Dynamics of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies during gestation in chronically infected dairy cows
Issue date
2007Author
Santolaria Blasco, Pilar
Bech Sàbat, Gregori
Pabón, M.
Mezo, M.
Gonzalez-Warleta, M.
Castro Hermida, J. A.
Yániz Pérez de Albéniz, Jesús
Almería, S.
Suggested citation
Nogareda, Carmina;
López Gatius, Fernando;
Santolaria Blasco, Pilar;
García Ispierto, Irina;
Bech Sàbat, Gregori;
Pabón, M.;
...
Almería, S..
(2007)
.
Dynamics of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies during gestation in chronically infected dairy cows.
Veterinary Parasitology, 2007, vol. 148, núm. 3-4, p. 193-199.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2007.06.032.
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Show full item recordAbstract
The dynamics of antibody production against Neospora caninum during the gestation period was examined in chronically
infected dairy cows. Data were obtained from 86 pregnant parous dairy cows, 21 of which had suffered abortion. The cows belonged
to two herds in which a diagnosis of N. caninum infection had been previously confirmed in aborted foetuses. Pregnancy diagnosis
and blood collection were performed on post-insemination Days 40, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, and at parturition or until the time of
abortion detection. Blood plasma was tested for antibodies against N. caninum using ELISA. The non-aborting cows were divided
into two groups according to whether their antibody values in the second half of gestation had increased or not, while aborting cows
were classified as those showing an antibody peak before abortion or those not showing a pre-abortion peak. Differences in antibody
values throughout pregnancy in each group of non-aborting and aborting cows were analysed by GLM repeated measures of
analysis of variance. While 32 non-aborting cows (49%) showed a significant and consistent increase in anti-Neospora antibody
values during the second half of gestation, antibody values in the remaining 33 non-aborting cows were practically constant
throughout gestation. An antibody peak around abortion was observed in 11 aborting cows (52%), while antibody values in the
remaining 10 aborting cows were similar before and at abortion. Seroprevalence fluctuations, defined as seronegative blood samples
at some point during the gestation period, were, furthermore, observed in 2 aborting and 11 non-aborting cows. Our results indicate
two clearly distinguishable types of humoral immune dynamics throughout gestation: an increased or flat production of antibodies
during the second half of gestation in non-aborting animals and before abortion in aborting cows. The observation that some
Neospora-infected dams can exhibit negative antibody values at any time during gestation, particularly at parturition or abortion,
prompts future studies designed to explore the use of new ELISA strategies at the farm level.