Canine neosporosis: clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment and isolation of Neospora caninum in mice and cell culture

• Published in: International journal for parasitology 1998-08, Vol.28 (8), p.1293-1304
• Main Authors: Dubey, J.P, Dorough, K.R, Jenkins, M.C, Liddell, S, Speer, C.A, Kwok, O.C.H, Shen, S.K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Factors; Animal protozoal diseases; Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - parasitology; Cell culture; Cell Line; Clindamycin; Clinical signs; Coccidiosis - diagnosis; Coccidiosis - drug therapy; Coccidiosis - veterinary; DNA, Protozoan - analysis; Dog Diseases - diagnosis; Dog Diseases - drug therapy; Dog Diseases - parasitology; Dogs; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Immunoblotting; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulin M - blood; Infectious diseases; Isolation; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microscopy, Electron; Neospora - isolation & purification; Neospora caninum; Neosporosis; Paralysis - parasitology; Paralysis - veterinary; Parasitic diseases; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Protozoal diseases; Rabbits; Spinal Cord - parasitology; Treatment
• ISSN: 0020-7519; 1879-0135
• DOI: 10.1016/S0020-7519(98)00099-X

Clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment and isolation of Neospora caninum from two littermate dogs are described. Three of six pups from a Labrador bitch developed paralysis. Neosporosis was diagnosed ante mortem by serological examination in two of the affected pups. At necropsy, tissue cysts were seen in unstained smears and in histologic sections of their brains. Tissue cysts were often thin-walled (∼1 μm) but antigenically and ultrastructurally identified as N. caninum. Furthermore, N. caninum (isolates NC-4, NC-5) was isolated in mice and in cell cultures inoculated with neural tissues of these two dogs. Serological diagnosis of neosporosis using a variety of tests is discussed.