PREVALÊNCIA DE Neospora caninum EM CÃES DE GOIÂNIA

Neospora caninum is a coccidium from Sarcocystidae family and Apicomplexa phylum that causes neurological disorders in dogs and, since 1989, described as an abortion agent in bovine cattle. Dogs and coyotes had their role on the horizontal transmission proved, and they were classified as definitive hosts. The objective of this study was to determinate, through indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) the presence of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies in dogs of the city of Goiânia-Go, from the Zoonosis center, the Federal University of Goias (UFG) Veterinary Hospital and from private clinics. From the total of examined dogs, 32.97 % (65/197) were positive, with titers higher than 1:50. Among the 72 animals from the zoonosis center of Goiânia, 36.1 % (26/72) showed positive results and among the 125 dogs from the UFG veterinary hospital and private clinics, 31.2 % (39/125) were positive to N. caninum.