Prevalence of Neospora hughesi and Sarcocystis neurona antibodies in horses from various geographical locations.

The researchers conducted a study to determine the occurrence of antibodies against the parasites Neospora hughesi and Sarcocystis neurona in horses from different geographic locations.

Methodology

• The researchers implemented two detection methods, the immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and immunoblot analysis, to identify specific antibody responses to Neospora antigens in various equine populations.
• As a standard for comparison, they included a naturally infected Neospora hughesi horse and an experimentally inoculated Neospora caninum horse in their study.
• Apart from Neospora, all samples were also tested for the presence of antibodies to Sarcocystis neurona using immunoblot analysis.
• A total of 208 samples from horses residing in five distinct geographic regions were studied. These locations were chosen due to their population of Didelphis virginiana, the North American opossum that serves as the definitive host for S. neurona.

Results

• Only a small fraction (11%) of the samples that yielded positive results using the IFAT method also tested positive for antibodies via immunoblot analysis.
• The overall prevalence of Neospora antibodies in all tested horses, as determined through immunoblot analysis, was relatively low at 2%.
• However, the prevalence of S. neurona antibodies showed significant geographical variation, ranging from 0% (in New Zealand and Montana) to 54% (in Missouri).

Conclusions

• Ultimately, the study found that positive results from either the IFAT or immunoblot analysis for Neospora antibodies should not be automatically linked to the presence of antibodies against S. neurona.
• This conclusion is important as it suggests that different protocols or methods may need to be implemented when testing for these two types of antibodies, to prevent inaccurate diagnoses.