PREVALENCE OF ANTIBODIES TO NEOSPORA-CANINUM AND TOXOPLASMA-GONDII INCATTLE AND WATER-BUFFALOS IN SOUTHERN VIETNAM

Serum samples from 200 dairy cattle and 200 beef water buffaloes were collected in southern Vietnam during May to September 1995. The sera w ere analysed for antibodies to Neospora caninum by an enzyme-linked im munosorbent assay and the indirect fluorescent antibody test? and for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii by the direct agglutination test. Sign ificant levels of N. caninum antibodies were detected in 5.5% of the c attle sera and in 1.5% of the water buffalo sera. 10.5% of the cattle sera and 3% of the water buffalo sera were found to contain T. gondii antibodies. Two of the cattle sera had both T. gondii and N. caninum a ntibodies. The present communication is the first to report serologica l evidence of N. caninum infection in the water buffalo. (C) 1998 Else vier Science B.V.