Article
Microbiology
Ragab M. Fereig, Hanan H. Abdelbaky, Amira M. Mazeed, El-Sayed El-Alfy, Somaya Saleh, Mosaab A. Omar, Abdullah F. Alsayeqh, Caroline F. Frey
Summary: The prevalence of antibodies to Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in raw milk samples from different ruminants and Egyptian governorates was estimated. The study found a seroprevalence of 15.4% for both N. caninum and T. gondii antibodies in bulk milk samples, and 25.7% and 14% for individual milk samples, respectively. The presence of DNA was also detected for both parasites. Pearson correlation analysis showed a strong correlation between bulk and individual samples for T. gondii and a moderately strong correlation for N. caninum.
Article
Immunology
Flavia Batista Ferreira Franca, Murilo Vieira Silva, Mariana Ferreira Silva, Eliezer Lucas Pires Ramos, Vanessa dos Santos Miranda, Caroline Martins Mota, Fernanda Maria Santiago, Jose Roberto Mineo, Tiago Wilson Patriarca Mineo
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the role of TNF in immune responses during N. caninum infection. The results showed that TNFR1 is required for regular IgG subclass production and antigen recognition, and plays a crucial role in mediating host resistance to N. caninum infection.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Ragab M. Fereig, Hanan H. Abdelbaky, Yoshifumi Nishikawa
Summary: This study evaluated the potential of recombinant N. caninum dense granule protein 6 fused with glutathione-S-transferase (NcGRA6+GST) as a vaccine candidate against neosporosis in a pregnant mouse model. The results showed that NcGRA6+GST partially protected the dams and offspring from N. caninum infection during pregnancy, with higher survival rates and lower parasite burden. This suggests the efficacy of recombinant NcGRA6 for interrupting the vertical transmission of N. caninum in mice by reducing the severity of infections in dams and offspring.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eva Bartova, Jirina Markova, Jana Sedlackova, Hana Band'ouchova, Karol Racka
Summary: In this study, wild bats were tested for the presence of selected parasites. The results showed that Toxoplasma gondii was detected in 1% of bats, while Neospora caninum was not found in any of the bats. Encephalitozoon spp. was detected in 25% of bats, including three different species. This is the first study to report a relatively high positivity of Encephalitozoon spp. in vespertilionid bats from Central Europe and worldwide.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Veterinary Sciences
Luis F. Pita Gondim, Milton M. McAllister
Summary: Experimental infections of pregnant cows with Neospora caninum have provided valuable information on host-parasite interaction and immunopathogenesis. Most studies use tachyzoites as the inoculum, while only a few studies have used oocysts. This mini-review discusses the differences between tachyzoites and oocysts as inocula and the route of inoculation in pregnant cows.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Ragab M. Fereig, Gamal Wareth, Hanan H. Abdelbaky, Amira M. Mazeed, Mohamed El-Diasty, Adel Abdelkhalek, Hassan Y. A. H. Mahmoud, Alsagher O. Ali, Abdelrahman El-tayeb, Abdullah F. Alsayeqh, Caroline F. Frey
Summary: Toxoplasmosis, neosporosis, and brucellosis are common diseases causing infectious abortion and economic losses in farm animals. The study in Egypt found the highest seroprevalence rate for T. gondii in sheep and goats, with only antibodies to Brucella spp. associated with recent abortion. These findings could guide the development of more efficient control measures.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Maria Aires Pereira, Carmen Nobrega, Teresa L. L. Mateus, Daniela Almeida, Andreia Oliveira, Catarina Coelho, Rita Cruz, Paula Oliveira, Ana Faustino-Rocha, Maria J. J. Pires, Joao R. Mesquita, Helena Vala
Summary: This study investigated the presence of antibodies against T. gondii and N. caninum in client-owned cats from Portugal and identified risk factors. The overall seroprevalences of anti-T. gondii and anti-N. caninum were 13.1% and 3.8%, respectively. Indoor lifestyle was identified as a significant protection factor against T. gondii infection, while the presence of a chronic disease and seropositivity to N. caninum were identified as significant risk factors to T. gondii seroprevalence. This is the first report of N. caninum seropositivity in cats from Portugal.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Samy Metwally, Rania Hamada, Kamel Sobhy, Caroline F. Frey, Ragab M. Fereig
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii infections in cattle from Beheira, Egypt. The analysis of 358 plasma samples revealed that 24.6% and 5.3% were positive for anti-N. caninum and anti-T. gondii antibodies, respectively. The risk factors for N. caninum infection were found to be production type (dairy), sex (female), age (aged over 5 years), and location. However, no factors associated with T. gondii infection were identified. This study highlighted the need for routine monitoring and control strategies for N. caninum and T. gondii infections in the main cattle rearing region of Egypt.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Ragab M. Fereig, Hanan H. Abdelbaky, Yoshifumi Nishikawa
Summary: The study showed that all antigen-based ICTs are effective for detecting specific antibodies to N. caninum, with the NcSAG1-based ICT performing the best for overall detection. NcGRA7 and NcGRA6-based ICTs were specific in detecting samples from acute and sub-acute infection in mice and cattle. The NcSAG1-based ICT showed high sensitivity, specificity, agreement, and kappa value in detecting field cattle samples, demonstrating its efficiency in on-site diagnosis of infected cattle.
