Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated to Neospora caninum (Apicomplexa: Toxoplasmatidae) in Pet Dogs From Hamadan, West of Iran, 2016

BackgroundNeosporosis is considered as a ubiquitous disease in Iran and other countries. This research was expected to determine the prevalence and related risk factors of Neospora caninum in household dogs in Hamadan Municipality, Iran.MethodsA total of 184 whole blood was evaluated for the presence of antibodies to N. caninum by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All seropositive animals were affirmed by molecular techniques.ResultsBased on serology and molecular methods, N. caninum infection was detected in 4.9% (95% CI = 4.9 ± 3.1%) of animals. In addition, the highest infection rate was significantly recognized in female dogs (57.1%) with under 6 months old (54.4%). Additionally, the clinical signs of neosporosis were observed in 2 out of 4 positive dogs (P 0.05) with breeding, food regime, housing, and direct contact with infected animals.ConclusionsIn general, the serological and molecular outcomes were parallel together. It was concluded that this is a universal assessment of risk factors related to N. caninum in Iranian house dogs for the first time.