkman C., Álvarez-García G., Conraths F.J., Mattsson J.G., Ortega-Mora L.M., Sager H., Schares G. Neospora caninum IgG avidity tests: an interlaboratory comparison. Veterinary Parasitology, submitted.
• Björkman C., Gondim L.F.P., Naslund K., Trees A.J., McAllister M.M. 2005. IgG avidity pattern in cattle after ingestion of Neospora caninum occysts. Veterinary Parasitology, 128, 195–200.
• Björkman C., Holmdahl O.J., Uggla A. 1997. An indirect enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) for demonstration of antibodies to Neospora caninum in serum and milk of cattle. Veterinary Parasitology, 68, 251–260.
• Björkman C., McAllister M.M., Frössling J., Naslund K., Leung F., Uggla A. 2003. Application of the Neospora caninum IgG avidity ELISA in assessment of chronic reproductive losses after an outbreak of neosporosis in a herd of beef cattle. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 15, 3–7.
• Björkman C., Naslund K., Stenlund S., Maley S.W., Buxton D., Uggla A. 1999. An IgG avidity ELISA to discriminate between recent and chronic Neospora caninum infection. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 11, 41–44.
• Björkman C., Uggla A. 1999. Serological diagnosis of Neospora caninum infection. International Journal for Parasitology, 29, 1497–1507.
• Blumröder D. von, Schares G., Norton R., Williams D.J., Esteban-Redondo I., Wright S., Björkman C., Frössling J., Risco-Castillo V., Fernández-García A., Ortega-Mora L.M., Sager H., Hemphill A., Maanen C. van, Wouda W., Conraths F.J. 2004. Comparison and standardisation of serological methods for the diagnosis of Neospora caninum infection in bovines. Veterinary Parasitology, 120, 11–22.
• Buxton D., McAllister M.M., Dubey J.P. 2002. The comparative pathogenesis of neosporosis. Trends in Parasitology, 18, 546–552.
• Caetano-da-Silva A., Ferre I., Collantes-Fernández E., Navarro V., Aduriz G., Ugarte-Garagalza C., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2004. Occasional detection of Neospora caninum DNA in frozen extended semen from naturally infected bulls. Theriogenology, 62, 1329–1336.
• Canada N., Carvalheira J., Meireles C.S., da Costa J.M.C., Rocha A. 2004. Prevalence of Neospora caninum infection in dairy cows and its consequences for reproductive management. Theriogenology, 62, 1229–1235.
• Chahan B., Gaturaga I., Huang X., Liao M., Fukumoto S., Hirata H., Nishikawa Y., Suzuki H., Sugimoto C., Nagasawa H., Fujisaki K., Igarashi I., Mikami T., Xuan X. 2003. Serodiagnosis of Neospora caninum infection in cattle by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with recombinant truncated NcSAG1. Veterinary Parasitology, 118, 177–185.
• Chanlun A., Emanuelson U., Chanlun S., Aiumlamai S., Björkman C. 2006. Application of repeated bulk milk testing for identification of infection dynamics of Neospora caninum in Thai dairy herds. Veterinary Parasitology, in press.
• Chanlun A., Naslund K., Aiumlamai S., Björkman C. 2002. Use of bulk milk for detection of Neospora caninum infection in dairy herds in Thailand. Veterinary Parasitology, 110, 35–44.
• Chávez-Velásquez A., Álvarez-García G., Collantes-Fernández E., Casas-Astos E., Rosadio-Alcántara R., Serrano-Martínez E., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2004. First report of Neospora caninum infection in adult alpacas (Vicugna pacos) and llamas (Lama glama). Journal of Parasitology, 90, 864–866.
• Collantes-Fernández E., Rodríguez-Bertos A., Arnaiz-Seco I., Moreno B., Aduriz G., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2006. Influence of the stage of pregnancy on Neospora caninum distribution, parasite loads and lesions in aborted bovine foetuses. Theriogenology, 65, 629–641.
• Collantes-Fernández E., Zaballos A., Álvarez-García G., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2002. Quantitative detection of Neospora caninum in bovine aborted foetuses and experimentally infected mice by real-time PCR. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 40, 1194–1198.
