The Determination Of Prevalence Of Neospora caninum In Cow's milk In Yazd Province By Nested-PCR Assay

Neosporosis is the main cause of abortion in cattle in Iran and other parts of the world, which is caused by a parasitic protozoan Neospora caninum . The economic effects of Neosporosis are reduced milk and meat production in cattle. Transmission of N.caninum is possible through vertical and horizontal routes. Some studies have been conducted on the importance of vertical transmission during infancy, through colostrum and milk. Most studies in Iran to investigate the incidence of N.caninum in cattle are based on the search for anti-parasitic antibodies in the blood serum and limited studies have been performed on milk. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of N.caninum genome in raw cow milk using PCR method to evaluate the vertical transmission of this parasite. In this study, 300 samples of raw cow's milk were collected from traditional farms in Yazd province. The results of this study showed that 54 cases (18%) of 300 samples of cow milk were infected with N.caninum genome. The findings of the present study indicate a high presence of N.caninum infection and showed that infected cow's milk plays an important role in the transmission of Neosporosis in newborn calves. Based on these findings, control and eradication programs, including vaccination, are necessary to prevent and reduce the economic losses of this protozoan infection in cattle.