Hematological values in Holstein-Friesian Neospora caninum seropositive cows from the dairy cattle region of Tizayuca in the State of Hidalgo in Mexico

Abstract

SINCE BOVINE NEOSPOROSIS HAS ONLY RECENTLY BEEN RECOGNIZED IN MEXICO, NOT SUFFICIENT CLINICAL OR PATHOLOGICAL ANALYSES HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT UPON THIS PARASITE. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO FIND OUT IF THERE WERE VARIATIONS IN HEMATOLOGICAL VALUES OF COWS FOUND TO BE POSITIVE TO ANTI-NEOSPORA CANINUM ANTIBODIES WHICH COULD CARRY LATENT TACHYZOITES IN TISSUES, AS COMPARED WITH COWS FOUND TO BE NEGATIVE TO ANTI-NEOSPORA CANINUM ANTIBODIES. COWS FROM THE CENTRO AGROPECUARIO INDUSTRIAL OF TIZAYUCA IN MEXICO WERE SELECTED AND DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS. THE FIRST GROUP (N = 30) INCLUDED COWS POSITIVE TO ANTI-NEOSPORA CANINUM ANTIBODIES, BUT THAT HAD NOT PRESENTED ABORTIONS. THE SECOND GROUP (N = 10) INCLUDED COWS WHICH WERE NEGATIVE TO ANTI-NEOSPORA CANINUM ANTIBODIES. FOR THE DETECTION OF ANTIBODIES, AN INDIRECT ELISA TECHNIQUE WAS USED. HEMOGRAMS WERE CARRIED OUT ON BLOOD SAMPLES TAKEN FROM EACH COW COLLECTED IN VACUUM TUBES CONTAINING EDTA. HEMATOLOGICAL VALUES OBTAINED WERE COMPARED BETWEEN BOTH GROUPS, AND WITH THEIR REFERENCE VALUES. MEAN VALUES FOR HEMATOCRIT WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN GROUPS (P < 0.05). THE MEAN VALUE FOR HEMATOCRIT WAS LOWER IN ANIMALS POSITIVE TO ANTI-NEOSPORA CANINUM ANTIBODIES (0.31 L/L) THAN IN ANIMALS NEGATIVE TO ANTI-NEOSPORA CANINUM ANTIBODIES (0.36 L/L) BUT CORRESPONDED TO THE REFERENCE VALUE. OTHER HEMATOLOGICAL VALUES DID NOT SHOW STATISTICAL DIFFERENCE (P > 0.05), AND CORRESPONDED TO THE REFERENCE VALUE. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT COWS POSITIVE TO ANTI-NEOSPORA CANINUM ANTIBODIES THAT HAD NOT ABORTED DID NOT PRESENT CHANGES IN THE HEMOGRAM.