Research advances in the diagnosis of cattle neosporosis

Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan protozoan parasite of animals. Since its first recognition in 1984 in dogs in Norway by Bjerkas and the description of a new genus and species in 1988 by Dubey it has become the focus of significant research attention worldwide. Therefore, numerous diagnostic assays have been developed for use in dogs, cattle and a variety of other potential host species. This study reviews some methods that diagnose neosporosis in cattle including clinical signs, histopathology and Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Agglutination Test (AT), Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test (IFAT), various Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Advantages and disadvantages of these methods for diagnosing neosporosis in cattle are discussed, with emphasis on IFAT and ELISA which are mainly used for detecting serum antibody to N. caninum in cattle. It is clear that further studies are necessary in improving the protocols.