Anti-Sarcocystis Antibodies in Lambs Deprived of Colostrum

• Published in: Acta parasitologica 2020-03, Vol.65 (1), p.256-258
• Main Authors: Minuzzi, Camila Encarnação, de Souza Rodrigues, Fernando, Marques, Camila Balconi, Gallina, Tiago, dos Santos, Thiago Cardoso, Portella, Luiza Pires, Bräunig, Patricia, Döhler, Alisson Rodrigues, Sangioni, Luis Antonio, Vogel, Fernanda Silveira Flores
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Factors; Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Protozoan - blood; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Colostrum; Ecology; Farms; Female; Fluorescence; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; Fluorescent antibody test; Immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulins; Indirect fluorescent antibody test; Infections; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical - veterinary; Ingestion; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Neospora - immunology; Parasitology; Sarcocystis; Sarcocystis - immunology; Sarcocystosis - blood; Sarcocystosis - immunology; Sarcocystosis - veterinary; Sheep; Sheep Diseases - blood; Sheep Diseases - immunology; Sheep Diseases - parasitology; Short Communication; Titration; Toxoplasma - immunology
• ISSN: 1230-2821; 1896-1851
• DOI: 10.2478/s11686-019-00114-z

Introduction The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of anti- Sarcocystis spp. specific IgG antibodies in serum samples from precolostral lambs to determine the occurrence of transplacental transmission of Sarcocystis spp. in sheep. Methods Blood samples were collected from 80 ewes and their respective lambs, immediately after lambing and before colostrum ingestion, respectively. The presence of anti- Sarcocystis spp. IgG was evaluated in serum samples using the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Positive samples of the lambs were submitted to titration and IFAT to detect anti- T. gondii and anti- N. caninum specific IgG. Results Anti- Sarcocystis spp. IgG was detected in 62.5% of the ewes (50/80) and in 4% of the lambs of the seropositive ewes (2/50). None of the lambs from seronegative ewes were positive. The final titers of the positive lambs were 80. No cross reaction was detected among the positive samples to anti- Sarcocystis spp., anti- N. caninum , and anti- T. gondii IgG. The detection of anti- Sarcocystis spp. antibodies in serum samples of lambs deprived of colostrum suggests transplacental transmission of infection. Thus, the vertical transmission may be an alternative route of infection of Sarcocystis spp. also in sheep. Further studies are warranted to confirm transplacental transmission in sheep and to explain the importance of this infection pathway.