• Conrad P.A., Sverlow K., Anderson M., Rowe J., BonDurant R., Tuter G., Breitmeyer R., Palmer C., Thurmond M., Ardans A. 1993. Detection of serum antibody responses in cattle with natural or experimental Neospora infections. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 5, 572–578.
• Conraths F.J., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2005. Options for control of protozoal abortion in ruminants: practical experience. The 20th International Conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP), 16–20 October, Christchurch, New Zealand.
• Davison H.C., Guy C.S., McGarry J.W., Guy F., Williams D.J.L., Kelly D.F., Trees A.J. 2001. Experimental studies on the transmission of Neospora caninum between cattle. Research in Veterinary Science, 70, 163–168.
• Davison H.C., Otter A., Trees A.J. 1999. Estimation of vertical and horizontal transmission parameters of Neospora caninum infections in dairy cattle. International Journal for Parasitology, 29, 1683–1689.
• De Marez T., Liddell S., Dubey J.P., Jenkins M.C., Gasbarre L. 1999. Oral infection of calves with Neospora caninum oocysts from dogs: humoral and cellular immune responses. International Journal for Parasitology, 29, 1647–1657.
• De Meerschman F., Focant C., Detry J., Rettigner C., Cassart D., Losson B. 2005. Clinical, pathological and diagnostic aspects of congenital neosporosis in a series of naturally infected calves. Veterinary Record, 157, 115–118.
• Dijkstra T., Barkema H.W., Björkman C., Wouda W. 2002. A high rate of seroconversion for Neospora caninum in a dairy herd without an obvious increased incidence of abortions. Veterinary Parasitology, 109, 203–211.
• Dijkstra T., Barkema H.W., Eysker M., Beiboer M.L., Wouda W. 2003. Evaluation of a single serological screening of dairy herds for Neospora caninum antibodies. Veterinary Parasitology, 110, 161–169.
• Dijkstra T., Barkema H.W., Eysker M., Wouda W. 2001. Evidence of post-natal transmission of Neospora caninum in Dutch dairy herds. International Journal for Parasitology, 31, 209–215.
• Dubey J.P. 1999. Recent advances in Neospora and neosporosis. Veterinary Parasitology, 84, 349–367.
• Dubey J.P. 2003a. Neosporosis in cattle. Journal of Parasitology, 89, S42–S56.
• Dubey J.P. 2003b. Review of Neospora caninum and neosporosis in animals. Korean Journal of Parasitology, 41, 1–16.
• Dubey J.P. 2005. Neosporosis in cattle. Veterinary Clinics of North America. Food Animal Practice, 21, 473–483.
• Dubey J.P., Barr B.C., Barta J.R., Bjerkås I., Björkman C., Blagburn B.L., Bowman D.D., Buxton D., Ellis J.T., Gottstein B., Hemphill A., Hill D.E., Howe D.K., Jenkins M.C., Kobayashi Y., Koudela B., Marsh A.E., Mattsson J.G., McAllister M.M., Modrý D., Omata Y., Sibley L.D., Speer C.A., Trees A.J., Uggla A., Upton S.J., Williams D.J.L., Lindsay D.S. 2002. Redescription of Neospora caninum and its differentiation from related coccidia. International Journal for Parasitology, 32, 929–946.
• Dubey J.P., Hattel A.L., Lindsay D.S., Topper M.J. 1988. Neonatal Neospora caninum infection in dogs: isolation of the causative agent and experimental transmission. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 193, 1259–1263.
• Dubey J.P., Lindsay D.S. 1996. A review of Neospora caninum and neosporosis. Veterinary Parasitology, 67, 1–59.
• Dubey J.P., Thulliez P. 2005. Prevalence of antibodies to Neospora caninum in wild animals. Journal of Parasitology, 91, 1217–1218.
• Fernández-García A., Risco-Castillo V., Zaballos A., Álvarez-García G., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2006. Identification and molecular cloning of the Neospora caninum SAG4 gene specifically expressed at bradyzoite stage. Molecular & Biochemical Parasitology, 146, 89–97.
