FASTest® NEOSPORA caninum

Neospora caninum plays an important epidemiological role in dogs and cattle. The dog (esp. watch dogs, stray dogs) is a definitive host (intestinal neosporosis) and excretes infectious oocysts with the feces. The intermediate host, especially cattle, but also goats, sheep and horse, gets infected via grazing land and/or water contaminated with oocysts (horizontal direct/exogeneous infection) and/or intrauterine via already infected mothers (vertical indirect/endogeneous infection). For humans, there is no zoonotic risk at all.

N. caninum plays an important role in abortion in cattle world-wide. Characteristics are accumulating abortions in all states of gestation, dead births and weak calves.

The dog can act as an intermediate host (endogeneous-diaplacental transmission onto the fetus) as well and therefore can fall sick with neosporosis (systemic neosporosis). In dogs, the symptoms are especially focused on neurological disorders: paresis / paralysis of the hind-limbs, later also of the fore-limbs, as well as polymyelitis, radiculitis and encephalomyelitis. Also, muscular atrophy, hyperextension, hyperaesthesia and dysphagia can occur. Additionally, hepatitis, pneumonitis, myocarditis and ulcerative dermatitis can appear. In older dogs Neospora infection usually is asymptomatic! Puppies become clinically conspicuous at the age from 3 to 9 weeks up to one year. Early diagnostics and therefore specific therapy are essential for the prognosis. Due to recent studies, there seems to be a predisposition of male dogs to N. caninum.

Due to the short excretion period and the low amount of oocysts in dog feces, the detection of antibodies using FASTest® NEOSPORA caninum becomes very important for the diagnosis of a Neosporosis.

Due to horizontal, but particularly to the economical considerably important vertical placental transmission of infection onto the offspring, suspicious cattle stocks should be tested for antibodies against N. caninum using FASTest® NEOSPORA caninum. In case of a “Neosporosis problem”, it can lead to an effective long-term reduction of abortion risks and herewith to a reduction of economical damage.

• Test Principle :  Lateral flow
• Packaging :  10
• Pathogenic :  Neospora caninum