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

Background: Neosporosis 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. Methods: A 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. Results: Based 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 0.0001, odds ratio [OR] = 24.71). Finally, the infection had no significant connection (P 0.05) with breeding, food regime, housing, and direct contact with infected animals. Conclusions: In 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.