seroprevalence of neospora caninum infection in camels (camelus dromedarius) in isfahan province, center of iran

background: the aim of this study was to investigate the sero-prevalence of neospora caninum infec­tion in camelus dromedarius ; the most popular camel species in iran. methods:   totally, 310 serum samples were collected from camels in isfahan province during 2008 and tested in shahrekord university using indirect fluorescent antibody test (ifat) for se­rodiagnosis of anti- n. caninum igg antibodies as a cross-sectional study. results: among evaluated serum samples, 10 (3.22%) had anti- n. caninum antibodies detectable in dilutions of 1:50 and 1:100. to rule out false positive results due to cross-reactivity of this pro­tozoan parasite with the closely related protozoan parasite toxoplasma gondii, an ifa was also performed for t. gondii infection in dilution of 1:16 for positively reacted serum samples against n. caninum . no con­cordant infections of these two protozoan parasites were detected. conclusion: presence of anti- n. caninum antibodies in camels in iran emphasizes the necessity of fur­ther studies to detect the role of this organism as a pathogen and possibly economic impor­tance in ca­mels population.