Neosporosis: a neglected abortifacient disease in Egypt, seroprevalence and farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices

ΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗNeosporosis has emerged as a serious disease of cattle and dogs worldwide, causing abortions, neonatal mortalities and massive economic losses in dairy herds. The current study aimed to investigate the burden of Neospora (N.) caninum infection among cows that aborted and to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of farmers toward neosporosis in Kafrelsheikh governorate, Egypt. A total of 92 cows that aborted and 25 heifers born from cows that aborted and seropositive for N. caninum infection from 15 dairy herds in different districts of Kafrelsheikh governorate were examined serologically against N. caninum infection using ELISA. A structured questionnaire was built and distributed to 41 farmers in the study area. The overall seroprevalence of N. caninum infection among the examined cows that aborted was 38.04% (35/92). On the other hand, the prevalence of N. caninum infection among the 25 examined heifers born from seropositive cows that aborted was 28% (7/25). The KAPs analysis showed that farmers lack the required information on N. caninum infection and its consequences on dairy farms. The farmers performed risky practices which are responsible for disease entrance and spread on the farm; buy and keeping animals after abortion as well as their heifers. In addition, risk management practices were widespread in dairy farms such as: free movement of dogs, especially stray ones, in 100% of the farms, dogs were able to access and defecate in cattle feed and drinking water sources and had the chance to eat placentas and abortion materials. The current study points out neosporosis as a neglected cause of abortion among cattle in Kafrelsheikh governorate, as well as there is a lack of knowledge and risky practices by the local farmers. These findings may be extrapolated to nearby areas and countries of the same cattle husbandry practices, and veterinary services in such countries should consider neosporosis in their surveillance and control programs

Management of a caseous lymphadenitis outbreak in a new Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) stock reservoir

Background: In 2010, an Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica hispanica) stock reservoir was established for conservation purposes in north-eastern Spain. Eighteen ibexes were captured in the wild and housed in a 17 hectare enclosure. Once in captivity, a caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) outbreak occurred and ibex handlings were carried out at six-month intervals between 2010 and 2013 to perform health examinations and sampling. Treatment with a bacterin-based autovaccine and penicillin G benzatine was added during the third and subsequent handlings, when infection by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis was confirmed. Changes in lesion score, serum anti-C. pseudotuberculosis antibodies and haematological parameters were analyzed to assess captivity effects, disease emergence and treatment efficacy. Serum acute phase proteins (APP) Haptoglobin (Hp), Amyloid A (SAA) and Acid Soluble Glycoprotein (ASG) concentrations were also determined to evaluate their usefulness as indicators of clinical status.Once in captivity, 12 out of 14 ibexes (85.7%) seroconverted, preceding the emergence of clinical signs; moreover, TP, WBC, eosinophil and platelet cell counts increased while monocyte and basophil cell counts decreased. After treatment, casualties and fistulas disappeared and both packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin concentration significantly increased. Hp, SAA and ASG values were under the limit of detection or showed no significant differences. Conclusions: A role for captivity in contagion rate is suggested by the increase in antibody levels against C. pseudotuberculosis and the emergence of clinical signs. Although boosted by captivity, this is the first report of an outbreak of caseous lymphadenitis displaying high morbidity and mortality in wild ungulates. Treatment consisting of both vaccination and antibiotic therapy seemed to prevent mortality and alleviate disease severity, but was not reflected in the humoural response. Haematology and APP were not useful indicators in our study, perhaps due to the sampling frequency. Presumably endemic and irrelevant in the wild, this common disease of domestic small ruminants is complicating conservation efforts for the Iberian ibex in north-eastern Spain

Neosporosis: a neglected abortifacient disease in Egypt, seroprevalence and farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices

Neosporosis has emerged as a serious disease of cattle and dogs worldwide, causing abortions, neonatal mortalities and massive economic losses in dairy herds. The current study aimed to investigate the burden of Neospora (N.) caninum infection among cows that aborted and to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of farmers toward neosporosis in Kafrelsheikh governorate, Egypt. A total of 92 cows that aborted and 25 heifers born from cows that aborted and seropositive for N. caninum infection from 15 dairy herds in different districts of Kafrelsheikh governorate were examined serologically against N. caninum infection using ELISA. A structured questionnaire was built and distributed to 41 farmers in the study area. The overall seroprevalence of N. caninum infection among the examined cows that aborted was 38.04% (35/92). On the other hand, the prevalence of N. caninum infection among the 25 examined heifers born from seropositive cows that aborted was 28% (7/25). The KAPs analysis showed that farmers lack the required information on N. caninum infection and its consequences on dairy farms. The farmers performed risky practices which are responsible for disease entrance and spread on the farm; buy and keeping animals after abortion as well as their heifers. In addition, risk management practices were widespread in dairy farms such as: free movement of dogs, especially stray ones, in 100% of the farms, dogs were able to access and defecate in cattle feed and drinking water sources and had the chance to eat placentas and abortion materials. The current study points out neosporosis as a neglected cause of abortion among cattle in Kafrelsheikh governorate, as well as there is a lack of knowledge and risky practices by the local farmers. These findings may be extrapolated to nearby areas and countries of the same cattle husbandry practices, and veterinary services in such countries should consider neosporosis in their surveillance and control programs.</jats:p