The present study showed that incorporation of CpG adjuvant into plasmid DNA coding for NcGRA7 antigen resulted in a twofold increase in the level of protection against congenital transfer of Neospora caninum. The level of protection was considerably higher than that observed in pups born from dams immunized with nonrecombinant plasmid.

Retrospective testing of 3,232 serum samples from the general population and 518 serum samples from a high-risk group showed no evidence of human exposure to Neospora caninum in England. Results were obtained by using immunofluorescence antibody testing and ELISA to analyze frequency distribution.

Markus Meissner is a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology at the University of Glasgow. His research focuses on the mechanisms involved in the invasion of the host cell by apicomplexan parasites. Using Toxoplasma gondii as a model system his group investigates the biogenesis, maintenance and regulation of these organelles. The research goals inclu...

Neospora caninum is an important veterinary pathogen that causes abortion in cattle and neuromuscular disease in dogs. Neospora has also generated substantial interest because it is an extremely close relative of the human pathogen Toxoplasma gondii, yet does not appear to infect humans. While for Toxoplasma there are a wide array of molecular tools and reagents available for experimental inves...

This study aimed to evaluate the presence of antibodies against Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii and Leishmania infantum in dogs attended at the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Piauí, Northeastern Brazil, where there are no reports of the occurrence of N. caninum and T. gondii in dogs. Serum samples from 530 dogs of genders, different ages and breeds from the municipality of...

Neospora caninum is an obligate intracellular parasite and is recognised as the leading cause of bovine abortion worldwide. Natural infection with N. caninum has been described in sheep but it has generally not been regarded as a significant cause of abortion. Recently, there have been several New Zealand cases of foetal abortions where N. caninum was detected which strongly suggested the invol...

Neosporosis was diagnosed in a 16-year-old female white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) that died suddenly without clinical signs. Histopathology revealed disseminated protozoan tachyzoites in liver, adrenal cortex, kidney, and intestine, with morphology compatible with either Toxoplasma or Neospora. The organism was identified as Neospora caninum with the use of primary rabbit anti-N. caninum...

The purpose of the present work was to identify Neospora caninum infections in beef bulls belonging to 19 herds from six counties located in the Corrientes province, Argentina. The presence of antibodies to N. caninum was evaluated in 305 serum samples of bulls (Bos taurus and Bos indicus). Age and breed were recorded. An indirect fluorescent antibody test was used to determine specific antibod...