Article
Parasitology
Marcus Truong, Jan Slapeta
Summary: Researchers optimized single-plex probe-based qPCR assays into a multiplexed qPCR panel to detect cyst-forming coccidia, specifically T. gondii and N. caninum. The multiplexed qPCR assay showed a high level of analytical sensitivity, with a limit of detection of 100 copies of target sequence synthetic DNA. This assay can be used for effective detection of parasite DNA in animal tissue for diagnostic purposes.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Monica L. Mazuz, Benjamin Leibovitz, Igor Savitsky, Elena Blinder, Daniel Yasur-Landau, Yaniv Lavon, Binyamin Sharir, Sharon Tirosh-Levy
Summary: Vaccination with frozen live Neospora caninum tachyzoites was found to reduce abortion rates in naturally infected seropositive pregnant dairy dams, particularly in cows with high antibody titers. The vaccine efficacy varied among different farms, but overall, the frozen live vaccination may be an effective method to control neosporosis in cattle.
Review
Immunology
Ragab M. Fereig, Hanan H. Abdelbaky, El-Sayed El-Alfy, Mohamed El-Diasty, Ahmed Elsayed, Hassan Y. A. H. Mahmoud, Alsagher O. Ali, Abdulrahman Ahmed, Ehab Mossaad, Abdullah F. Alsayeqh, Caroline F. Frey
Summary: The seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in recently imported camels from Sudan was investigated. The study found significant differences in infection rates between the two study sites and/or sampling periods. Additionally, a systematic review revealed the overall seroprevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum in camels worldwide.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Diana S. Gliga, Walter Basso, Flurin Arduser, Gaia Moore-Jones, Gereon Schares, Patrik Zanolari, Caroline F. Frey
Summary: This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of N. caninum infections in Swiss cattle and assess the risk factors associated with this parasite. The results showed that 4.2% of cattle serum tested positive for N. caninum, and 16.2% of the sampled farms had at least one seropositive animal. The presence of rodents on the farm was found to increase the odds of farm seropositivity, while rearing replacement heifers and feeding concentrated feed were identified as protective factors.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Bhavana K. Hebbar, Megha Roy, Pallabi Mitra, Kailas Chavhan, Sandeep Chaudhari, Shilpshri Shinde, Abhijit S. Deshmukh
Summary: This study investigated the epidemiology and diagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infections in goats in India. The seroprevalence of T. gondii was 56.9% while that of N. caninum was 10.9%. The agreement between different diagnostic tests was high. The use of appropriate serum dilutions can prevent cross-reactivity between these parasites.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Ragab M. Fereig, Mosaab A. Omar, Abdullah F. Alsayeqh
Summary: Toxoplasmosis and neosporosis are important protozoan diseases worldwide, and controlling these diseases is currently challenging. Understanding host-parasite interactions and host strategies to combat infections can aid in developing effective control measures, including vaccines. Macrophages and the production of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) play a crucial role in successful vaccine candidates. However, identifying potential vaccine candidates is a time-consuming process.
