Anatolia, Turkey

A total of 3287 sera collected from cows in thirty-two herds in the eight provinces of Central Anatolia of Turkey were tested for presence of Neospora caninum antibodies by using commercial ELISA kit. The overall seroprevalence of Neospora caninum was 13.96 % (95 % CI 13.78 to 16.22). On a provincial basis, N. caninum infection was present in all provinces while cows sampled in Kirikkale had the highest rate (P<0.05). Antibodies to N. caninum were found in 34 (23.61%) of 144 aborted cows. The prevalence of N. caninum was significantly higher in the aborted cows than in non-aborted cows (P<0.001). However, the odds ratio was 1.97, suggesting an association between abortion and seropositivity. This is the first report on serological prevalence of Neospora caninum in cows in Central Anatolia, and neosporosis in dairy cattle seems to be widespread in some provinces of this region