Review of Neospora caninum and neosporosis in animals.

Author: John P DUBEY ¹
Author Information

1. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Building 1001, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705-2350, USA. jdubey@anri.barc.usda.gov
Publication Type:Review
MeSH: Animals; Buffaloes/parasitology; Coccidiosis/diagnosis/epidemiology/transmission/*veterinary; Disease Models, Animal; Dogs; Female; Goats/parasitology; Horses/parasitology; Humans; Neospora/*physiology; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Sheep/parasitology
From:The Korean Journal of Parasitology 2003;41(1):1-16
CountryRepublic of Korea
Language:English
Abstract: Neospora caninum is a coccidian parasite of animals. It is a major pathogen for cattle and dogs and it occasionally causes clinical infections in horses, goats, sheep, and deer. Domestic dogs are the only known definitive hosts for N. caninum. It is one of the most efficiently transmitted parasite of cattle and up to 90% of cattle in some herds are infected. Transplacental transmission is considered the major route of transmission of N. caninum in cattle. Neospora caninum is a major cause of abortion in cattle in many countries. To elicit protective immunity against abortion in cows that already harbor a latent infection is a major problem. This paper reviews information on biology, diagnosis, epidemiology and control of neosporosis in animals.