Seroprevalence and Clinical Outcomes of Neospora caninum Toxoplasma gondii and Besnoitia besnoiti Infections in Water Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

摘要

Over the recent years, increasing demand for buffalo products and consequently expanding its productivity has generated concerns regarding diseases that reduce fertility or cause abortion but the attention has been focused mostly on infectious diseases. Thus, exploration on the capacity of parasitic pathogens in relation to reproductive losses in this species are needed. This was the first study investigating, simultaneously, the role and changes induced by , and in water buffaloes in southern Italy. The outcome of this study revealed a high exposure of water buffaloes to both and whereas all the animals resulted negative to . The mono-infection with seems mainly associated with abortion and presence of retained foetal membranes, while mono-infection with has been associated with an increase of days open. In case of co-infections with both pathogens, the effects on the animals are related to abortion and embryonic death. The outcome of this study may be considered the starting point to promote the awareness about parasitic infections in buffalo medicine.