Use of remote sensing and geographical information systems for the study of the epidemiology of bovine neosporosis

The present paper reports the results of a cross-sectional analytical survey which evaluated the seroprevalence of neosporosis in pastured cattle in a selected area of the southern Italian Apennines; and investigated the environmental (using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems), farm management, and individual animal factors that influence the distribution of Neospora caninum. Out of the 81 farms sampled, 63 (77.8%) were positive for N. caninum and out of the 864 animals, 266 (30.8%) were found to have antibodies to this protozoan. The results of the logistic regression model show that significantly high seroprevalence to N. canimum was found in heifers/steers and adults, in cattle raised on farms having a large number of dogs, and in cattle raised in buffer zones having high minimum temperatures in spring; in addition, significantly low seroprevalence to N. caninum was found in cattle raised in buffer zones having high values of summer NDVI.