• Ferre I., Aduriz G., Pozo I. del, Regidor-Cerrillo J., Atxaerandio R., Collantes-Fernández E., Hurtado A., Ugarte-Garagalza C., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2005. Detection of Neospora caninum in the semen and blood of naturally infected bulls. Theriogenology, 63, 1504–1518.
• French N.P., Clancy D., Davison H.C., Trees A.J. 1999. Mathematical models of Neospora caninum infection in dairy cattle: transmission and options for control. International Journal for Parasitology, 29, 1691–1704.
• Frössling J., Bonnett B., Lindberg A., Björkman C. 2003. Validation of a Neospora caninum iscom ELISA without a gold standard. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 57, 141–153.
• Frössling J., Lindberg A., Björkman C. 2006. Evaluation of an iscom ELISA used for detection of antibodies to Neospora caninum in bulk milk. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, in press.
• Frössling J., Uggla A., Björkman C. 2005. Prevalence and transmission of Neospora caninum within infected Swedish dairy herds. Veterinary Parasitology, 128, 209–218.
• Gaturaga I., Chahan B., Xuan X.N., Huang X.H., Liao M., Fukumoto S., Hirata H., Nishikawa Y., Takashima Y., Suzuki H., Fujisaki K., Sugimoto C. 2005. Detection of antibodies to Neospora caninum in cattle by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with truncated NcSRS2 expressed in Escherichia coli. Journal of Parasitology, 91, 191–192.
• Gondim L.F.P., McAllister M.M., Mateus-Pinilla N.E., Pitt W.C., Mech L.D., Nelson M.E. 2004a. Transmission of Neospora caninum between wild and domestic animals. Journal of Parasitology, 90, 1361–1365.
• Gondim L.F.P., McAllister M.M., Anderson-Sprecher R.C., Björkman C., Lock T.F., Firkins L.D., Gao L., Fischer W.R. 2004b. Transplacental transmission and abortion in cows administered Neospora caninum oocysts. Journal of Parasitology, 90, 1394–1400.
• González L., Buxton D., Atxaerandio R., Aduriz G., Maley S., Marco J.C., Cuervo L.A. 1999. Bovine abortion associated with Neospora caninum in northern Spain. Veterinary Record, 144, 145–150.
• Gottstein B., Hentrich B., Wyss R., Thür B., Busato A., Stärk K.D.C., Müller N. 1998. Molecular and immunodiagnostic investigations on bovine neosporosis in Switzerland. International Journal for Parasitology, 28, 679–691.
• Haddad J.P.A., Dohoo I.R., VanLeewen J.A. 2005. A review of Neospora caninum in dairy and beef cattle — a Canadian perspective. Canadian Veterinary Journal-Revue Veterinaire Canadienne, 46, 230–243.
• Hall C.A., Reichel M.P., Ellis J.T. 2005. Neospora abortions in dairy cattle: diagnosis, mode of transmission and control. Veterinary Parasitology, 128, 231–241.
• Hemphill A., Gottstein B. 2000. A European perspective on Neospora caninum. International Journal for Parasitology, 30, 877–924.
• Hobson J.C., Duffield T.F., Kelton D., Lissemore K., Hietala S.K., Leslie K.E., McEwen B., Peregrine A.S. 2005. Risk factors associated with Neospora caninum abortion in Ontario Holstein dairy herds. Veterinary Parasitology, 127, 177–188.
• Holmdahl O.J.M., Mattsson J.G. 1996. Rapid and sensitive identification of Neospora caninum by in vitro amplification of the internal transcribed spacer 1. Parasitology, 112, 177–182.
• Howe D.K., Tang K., Conrad P.A., Sverlow K., Dubey J.P., Sibley L.D. 2002. Sensitive and specific identification of Neospora caninum infection of cattle based on detection of serum antibodies to recombinant Ncp29. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, 9, 611–615.
• Jenkins M., Baszler T., Björkman C., Schares G., Williams D. 2002. Diagnosis and seroepidemiology of Neospora caninum-associated bovine abortion. International Journal for Parasitology, 32, 631–636.
• Jenkins M.C., Caver J.A., Björkman C., Anderson T.C., Romand S., Vinyard B., Uggla A., Thulliez P., Dubey J.P. 2000. Serological investigation of an outbreak of Neospora caninum-associated abortion in a dairy herd in southeastern United States. Veterinary Parasitology, 94, 17–26.
