title: A study of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii antibody seroprevalence in healthy cattle in the Czech Republic.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of study was to test the sera of healthy dairy cows by ELISAs, the methods also used in other groups of animals in the Czech Republic, and thus to obtain actual data about N. caninum and T. gondii seroprevalence in cattle.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the Czech Republic, sera from 546 clinically healthy dairy cows (Bos primigenius f. taurus) aged > 2 years from 49 farms in 7 districts were collected. Sera were tested for Neospora caninum antibodies by a commercial competitive-inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; samples with more than 30% inhibition were considered as positive. The same samples were also analysed for Toxoplasma-specific IgG antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; samples with more than 50% S/P were considered as positive.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Antibodies against N. caninum were found only in 3 cows (0.5%) with inhibitions of 47, 78 and 85. Antibodies against T. gondii were found in 53 cows (9.7%) with S/P ranging from 51% to over 211%; positive animals were found in 4 of 7 districts, with prevalences ranging from 8% - 14%. Indication of mixed infections (concurrent presence of both N. caninum and T. gondii antibodies) was not proved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the study indicate that dairy cows in the Czech Republic have a relatively low seroprevalence for both N. caninum and T. gondii. Therefore, natural infection with N. caninum and T. gondii seems not to be very common in Czech cattle. These results show actual data about N. caninum and T. gondii infection in healthy dairy cattle from the Czech Republic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bártová
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology and Serology, State Veterinary Institute, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Kamil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sedlak
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Budíková
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D018153:Czech Republic / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D018688:Neospora / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015995:Prevalence; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan