The prevalence of Neospora caninum and co-infection with Toxoplasma gondii by PCR analysis in naturally occurring mammal populations

• Published in: Parasitology Vol. 132; no. 1; pp. 29 - 36
• Main Authors: HUGHES, J. M., WILLIAMS, R. H., MORLEY, E. K., COOK, D. A. N., TERRY, R. S., MURPHY, R. G., SMITH, J. E., HIDE, G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.01.2006
• Subjects: aborted lambs; abortion (animals); Abortion, Veterinary - parasitology; Animals; Animals, Newborn - parasitology; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain - parasitology; Cattle; co-infection; Coccidiosis - complications; Coccidiosis - epidemiology; Coccidiosis - veterinary; disease prevalence; Disease Reservoirs - veterinary; DNA, Protozoan - analysis; Farming; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; General aspects and techniques. Study of several systematic groups. Models; Invertebrates; Investigations; Mammalia; Mice; mixed infection; Molecular Sequence Data; mouse; Mus domesticus; natural infections; naturally acquired infection; Neospora - isolation & purification; Neospora caninum; neosporosis; Organ Specificity; Ovis aries; Parasites; PCR; Pest control; polymerase chain reaction; Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; Prevalence; rat; Rats; Rattus norvegicus; Sequence Alignment; Sheep; Studies; tissue distribution; Tissues; Toxoplasma - isolation & purification; Toxoplasma gondii; toxoplasmosis; Toxoplasmosis, Animal - complications; Toxoplasmosis, Animal - epidemiology; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; mouse; Toxoplasma gondii; co-infection; rat; naturally acquired infection; Neospora caninum; PCR; sheep; Protozoa; Apicomplexa; Prevalence; Rat; Rodentia; Parasite; Infection; Polymerase chain reaction; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Ovis aries; Mouse; Sheep; Artiodactyla; Ungulata
• ISSN: 0031-1820; 1469-8161
• DOI: 10.1017/S0031182005008784

Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii are closely related intracellular protozoan parasites associated with bovine and ovine abortion respectively. Little is known about the extent of Neospora/Toxoplasma co-infection in naturally infected populations of animals. Using nested PCR techniques, based on primers from the Nc5 region of N. caninum and SAG1 for T. gondii, the prevalence of N. caninum and its co-infection with T. gondii were investigated in populations of Mus domesticus, Rattus norvegicus and aborted lambs (Ovis aries). A low frequency of infection with N. caninum was detected in the Mus domesticus (3%) and Rattus norvegicus (4·4%) populations. A relatively high frequency of infection with N. caninum was detected in the brains of aborted lambs (18·9%). There was no significant relationship between N. caninum and T. gondii co-infection. Investigation of the tissue distribution of Neospora, in aborted lambs, showed that Neospora could not be detected in tissues other than brain and this was in contrast to Toxoplasma where the parasite could be frequently detected in a range of tissues.