Anticorpos anti-Toxoplasma gondii e anti-Neospora caninum em cães da zona rural do município de Botucatu – São Paulo, Brasil

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are protozoa and important agents of systemic disease in several animal species, including dogs. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of IgG antibodies anti-N. caninum and T. gondii in serum samples of dogs from rural area of Botucatu-SP. The serological titers were correlated with age, sex and breed. A total of 689 healthy dogs, 298 (43.3%) females and 391 males (56.7%) were randomly selected for the study. Animals were divided into three age groups: younger than 12 months (11.32%), aged between one and five years (73.58%) and more than five years old (15.09%). A total of 180 (26.1%) were breed and 509 (73.9%) mongrel. Of total samples, 144 (21%) samples were positive for the presence of anti-T. gondii and 78 (11.3%) for anti-N. caninum antibodies. Correlation was found between antibody titles and age, for the two infections, which did not occur with respect to gender and breed.