Prevalence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies in Bulk Milk of Dairy Cattle,Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Neospora caninum (N. caninum) and Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) are both obligate intracellular protozoan parasites, which have gained considerable attention because of their role in bovine abortion. This study aimed to detect anti-N. caninum and -T. gondii in bulk milk of dairy cattle, Mashhad, Iran. The bulk milk sampleswere collected from July 2014 to June 2015 and analyzed for anti-N. caninum and -T.gondii antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Out of 123 bulk milk samples, 44 (35%), 14 (11.38%), and 3 (2.4%) samples had N. caninum, T. gondii, and mixed infection with these two parasites, respectively.According to the results, the prevalence of <br><br>N. caninum infection was more than T.gondii infection in dairy cattle of Mashhad, Iran.