10.6084/m9.figshare.5634904 Nilton Azevedo da Cunha Filho Nilton Azevedo da Cunha Filho Plínio Aguiar de Oliveira Plínio Aguiar de Oliveira Fernando Caetano de Oliveira Fernando Caetano de Oliveira Felipe Geraldo Pappen Felipe Geraldo Pappen Cintia Lidiane Guidotti Aguiar Cintia Lidiane Guidotti Aguiar Alceu Gonçalves dos Santos Junior Alceu Gonçalves dos Santos Junior André Luis Costa-da-Silva André Luis Costa-da-Silva Fabio Pereira Leivas Leite Fabio Pereira Leivas Leite Nara Amélia da Rosa Farias Nara Amélia da Rosa Farias PCR-based identification of Neospora caninum in the umbilical cord of a newborn calf in Brazil SciELO journals 2017 Neospora caninum calves umbilical cord bovine 2017-11-29 11:28:23 Figure https://scielo.figshare.com/articles/figure/PCR-based_identification_of_Neospora_caninum_in_the_umbilical_cord_of_a_newborn_calf_in_Brazil/5634904 <div><p>ABSTRACT: This study was conducted at a beef cattle breeding farm in the far southern region of Brazil. The birth of a calf with unilateral corneal opacity was immediately reported to the Laboratory of Parasitology, in the Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; blood was collected from the cow and calf before colostrum intake. The umbilical cords from this calf and from six other healthy animals were collected. Serological examination, utilizing an indirect fluorescent antibody test, was done using a cut-off point of 1:100. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was also performed using the umbilical cord samples. Serological tests showed that the calf was positive for Neospora caninum at birth, with a titer of 1:1600; a titer of 1:3200 was reported in the dam. PCR, using umbilical cord tissue from the affected animal, was positive for the presence of this parasite, and the molecular identity of the amplified product was confirmed by sequencing. Therefore, the detection of N. caninum DNA in the umbilical cord represents a novel alternative test for the diagnosis of this parasitic infection in newborn calves that are clinically suspected to have neosporosis.</p></div>