The prevalence of Neospora caninum antibodies in bulk milk of dairy herds in the Czech Republic: a case report

Abstract

Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite causing bovine abortion all over the world. The aim of this study was to investigate how common N. caninum infection is among dairy herds in the Czech Republic. Bulk milk samples were collected from 495 dairy herds and analysed for the presence of specific antibodies by a commercial N. caninum iscom ELISA. Five out of 495 dairy herds (1.01%) had percentage positive values ≥20 and were considered positive. In the positive herds, blood samples were collected from cows and pregnant heifers and analysed by the ELISA test. The within-herd seroprevalence ranged from 2.5 to 50%. The bulk milk ELISA could be a useful and inexpensive method for rapid screening of Neospora caninum infection in dairy herds in large areas.

Keywords

• cattle
• iscom elisa
• bulk milk elisa