• Jenkins M.C., Fetterer R., Schares G., Björkman C., Wapenaar W., McAllister M., Dubey J.P. 2005. HPLC purification of recombinant NcGRA6 antigen improves enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for serodiagnosis of bovine neosporosis. Veterinary Parasitology, 131, 227–234.
• Jenkins M.C., Wouda W., Dubey J.P. 1997. Serological response over time to recombinant Neospora caninum antigens in cattle after a neosporosis-induced abortion. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, 4, 270–274.
• Lally N.C., Jenkins M.C., Dubey J.P. 1996. Evaluation of two Neospora caninum recombinant antigens for use in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the diagnosis of bovine neosporosis. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, 3, 275–279.
• Liao M., Zhang S.F., Xuan X.N., Zhang G.H., Huang X.H., Igarashi I., Fujisaki K. 2005. Development of rapid immunochromatographic test with recombinant NcSAG1 for detection of antibodies to Neospora caninum in cattle. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, 12, 885–887.
• Liddell S., Jenkins M.C., Dubey J.P. 1999. A competitive PCR assay for quantitative detection of Neospora caninum. International Journal for Parasitology, 29, 1583–1587.
• Lindsay D.S., Dubey J.P. 1989. Immunohistochemical diagnosis of Neospora caninum in tissue sections. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 50, 1981–1983.
• Loschenberger K., Szolgyenyi W., Peschke R., Prosl H. 2004. Detection of the protozoan Neospora caninum using in situ polymerase chain reaction. Biotechnic & Histochemistry, 79, 101–105.
• Louie K., Sverlow K.W., Barr B.C., Anderson M.L., Conrad P.A. 1997. Cloning and characterization of two recombinant Neospora protein fragments and their use in serodiagnosis of bovine neosporosis. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, 4, 692–699.
• Lunden A., Marks J., Maley S.W., Innes E.A. 1998. Cellular immune responses in cattle experimentally infected with Neospora caninum. Parasite Immunology, 20, 519–526.
• Maanen C. van, Wouda W., Schares G., Blumröder D. von, Conraths F.J., Norton R., Williams D.J.L., Esteban-Redondo I., Innes E.A., Mattsson J.G., Björkman C., Fernández-García A., Ortega-Mora L.M., Müller N., Sager H., Hemphill A. 2004. An interlaboratory comparison of immunohistochemistry and PCR methods for detection of Neospora caninum in bovine foetal tissues. Veterinary Parasitology, 126, 351–364.
• Maley S.W., Buxton D., Thomson K.M., Schriefer C.E., Innes E.A. 2001. Serological analysis of calves experimentally infected with Neospora caninum: a 1-year study. Veterinary Parasitology, 96, 1–9.
• Marks J., Lunden A., Harkins D., Innes E. 1998. Identification of Neospora antigens recognized by CD4+ T cells and immune sera from experimentally infected cattle. Parasite Immunology, 20, 303–309.
• McAllister M.M., Björkman C., Anderson-Sprecher R., Rogers D.G. 2000. Evidence of point-source exposure to Neospora caninum and protective immunity in a herd of beef cows. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 217, 881–887.
• McAllister M.M., Dubey J.P., Lindsay D.S., Jolley W.R., Wills R.A., McGuire A.M. 1998. Dogs are definitive hosts of Neospora caninum. International Journal for Parasitology, 28, 1473–1478.
• Medina L., Cruz-Vazquez C., Quezada T., Morales E., Garcia-Vazquez Z. 2006. Survey of Neospora caninum infection by nested PCR in aborted fetuses from dairy farms in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Veterinary Parasitology, in press.
• Moore D.P. 2005. Neosporosis in South America. Veterinary Parasitology, 127, 87–97.
• Moore D.P., Leunda M.R., Zamorano P.I., Odeon A.C., Romera S.A., Cano A., de Yaniz G., Venturini M.C., Campero C.M. 2005. Immune response to Neospora caninum in naturally infected heifers and heifers vaccinated with inactivated antigen during the second trimester of gestation. Veterinary Parasitology, 130, 29–39.
