Prevalence of antibodies to Neospora caninum in milk samples from dairy farms in the Shahriyar

Neospora caninum is an obligate intracellular parasite in the Apicomplexa phylum. The parasite causes abortion in cattle and Neuromascular paralysis in dog. Given the economic losses incurred by abortion caused by Neospora caninum and reduced milk production, in this study the frequncy of Neospora was evaluated by ELISA in the Shahriyar area. 150 samples of raw milk of 5 dairy cattle herds collected and tested for the detection of antibodies against Neospora caninum by ELISA. 22% of the samples were positive for the presence of antibodies against Neospora. The highest prevalence was observed in cows older than 4 years of age (P-value =0.039). The indirect ELISA used in milk seems to be a useful for epidemiological surveys, and to increase the level of control strategy of Nespora caninum in dairy cattle farms.