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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #135983
Title: SEROLOGIC RESPONSES OF CATS AGAINST EXPERIMENTAL SARCOCYSTIS NEURONA INFECTIONS

Author
item Dubey, Jitender
item LINDSAY, D - VIRGINIA TECH
item SAVILLE, W - OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Veterinary Parasitology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/10/2002
Publication Date: 9/10/2002
Citation: Dubey, J.P., Lindsay, D.S., Saville, W.J. 2002. Serologic responses of cats against experimental sarcocystis neurona infections. Veterinary Parasitology 107:265-269.

Interpretive Summary: Sarcocystis neurona is a single celled parasite of animals. It causes a neurologic disease in horses called EPM. Cats are one of the reservoir hosts for S. neurona. Scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and the Ohio State University report for the first time antibody responses of cats to experimental S. neurona infection. These results will help diagnose this disease in cats and would be of interest to biologists, parasitologists, and veterinarians.

Technical Abstract: Sarcocystis neurona is the most important cause of a neurologic disease of horses, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Cats and other carnivores can act as its intermediate hosts and horses are aberrant hosts. Little is known of the sero-epidemiology of S. neurona infections in cats. In the present study, antibodies to S. neurona were evaluated by the Sarcocystis neurona agglutination test (SAT). Cats fed sporocysts from the feces of naturally-infected opossums or inoculated intramuscularly with S. neurona merozoites developed high levels (1:4000) of SAT antibodies. Antibodies to S. neurona were not found in a cat inoculated with merozoites of the closely related parasite, Sarcocystis falcatula. These results should be useful in studying sero-epidemiology of S. neurona infections in cats