Serological survey of Neospora caninum in female Markhoz goats of Saqqez district , Kurdistan

Neospora caninum is a livestock protozoan parasite that causes reproductive damages in sheep and goats. Neospora caninum infection is a long-term complication and the host will be lifelong infected, and abortions caused by Neospora caninum may occur after any pregnancy after infection. The present study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in female Markhoz goats of Saqqez County. To this end, we tested 180 serum samples by ELISA. Among them, 4 serum samples (2.2%) were positive. One (1.44%) out of 69 Markhoz goats under 1 years old and 3 (2.7%) out of 111 Markhoz goats over 1 years old were positive in terms of infection with Neospora caninum. The statistical examination indicated no significant relationship between the rate of infection and age groups (p>0.05). The statistical analyses also indicated a significant relationship between the rate of infection in sheep and history of abortion (p<0.05). The research results found the low environmental exposure of native goats to Neospora caninum. Despite the low prevalence of Neospora caninum in the present study, great attention should be paid to control strategies to avoid the risk of infection. Furthermore, more studies should be conducted to better evaluate its prevalence in these animals.