• Moskwa B., Cabaj W., Pastusiak K., Bień J. 2003. The suitability of milk in detection of Neospora caninum infection in cows. Acta Parasitologica, 48, 138–141.
• Müller N., Zimmermann V., Hentrich B., Gottstein B. 1996. Diagnosis of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii infection by PCR and DNA hybridization immunoassay. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 34, 2850–2852.
• Nishikawa Y., Kousaka Y., Tragoolpua K., Xuan X., Makala L., Fujisaki K., Mikami T., Nagasawa H. 2001. Characterization of Neospora caninum surface protein NcSRS2 based on baculovirus expression system and its application for serodiagnosis of Neospora infection. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 39, 3987–3991.
• Okeoma C.M., Stowell K.M., Williamson N.B., Pomroy W.E. 2005. Neospora caninum: Quantification of DNA in the blood of naturally infected aborted and pregnant cows using real-time PCR. Experimental Parasitology, 110, 48–55.
• Okeoma C.M., Williamson N.B., Pomroy W.E., Stowell K.M., Gillespie L. 2004. The use of PCR to detect Neospora caninum DNA in the blood of naturally infected cows. Veterinary Parasitology, 122, 307–315.
• Ooi H.K., Huang C.C., Yang C.H., Lee S.H. 2000. Serological survey and first finding of Neospora caninum in Taiwan, and the detection of its antibodies in various body fluids of cattle. Veterinary Parasitology, 90, 47–55.
• Ortega-Mora L.M., Ferre I., del-Pozo I., Caetano-da-Silva A., Collantes-Fernández E., Regidor-Cerrillo J., Ugarte-Garagalza C., Aduriz G. 2003. Detection of Neospora caninum in semen of bulls. Veterinary Parasitology, 117, 301–308.
• Osawa T., Wastling J., Maley S., Buxton D., Innes E.A. 1998. A multiple antigen ELISA to detect Neospora-specific antibodies in bovine sera, bovine foetal fluids, ovine and caprine sera. Veterinary Parasitology, 79, 19–34.
• Otter A., Jeffrey M., Scholes S.F., Helmick B., Wilesmith J.W., Trees A.J. 1997. Comparison of histology with maternal and fetal serology for the diagnosis of abortion due to bovine neosporosis. Veterinary Record, 141, 487–489.
• Packham A.E., Sverlow K.W., Conrad P.A., Loomis E.F., Rowe J.D., Anderson M.L., Marsh A.E., Cray C., Barr B.C. 1998. A modified agglutination test for Neospora caninum: development, optimization, and comparison to the indirect fluorescent-antibody test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, 5, 467–473.
• Paré J., Fecteau G., Fortin M., Marsolais G. 1998. Seroepidemiologie study of Neospora caninum in dairy herds. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 213, 1595–1598.
• Paré J., Hietala S.K., Thurmond M.C. 1995a. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for serological diagnosis of Neospora sp. infection in cattle. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 7, 352–359.
• Paré J., Hietala S.K., Thurmond M.C. 1995b. Interpretation of an indirect fluorescent antibody test for diagnosis of Neospora sp. infection in cattle. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 7, 273–275.
• Pereira-Bueno J., Quintanilla-Gozalo A., Pérez-Pérez V., Espi-Felgueroso A., Álvarez-García G., Collantes-Fernández E., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2003. Evaluation by different diagnostic techniques of bovine abortion associated with Neospora caninum in Spain. Veterinary Parasitology, 111, 143–152.
• Quintanilla-Gozalo A., Pereira-Bueno J., Seijas-Carballedo A., Costas E., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2000. Observational studies in Neospora caninum infected dairy cattle: relationship infection-abortion and gestational antibody fluctuations. In: A European perspective on N. caninum (Eds. A. Hemphill and B. Gottstein). International Journal for Parasitology, 30, 900–906.
• Regidor-Cerrillo J., Pedraza-Díaz S., Gómez-Bautista M., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2006. Multilocus microsatellite analysis reveals extensive genetic diversity in Neospora caninum. Journal of Parasitology, accepted for publication.
• Reichel M.P., Pfeiffer D.U. 2002. An analysis of the performance characteristics of serological tests for the diagnosis of Neospora caninum infection in cattle. Veterinary Parasitology, 107, 197–207.
