RESUMO
Neospora caninum naturally infects many mammal species, but has not previously been demonstrated in birds. We examined sera for N. caninum antibodies from 200 outdoor chickens and from 200 chickens confined indoors in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Seroprevalence was greater in outdoor chickens (23.5% versus 1.5%, P<0.001). PCR testing for N. caninum was positive in six of 10 seropositive chickens. Amplicons from two of these were sequenced and had 97-98% nucleotide identity with N. caninum. This finding extends the list of intermediate hosts of N. caninum to include birds and may have important epidemiological consequences.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/sangue , Galinhas/parasitologia , Coccidiose/transmissão , Neospora/fisiologia , Criação de Animais Domésticos/métodos , Animais , Sequência de Bases , Doenças das Aves/parasitologia , Aves/parasitologia , Brasil , Galinhas/imunologia , DNA de Protozoário/análise , Reservatórios de Doenças/parasitologia , Técnica Indireta de Fluorescência para Anticorpo , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Neospora/genética , Neospora/imunologia , Estudos Soroepidemiológicos , Toxoplasma/imunologia , Toxoplasma/fisiologiaRESUMO
Neospora caninum was isolated from the brain of an adult dog in Brazil. Cerebral tissue from the dog was inoculated into Mongolian gerbils. Gerbils were euthanized 3-4 months later and bradyzoite-containing tissue cysts were observed in their brains. N. caninum (designated NC-Bahia) was isolated in cell culture after inoculation with tissue cysts from the gerbils. The identity of the parasite was confirmed by immunohistochemical examination and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Gerbils may be a useful alternative to immunosuppressed mice for isolation of N. caninum and for production of encysted bradyzoites.