DETECTION OF NEOSPORA SP FROM INFECTED BOVINE-TISSUES BY PCR AND PROBE HYBRIDIZATION

Neospora sp. can cause fetal abortion or neurological disease in conge nitally infected calves. Latent tissue stages in infected cows may con tribute to vertical transmission of Neospora sp. From dam to offspring in multiple pregnancies. in this investigation, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Neosporn-specific assay were employed to detect Neo spora sp. by amplification of nuclear small-subunit rRNA gene sequence s in infected cattle tissues. Tissues from 11 cattle, including 6 expe rimentally and 2 naturally infected cows, 1 naturally infected newborn calf, and 2 uninfected control cows, were evaluated in this study, Ne ospora-specific FCR products were amplified from DNAs of different bov ine tissues, including brain, spinal cord, heart, lung, kidney, diaphr agm, skeletal muscle, and placenta, as well as amniotic fluid samples of infected cattle. The PCR-based amplification and probe hybridizatio n system proved useful in assessing the location of tissue-stage paras ites in naturally and experimentally infected cattle, even when Neospo ra sp. antibody titers fall below normal cut-off values by an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test.