• Rodrigues A.A.R., Gennari S.M., Aguiar D.M., Sreekumar C., Hill D.E., Miska K.B., Vianna M.C.B., Dubey J.P. 2004. Shedding of Neospora caninum oocysts by dogs fed tissues from naturally infected water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) from Brazil. Veterinary Parasitology, 124, 139–150.
• Romand S., Thulliez P., Dubey J.P. 1998. Direct agglutination test for serologic diagnosis of Neospora caninum infection. Parasitology Research, 84, 50–53.
• Sager H., Fischer I., Furrer K., Strasser M., Waldvogel A., Boerlin P., Audige L., Gottstein B. 2001. A Swiss case-control study to assess Neospora caninum-associated bovine abortions by PCR, histopathology and serology. Veterinary Parasitology, 102, 1–15.
• Sager H., Gloor M., Björkman C., Kritzner S., Gottstein B. 2003. Assessment of antibody avidity in aborting cattle by a somatic Neospora caninum tachyzoite antigen IgG avidity ELISA. Veterinary Parasitology, 112, 1–10.
• Schares G., Bärwald A., Conraths F.J. 2005. Adaptation of a surface antigen-based ELISA for the detection of antibodies against Neospora caninum in bovine milk. Journal of Veterinary Medicine. Series B. Infectious Diseases and Veterinary Public Health, 52, 45–48.
• Schares G., Bärwald A., Staubach C., Söndgen P., Rauser M., Schröder R., Peters M., Wurm R., Selhorst T., Conraths F.J. 2002. p38-avidity-ELISA: examination of herds experiencing epidemic or endemic Neospora caninum-associated bovine abortion. Veterinary Parasitology, 106, 293–305.
• Schares G., Bärwald A.B., Staubach C., Ziller M., Klöss D., Schröder R., Labohm R., Dräger K., Fasen W., Hess R.G., Conraths F.J. 2004a. Potential risk factors for bovine Neospora caninum infection in Germany are not under the control of the farmers. Parasitology, 129, 301–309.
• Schares G., Bärwald A., Staubach C., Wurm R., Rauser M., Conraths F.J., Schroeder C. 2004b. Adaptation of a commercial ELISA for the detection of antibodies against Neospora caninum in bovine milk. Veterinary Parasitology, 120, 55–63.
• Schares G., Bärwald A., Staubach C., Ziller M., Klöss D., Wurm R., Rauser M., Labohm R., Dräger K., Fasen W., Hess R.G., Conraths F.J. 2003. Regional distribution of bovine Neospora caninum infection in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate modelled by Logistic regression. International Journal for Parasitology, 33, 1631–1640.
• Schares G., Conraths F.J., Reichel M.P. 1999a. Bovine neosporosis: comparison of serological methods using outbreak sera from a dairy herd in New Zealand. International Journal for Parasitology, 29, 1659–1667.
• Schares G., Rauser M., Zimmer K., Peters M., Wurm R., Dubey J.P., Graaf D.C., de Edelhofer R., Mertens C., Hess G., Conraths F.J. 1999b. Serological differences in Neospora caninum-associated epidemic and endemic abortions. Journal of Parasitology, 85, 688–694.
• Schares G., Peters M., Wurm R., Bärwald A., Conraths F.J. 1998. The efficiency of vertical transmission of Neospora caninum in dairy cattle analysed by serological techniques. Veterinary Parasitology, 80, 87–98.
• Schares G., Rauser M., Söndgen P., Rehberg P., Bärwald A., Dubey J.P., Edelhofer R., Conraths F.J. 2000. Use of purified tachyzoite surface antigen p38 in an ELISA to diagnose bovine neosporosis. International Journal for Parasitology, 30, 1123–1130.
• Serrano E., Ferre I., Osoro K., Aduriz G., Mateos-Sanz A., Martínez A., Atxaerandio R., Hidalgo C.O., Ortega-Mora L.M. 2006. Intrauterine Neospora caninum inoculation of heifers. Veterinary Parasitology, 135, 197–203.
