1. ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE AND AGRICULTURE
DEPARTEMENT OF PARASITOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY
TROPICAL VETERINARY PROTOZOLOGY
REVIEW ON NEOSPORA AND BESNOITIA
By:
Morka Amante

3. The apicomplexan protozoan Neospora spp. is an obligate
intracellular parasite
Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite infecting
primarily dogs and cattle
It is a globally distributed protozoan capable of infecting a
wide variety of hosts
N. caninum, is a more frequent cause of abortion and
stillbirth in intensive and semi-intensive dairy production
in Ethiopia than the BVD virus and the Brucella
bacterium(Asmare,2014).

4. NEOSPOROSIS
• Niosporiosis is diseases of protozoan neospora spp
which is an obligate intracellular parasite
Etiology
• Neospora caninum and Neospora hughesi
Host range
• dogs, coyotes, and dingoes as definitive hosts for
Neospora caninum and Neospora hughesi
• cattle and other ruminants, canines, pig and horses as
intermediate hosts
• Horse intermediate hosts for Neospora hughesi
• Site infinal host=s.intestine
• Site in I.host= schizont indotelial cells of blood vessel,
large cyst containig bradyzoites found in muscle

5. Life cycle of Neospora caninum(slide share)

6.  N. caninum has a worldwide distribution
 seroprevalence reported in Ethiopia by
Asmare (23.8%).
Transmission
 Horizontally = by the ingestion of oocysts
in feces, Bradyzoites in tissue cysts
 vertically = transplacental route
 Neospora caninum DNA has been reported in
bovine semen may be other route

7. The risk factors for infection are largely unknown but
evedence suggest that
 close contact of cattle with dogs
 High stocking densities
 Management factors and
 concurrent diseases that lead to immunosuppression
may also be important risk factor

8.  Definitive host: Dogs are the final host and sexual phase
occur in them
 Intermediate host: Cattle are the major intermediate hosts
and asexual reproduction phase occur in them = from dam
to calf in utero and lactogenically, Infection of cattle can
also occur from the ingestion of food or water
contaminated with dog feces containing Neospora caninum
oocysts = cause of abortion in cattle

9.  Tachyzoites penetrate host cell like central nervous
system, muscles, macrophages and other cells, where
they divide rapidly.
 Tachyzoites can also be transmitted either with
contaminated food and water or transplacentally to the
fetus in pregnant animals
 Tissue cyst containing bradyzoites that
these are found only in the nervous system

10. Neosporosis causes
 stillbirth
 fetal resorption
 mummification
 Calves are born with neurological symptoms(unable to
stand, unable to suckle, domed skull and torticollis)
 abortion and decreases in their milk production

11.  Effects on production
 direct cost are dueto
 abortion
 Infertility
 returns to service and loss of milk yield
 indirect costs through replacements.

12.  (IFAT)
 (ELISA)
 Histopathology of fetus

13.  No effective drug or vaccine available
 Suggestions to reduce incidence:
◦ Remove all cows infected with Neospora
◦ Test replacement heifers and newborn calves
◦ Reduce stressors (low quality feed stuffs, overcrowding
and excessive heat)
◦ Prevent horizontal transmission by preventing fecal
contamination of cattle feed

14.  Besnoitia spp are a protozoan blood parasite which
causes skin disease in cattle.
 The first recorded cases of bovine besnoitiosis were
described in southern France by Cadeac (1884) and by
Besnoit and Robin (1912) in cattle
 Cause Bovine besnoitiosis (also referred to as bovine
elephantiasis and bovine anasarque)
 besnoitiosis is either a severe but usually non-fatal
disease of cattle, or a mild clinical disease.

15.  Besnoitia are protozoan parasite with classified 9
species, which only 2 of these species are important
in livestock animals
species
B. Besnoiti B. darling B. tarandii
B. caprae B. Benetti B. Wallacei
B. jellisoni, B. akadoni B. oryctofelis

16. Specie Affinity site Intermediat
e hosts
Definitive host
Besnoitia
besnoiti
Skin,
conjunctiva
Cattle Cat, wild cats
(Lion, leopard)
Besnoitia caprae Skin,
conjunctiva
Goats Cat, wild cats
(Lion, leopard)

17. The complete life cycle of the parasite remains
unknown, although seasonal presentation of the
disease (mainly in summer and in beef cattle while
they are on pastures) suggests an important role for
horizontal transmission by
 either direct contact,
 through natural mating or
 through mechanical transmission by blood-suckling
arthropods

18.  Disease occur as outbreaks in tropical and subtropical countries
and sporadically in other countries
 Bovine besnoitiosis is common in Africa, Asia and in the South
of Euroup
 Caprine besnoitiosis in Keny a, Uganda, Iran, and Kazakhastan
 Many aspects of the epidemiology of bovine besnoitiosis
remain uncertain including prevalence and incidence of
infection and disease in endemic areas, routes of transmission
and risk-factors associated to infection and disease
 No reported diseases in Ethiopia

19.  Following infection in cattle or in goats, the tachyzoites
proliferate in macrophages, fibroblasts, and endothelial
cells and causing vasculitis.
 they develop to form bradyzoite cysts in fibroblasts in
the derm is, subcutaneous tissues, fascia, nasal and
laryngeal mucosa
 After developing cysts in the skin, painful
subcutaneous swelling, thickening of the skin, alopecia,
and necrosis can be occur
 Sterility in males is caused by a necrotizing orchitis.
Death may occur in both the anasarca and scleroderma
stages of the disease, regardless of the sex of the animal

20. In bovine besnoitiosis
The acute anasarca stage
include fever, increase in pulse and respiratory rates,
painful swelling on the ventral aspects of the body, edema
of the skin, sometimes diarrhea, lacrimation and nasal
discharge
The chronic scleroderma stage
mainly associated with cyst formation In chronic stage,
there is a severe dermatitis over most of the body

21. In Caprin besnoitiosis
 Thickening of the skin over the lower limbs , around the
eyes, nose, face and scrotum, alopecia in all of these areas,
and
 white granular cysts in the sclero-conjunctiva can be seen

22.  Horizontal transmission is probably the main method of
transmission of infection =occurs as a consequence of
direct contact among animals with wounds or
lacerations
 infected bulls in natural mating
 mechanically by blood-sucking arthropods, such as
horseflies and deer flies
 bovine besnoitiosis has not been reported to infect
humans.

23.  Seasonality factors= majority of new cases occur
during the warmer, moister months of the year
 Age factors =The highest incidence of infection was
detected in adult animals on a farm where the disease
was present, but was rarely encountered in calves under
6 months of age
 Sub-clinical carriers as factor= The existence of blood-
sucking flies could be a risk factor for the rapid spread
of the disease

24.  disease causes a serious illness both during the acute and
chronic phases that could compromis animal welfare
Bovine besnoitiosis leads to significant economic losses by
 a decline in milk production,
 sterility,
 transient or permanent infertility of bulls,
 skin lesions and increase of mortality in affected cattle
population

25.  Besnoitiosis can be diagnosed by demonstration of B.
bradyzoites in skin biopsy smears or scleral conjunctival
scrapings
 A number of diagnostic tests such as
 cytology
 histopathology
 serology and PCR testing are available

26.  there are not any effective drugs(no known treatment)
for this disease or vaccines available
 a live-attenuated vaccine has been used(s. Africa and
Israeli).
 Control is effected by the elimination of infected
animals and carriers, and early diagnosis