Neospora caninum hos köttdjur i Sverige
Neospora caninum is an intracellular parasite that was first recognized in dogs in
1984. The parasite is now one of the most commonly diagnosed infectious causes
of abortion in cattle word wide. N. caninum is transmitted to cattle in two ways.
They may be infected from eating food contaminated with oocysts from a
definitive host or they may be infected in utero from an infected mother. The
infection is transmitted efficiently from cow to her offspring and this can occur
for generations. An infected fetus may be aborted but it is more common that the
calf is born clinically healthy but chronically infected with N. caninum. Once the
animal is infected it remains infected for life and the presence of antibodies
against the parasite indicates infection.
In the year 2000 Swedish dairy cows were tested for antibodies against N.
caninum and this resulted in an estimated seroprevalence of 2% in dairy cows. No
such screening has been performed in beef cattle in the country. The purpose of
this study was to test beef cattle in different parts of Sweden to investigate the
seroprevalence of N. caninum antibodies in beef cattle.
Beef cattle sera collected within the bovine virus diarrhoea control program
between November 2006 and May 2007 were analysed for presence of N.
caninum specific antibodies by ELISA. Thirtyfive of 986 (3.6%) animals had
antibodies to the parasite. The screening showed that N. caninum is well spread in
Sweden though the prevalence appears to be low.