Molecular detection of Neospora caninum from naturally infected dogs in Lorestan province, West of Iran

Neospora caninum is a coccidian protozoan that causes abortion in dairy and beef cattle and neurological disorders in dogs and horses. To identify N. caninum oocysts in the dog feces the molecular approaches are known as sensitive methods that specifically detect the oocysts. In present study, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting N. caninum specific Nc5 genomic fragment was performed to identify the N. caninum DNA in the feces of naturally infected dogs of Lorestan province, West Iran. Fecal samples of dogs living in small dairy farms were collected. The samples were homogenized in 2.5% Potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) and stored at 4 °C. Genomic DNA was extracted from the feces using CTAB protocol. PCR assay and DNA sequencing were performed with specific primers. DNA amplification of the Nc5 formed a 340bp fragment for the N. caninum specimens; however, the fragment was 99% identical to the homologous sequences from Neospora caninum isolates. Totally, 9 positive samples of N. caninum were detected by PCR from 428 fecal specimens.