title: Use of purified tachyzoite surface antigen p38 in an ELISA to diagnose bovine neosporosis.
abstract: Affinity-purified 38 kDa surface antigen of Neospora caninum tachyzoites was used to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to diagnose N. caninum-associated abortion in cattle. The specificity of this antigen was demonstrated by using sera from cattle experimentally infected with other apicomplexan parasites. In a panel of field sera, serological differences could be demonstrated between herds with epidemic and endemic abortions. Optimal ELISA cut-offs were determined for the detection of association between seropositivity and abortion in herds with N. caninum-associated abortions. These optimal cut-offs differed markedly when only sera from either endemic or epidemic cases were used for cut-off determination. It may thus be appropriate to apply different cut-offs in serological tests depending on the abortion pattern to be analysed.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Epidemiological Diagnostics, Federal Research Centre for Virus Diseases of Animals, Seestrasse 55, D-16868, Wusterhausen, Germany. g.schares@wus.bfav.de
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schares
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rauser
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Söndgen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rehberg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bärwald
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dubey
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Edelhofer
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Conraths
mesh_terms: D000034:Abortion, Veterinary / Q000469:parasitology; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / Q000379:methods; D015151:Immunoblotting / Q000379:methods; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D018688:Neospora / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010444:Peptide Elongation Factor Tu; D011247:Pregnancy; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; C091648:TUFM protein, human; D010444:Peptide Elongation Factor Tu