Molecular detection of Neospora caninum abortion in dairy cattle from different historical regions of Romania

Neosporosis is a major cause of abortion in many countries, transplacental transmission being considered the major route of transmission of N. caninum in cattle. Little information are available about the prevalence of N. caninum abortion in dairy cattle in Romania, the only existing data are coming from Transylvania region. In the present study, we analyzed by molecular technique (PCR) the presence of N. caninum DNA in fetal tissues of spontaneous dairy cattle abortion from different regions of Romania. Twenty-one abortions collected from four historical regions from Romania were tested. The Nc-5 gene of N. caninum was amplified from samples of eight aborted fetuses.