Molecular and Serological Evaluation of Neospora caninum Infection in Dogs from a Rural Setting in Fars Province, Southern Iran

Background: dogs, as the definitive host of neospora caninum, are important in the epidemiology of this parasitic infection. we aimed to determine the prevalence of n. caninum infection in a dog population from a rural setting in fars province, southern iran, using a combination of molecular and serological techniques.methods: this cross-sectional study was carried out in nov 2018 in three rural districts, sar mashhad, hosseinabad, and tolesaman located in kazeroun town-ship in fars province, southern iran. blood samples were taken from 60 stray and household dogs. dogs’ sera were tested for antibodies against n. caninum, using a neospora-modified agglutination test. moreover, dogs’ buffy coats were tested for neospora dna, using a molecular method.results: anti-neospora antibodies were detected in sera of 4 out of 60 dogs, corre-sponding to a seroprevalence rate of 6.7%. out of 25 female dogs, 1 was seroposi-tive and of 35 males, 3 were seropositive, yet the differences were not statistically significant. the infection was more prevalent in adult dogs (> 12 months), never-theless, the differences between age and neospora seropositivity was not statistically significant. n. caninum dna was not detected in the buffy coat of any of the stud-ied dogs.conclusion: findings of the study indicate that n. caninum is a common infection in dogs in rural areas of fars province in southern iran. the infected dogs might be a potentially important source of n. caninum infection to livestock in the area.