Seroprevalence of Neospora spp. in Horses in North East of Iran

Neospora caninum, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, is recognized as a major cause of abortion in cattle, while limited information is presently available on the seropreva­lence of Neospora antibodies in horse's worldwide. The aim of the present study was to de­termine serologic prevalence of Neospora infection in horses in Iran. Sera from 150 horses from Mashhad suburb in Razavi Khorasan Province, northeast Iran were examined for antibodies to Neospora spp. using Neospora modified direct agglutina­tion test (N-MAT). Antibodies to this parasite were detected in 45 (30%) of the examined serum samples. Thirty four percent of the samples had titer of 1:40 while then reduced to 30% when 1:80 serum dilution was applied as significant cut off titer. This study is the first investigation carried out on the Neospora in horses in Iran and indi­cates that horses in Iran are exposed to this parasite.