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Table 1 Specific antibody levels and efficacy of endogenous transplacental transmission in ewes with chronic neosporosis

From: Endogenous transplacental transmission of Neospora caninum during successive pregnancies across three generations of naturally infected sheep

Generation

Ewes

Lambs infected with N. caninum4

Matings

Gestations

TP3

N

I/T5 (%)

Parasite burden6

Me (Q25–Q75)

N

Ab level1

OD \(\left( {{\bar{\text{X}}} \pm {\text{SD}}} \right)\)

N

Ab level2

OD \(\left( {{\bar{\text{X}}} \pm {\text{SD}}} \right)\)

G0

68

2.094 ± 0.318a

57

2.480 ± 0.267a,*

57

114/123♦ (93)a

19 (0.01–84)

G1

30

2.091 ± 0.166a

24

2.360 ± 0.167a,*

22

27/37♦♦ (73)b

32 (2–65)

G2

7

1.598 ± 0.424b

6

1.866 ± 0.372b

5

4/6 (66.7)b

2 (0.01–6)

  1. 1 Anti-N. caninum IgG antibodies at mating. They are expressed as optical density (OD) at 492 nm.
  2. 2 Anti-N. caninum IgG antibodies at lambing or abortion. They are expressed as optical density (OD) at 492 nm.
  3. 3 TP: Transplacental passage of N. caninum was considered to have occurred in a pregnancy when specific antibodies and / or DNA of the parasite were detected in at least one lamb in the litter.
  4. 4 Infection was confirmed by detection of parasite DNA. Ewe lambs maintained live for breeding were considered infected when transmission to their offspring was detected (i.e. they gave birth to some lambs with parasite DNA).
  5. 5 I/T: number of infected lambs/total number of lambs.
  6. 6 Parasite burden is expressed as number of tachyzoites per mg of tissue. Me: median; Q25-Q75: lower - upper quartiles.
  7. ♦ Infected lambs= 114 (102 lambs with parasite DNA + 12 ewe lambs with parasite DNA + 12 ewe lambs used for breeding that transmitted the infection in subsequent parturitions). Total lambs from gestations with TP= 123 (127 born lambs - 4 lambs which could not be analysed).
  8. .♦♦ Infected lambs= 27 (22 lambs with parasite DNA + 5 ewe lambs maintained for breeding that transmitted the infection in the subsequent parturition). Total lambs from gestations with TP= 37 (38 born lambs - 1 lamb which could not be analysed).
  9. a,b Different letters within columns indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).
  10. * Significantly higher (p < 0.05) than antibody level at mating.
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Veterinary Research

ISSN: 1297-9716