title: The importance of vertical transmission of Neospora sp. in naturally infected horses.
abstract: Neospora spp. is a intracellular protozoan phylogenetically closely related to Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona, and it can infect horses leading to the development of reproductive or neurological diseases. We determined the presence of antibodies to Neospora sp. in mares at their parturition time and determine the frequency of vertical transmission in healthy foals to verify the importance of transplacental transmission. The samples were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence antibody test, showing that seroprevalence in mares is higher than in foals and seropositive mares are likely to transmit the neosporosis to their offspring. This shows that endogenous challenge occurs in horses, and it suggests that this protozoan can be disseminated by means of transplacental transmission in horse species.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva (DMVP), Centro de Ciências Rurais (CCR), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. ana_antonello@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ana Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Antonello
authors.forename: Felipe Lamberti
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Pivoto
authors.forename: Giovana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Camillo
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Braunig
authors.forename: Luis Antonio
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sangioni
authors.forename: Endrigo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pompermayer
authors.forename: Fernanda Silveira Flores
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Vogel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D006736:Horses; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000662:veterinary*; D018688:Neospora / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan