Comparison of Neospora caninum Infected Tissues in Aborted Fetal Bovine by PCR

Neospora caninum is a protozoan intracellular parasite which is considered as one of the main factors for recurrent abortions of dairy cattle in various countries such as Iran. This parasite leads to negative economic impacts such as decline in reproduction, reduced amount of milk, and long calving intervals. There have been numerous tests to determine the cause of abortion. PCR test is considered as a suitable method to specify Neospora caninum DNA and it can determine the DNA in tissue samples and body fluids of the aborted fetus. This study aims to use PCR to evaluate parasites in the tissues of aborted fetuses so as to detect the best tissue for determining the parasite. In this study, 82 aborted fetuses in the first six months of 2015 were studied. The tissues were selected from brain, liver, lungs, spleen, kidneys and rennet fluids. The NP21plus primer was used to detect the presence of Neospora caninum in samples. After conducting the PCR Test, samples with 340bp band in Gel electrophoresis were considered as positive. Statistical data from the survey of Neospora caninum’s presence in selected tissues were evaluated by SAS (version 9.2) software. Contamination with this parasite was found in 34 brain samples (41.5%) of aborted fetuses. In 2 (2.4%) and 4 (4.9%) of the aborted fetuses, parasite DNA was found in lung and liver tissues along with brain tissues, respectively. Due to significant difference of infection of brain tissues in comparison to other tissues, our study considers brain tissue as the most appropriate sample for detecting Neospora caninum infection in aborted fetuses in PCR method