Epidemiology of Bovine Neosporosis in Relation to Socioeconomic, Demographic, and Transmissibility Factors in Dual-Purpose Production Systems in Colombia
Introduction: Bovine neosporosis represents a significant threat to reproduction and production in livestock systems worldwide. This disease is caused by the protozoan Neospora caninum, resulting in abortions of cows and neurological signs in newborn calves. This leads to significant economic los...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute - MDPI
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3986/5/4/56 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12324/41272 https://doi.org/10.3390/epidemiologia5040056 |
| Sumario: | Introduction: Bovine neosporosis represents a significant threat to reproduction and
production in livestock systems worldwide. This disease is caused by the protozoan Neospora caninum,
resulting in abortions of cows and neurological signs in newborn calves. This leads to significant
economic losses, decreasing meat and milk production, especially in tropical regions. The infection
has an endogenous and exogenous cycle of transmission involving dogs that shed the oocysts, with
the highest transmission successes in humid areas. Similarly, there is a lack of knowledge about
the epidemiological risk factors and management practices involved in the transmission success
in tropical humid regions. Methods: In this sense, a cross-sectional epidemiological survey was
conducted on 150 farms from 24 municipalities of the Huila area. A total of 360 cattle were sampled,
and information about the production system was collected using a structured poll with 128 questions.
Results: In these cattle, 53% (191/360) were positive for antibodies against Neospora caninum using
ELISA. The logistic regression analysis using the information collected from the poll identified the
presence of flooring type, water access, production systems, and feed management as risk factors.
Among the protective factors were identified the geographical area, molasses supplementation,
and biosecurity practices such as animal separation and access control. Discussion: This study
identified for the first time the epidemiological risk factors associated mainly with the exogenous
cycle of neosporosis. The present study contributes to the design of intervention strategies oriented
to minimize the impact of parasitism in Colombian herds. |
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