Prevalence of anti- Neospora caninum antibodies in cattle and dogs from Western Amazon, Brazil, in association with some possible risk factors

For evaluation of the prevalence of anti- Neospora caninum antibodies and its associated risk factors, serum samples from 2109 cattle (11 beef, 50 dairy and 25 mixed farms) and 174 dogs were examined in the State of Rondônia, Western Amazon, Brazil. An inquiry was applied in each farm. Sera were examined by the Indirect Fluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT) using cut off dilution of 1:25 for cattle and 1:50 for dogs. Statistical association between the serologic status and several variables were analyzed by linear and logistic regression. The overall herd prevalence of anti- N. caninum antibodies for 86 farms was 72% (61.3–81.2%). Prevalence values were 100, 70 and 64% in beef, dairy and mixed herds, respectively. Herd prevalence in beef herds was significantly different ( P < 0.05) from dairy and mixed herds. The overall animal prevalence of N. caninum in cattle was 8.8%. Prevalence values by animal were similar in different production types ( P > 0.05), with values of 9.5, 11.2 and 9.7% for beef, dairy or mixed cattle, respectively. Antibodies were found in 12.6% of the 174 examined dogs. Sixteen (22.8%) out of 70 farms with dogs had at least one dog with anti- N. caninum antibodies. The occurrence of antibodies in cattle was statistically associated with farms having more than 25 cows (OR 9.7, 95% IC 2.9–32.2; P = 0.0002). There was no significant association between the presence of the dogs, jungle contact or reproductive variables with the occurrence of antibodies in cattle.