• Slotved H.C., Jensen L., Lind P. 1999. Comparison of the IFAT and Iscom-ELISA response in bovine foetuses with Neospora caninum infection. International Journal for Parasitology, 29, 1165–1174.
• Söndgen P., Peters M., Bärwald A., Wurm R., Holling F., Conraths F.J., Schares G. 2001. Bovine neosporosis: immunoblot improves foetal serology. Veterinary Parasitology, 102, 279–290.
• Thurmond M.C., Branscum A.J., Johnson W.O., Bedrick E.J., Hanson T.E. 2005. Predicting the probability of abortion in dairy cows: a hierarchical Bayesian logistic-survival model using sequential pregnancy data. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 68, 223–239.
• Thurmond M., Hietala S. 1995. Strategies to control Neospora infection in cattle. Bovine Practitioner, 4, 29–32.
• Thurmond M.C., Hietala S.K., Blanchard P.C. 1997. Herd-based diagnosis of Neospora caninum-induced endemic and epidemic abortion in cows and evidence for congenital and postnatal transmission. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 9, 44–49.
• Trees A.J., McAllister M.M., Guy C.S., McGarry J.W., Smith R.F., Williams D.J. 2002. Neospora caninum: oocyst challenge of pregnant cows. Veterinary Parasitology, 109, 147–154.
• Trees A.J., Williams D.J.L. 2005. Endogenous and exogenous transplacental infection in Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii. Trends in Parasitology, 21, 558–561.
• Uggla A., Stenlund S., Holmdahl O.J., Jakubek E.B., Thebo P., Kindahl H., Björkman C. 1998. Oral Neospora caninum inoculation of neonatal calves. International Journal for Parasitology, 28, 1467–1472.
• Varcasia A., Capelli G., Ruiu A., Ladu M., Scala A., Björkman C. 2006. Prevalence of Neospora caninum infection in Sardinian dairy farms (Italy) detected by iscom ELISA on tank bulk milk. Parasitology Research, 98, 264–267.
• Venturini M.C., Venturini L., Bacigalupe D., Machuca M., Echaide I., Basso W., Unzaga J.M., Di Lorenzo C., Guglielmone A., Jenkins M.C., Dubey J.P. 1999. Neospora caninum infections in bovine foetuses and dairy cows with abortions in Argentina. International Journal for Parasitology, 29, 1705–1708.
• Williams D.J., Davison H.C., Helmick B., McGarry J., Guy F., Otter A., Trees A.J. 1999. Evaluation of a commercial ELISA for detecting serum antibody to Neospora caninum in cattle. Veterinary Record, 145, 571–575.
• Williams D.J., Guy C.S., McGarry J.W., Guy F., Tasker L., Smith R.F., MacEachern K., Cripps P.J., Kelly D.F., Trees A.J. 2000. Neospora caninum-associated abortion in cattle: the time of experimentally-induced parasitaemia during gestation determines foetal survival. Parasitology, 121, 347–358.
• Williams D.J., McGarry J., Guy F., Barber J., Trees A.J. 1997. Novel ELISA for detection of Neospora-specific antibodies in cattle. Veterinary Record, 140, 328–331.
• Wouda W., Brinkhof J., Maanen C. van, Gee A.L. de, Moen A.R. 1998a. Serodiagnosis of neosporosis in individual cows and dairy herds: A comparative study of three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, 5, 711–716.
• Wouda W., Moen A.R., Schukken Y.H. 1998b. Abortion risk in progeny of cows after a Neospora caninum epidemic. Theriogenology, 49, 1311–1316.
• Wouda W., Dijkstra T., Kramer A.M., Maanen C. van, Brinkhof J.M. 1999. Seroepidemiological evidence for a relationship between Neospora caninum infections in dogs and cattle. International Journal for Parasitology, 29, 1677–1682.
• Wouda W., Dubey J.P., Jenkins M.C. 1997a. Serological diagnosis of bovine fetal neosporosis. Journal of Parasitology, 83, 545–547.
• Wouda W., Moen A.R., Visser I.J., Knapen F. van 1997b. Bovine fetal neosporosis: a comparison of epizootic and sporadic abortion cases and different age classes with regard to lesion severity and immunohistochemical identification of organisms in brain, heart, and liver. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 9, 180–185.