Ocorrência de anticorpos anti-neospora caninum em cães dos municípios de Paulista e Amaraji, estado de Pernambuco, Brasil

Abstract

Neosporosis is a disease caused by the coccidian parasite Neospora caninum that affects a great variety of domestic and wild animals. This disease has been associated with abortion in cattle in many parts of the word and today it is recognized a cause of significant losses to the worldwide livestock industry. Studies have been carried out to access the occurrence of antibodies to N. caninum in dogs from many Brazilian states. To date, however, there is no study reporting the occurrence of antibodies against N. caninum in dogs in the State of Pernambuco. In this context, the objective of this study was to access the occurrence of antibodies to N. caninum in two municipalities of Pernambuco. A total of 455 serum samples of dogs, being 287 from the municipality of Paulista (metropolitan region of Recife) and 168 from the municipality Amaraji(Atlantic Rainforest region), were tested by an immunofluorescence antibody reaction to detect antibodies to N. caninum. Out of the 455 samples tested, 118 (25.9%; IC 95%, 21.9–30.2) were positive. The seroprevalence rates found in Paulista and Amaraji were26.1% (IC 95%: 21.1–31.6) and 25.6% (IC 95%: 19.1 32.8), respectively. In conclusion, dogs from Amaraji and Paulista are exposed to N. caninum infection,constituting a potential risk factor for the occurrence of outbreaks of abortion in cattle and other ruminants in these municipalities.