Neosporosis in Cattle: Preliminary Study in West Lore, Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi

Abstract

Neospora caninum is recognized as a major cause of serious abortion in varieties of wild and domestic animals around the world especially in cattle. This disease causes severe economic losses among dairy and beef cattle due to the loss of foetus as well as a decrease in milk and meat production, which is believed as an opportunistic zoonotic agent. A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Neospora caninum antibodies in cattle from five villages in West Lore Subdistrict of Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Serum samples were collected from 44 local beef cattle tested for detection of immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies against N. caninum using an indirect multi-species enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) commercial test. Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in local beef cattle in West Lore, Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi is 11.36%. Gender and ages have not affected the prevalence of this parasite. This study gives information about the first serological evidence for the presence of natural N. caninum infection in local beef cattle from West Lore. It is recommended to do further investigations and to design suitable controlling strategies.

Neospora caninum dikenal sebagai penyebab utama aborsi pada hewan liar dan domestik di seluruh dunia, terutama pada sapi. Penyakit ini menyebabkan kerugian ekonomi yang parah pada sapi perah dan sapi potong karena sapi kehilangan fetusnya, serta terjadi penurunan produksi susu dan daging. Parasit ini termasuk sebagai agen zoonosis oportunistik. Kajian lintas seksional dilakukan untuk mengetahui prevalensi antibodi Neospora caninum pada sapi dari lima desa di Kecamatan Lore Barat Kabupaten Poso, Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia. Sampel serum dikumpulkan dari 44 sapi potong lokal untuk mendeteksi antibodi imunoglobulin (Ig) G terhadap N. caninum menggunakan indirect multi-species enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Seroprevalensi Neospora caninum pada sapi potong lokal di Lore Barat, Kabupaten Poso, Sulawesi Tengah adalah sebesar 11,36%. Jenis kelamin dan usia tidak mempengaruhi prevalensi parasit ini. Penelitian ini memberikan informasi tentang bukti serologis pertama adanya infeksi N. caninum alami pada sapi potong lokal di Lore Barat. Disarankan untuk melakukan investigasi lebih lanjut prevalensi parasit tersebut pada anjing sebagai sumber infeksi horizontal agar dapat merancang strategi pengendalian yang tepat.