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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #314177
Title: A live vaccine against Neospora caninum abortions in cattle

Author
item REICHEL, MICHAEL - University Of Adelaide
item MOORE, DADIN - Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas(CONICET)
item HEMPHILL, ANDREW - University Of Berne
item ORTEGA-MORA, LUIS - Complutense University Of Madrid (UCM)
item Dubey, Jitender
item ELLIS, JOHN - University Of Technology Sydney

Submitted to: Vaccine
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/26/2015
Publication Date: 2/7/2015
Citation: Reichel, M., Moore, D., Hemphill, A., Ortega-Mora, L., Dubey, J.P., Ellis, J. 2015. A live vaccine against Neospora caninum abortions in cattle. Vaccine. 33(2015):1299–1301.

Interpretive Summary: Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are related single celled parasites that cause considerable economic losses to livestock growers. Both parasites cause abortion in livestock. In addition to morphological similarities, many aspects of transmission and epidemiology are similar. There are no killed vaccines to control these infections, but search continues. Unlike, toxoplasmosis, neosporosis is not zoonotic but causes tremendous losses to bovine industry. In ther present paper, a team of scientists discuss pros and cons of using a live vaccine to control neosporosis.The results will be of interest to parasitologists and veterinarians.

Technical Abstract: N. caninum has emerged as a major cause of abortion in dairy and beef cattle and it is estimated to be responsible for losses in excess of a billion dollars annually, in cattle industries worldwide. Yet, after more than 25 years of research on this parasite, the control options for this disease appear to be reduced to interrupting the life cycle of this parasite. A commercial, inactivated vaccine for the prevention of bovine neosporosis was introduced to markets more than a decade ago and subsequently withdrawn from sales, presumably due to its very low efficacy, as observed with many other parasitic diseases. Here, the authors discuss pros and cons of developing a live modified vaccine to control neosporosis abortion in cattle. Recent publications have calculated the considerable losses inflicted by N. caninum on cattle industries world-wide. Vaccination, at least at this stage, appears to be the only viable intervention strategy that appears feasible. The development of a live vaccine against neosporosis should be pursued, in order that its benefits can be transferred as soon as possible to veterinarians and farmers in order to prevent the reproductive, productive and economic losses caused by N. caninum.