J. Gharekhani - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
M. Yakhchali - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
B. Esmaeilnejad - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
K. Mardani - Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
G. Majidi - Iranian Veterinary Organization, Hamedan, Iran
A. Sohrabei - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
R. Berahmat - Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
M. Hazhir Alaei - Department of Surgery and Diagnostic Imaging, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are Apicomplexan intracellular protozoa with global distribution. Small ruminants play an important role as intermediate hosts for N. caninum and T. gondii, parasites of great public health concern. The main goal of the current survey was to evaluate N. caninum and T. gondii infection rate in sheep and goats of Khuzestan Province, southwest of Iran, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).  In this cross-sectional study during February-April ۲۰۱۶, whole blood samples were taken randomly from ۷۳۵ animals from ۳۷ herds. The animals were reared under the traditional husbandry system in different parts of the province. Among ۵۵۰ sheep and ۱۸۵ goats, ۳۷ (۶.۸%) sheep and ۲۰ (۱۰.۸%) goats were seropositive for N. caninum and ۵۹ (۱۰.۸%) sheep and ۳۷ (۲۰%) goats were seropositive for T. gondii. The incidence rates of mixed infection with N. caninum and T. gondii were ۳.۲% and ۵.۴% in sheep and goats, respectively. Seroprevalence rate of N. caninum was significantly higher in goats at <۱ years of age. There was a significant association between the number of sheep infected with T. gondii and abortion (۱۸.۲%). Also, a significant correlation was detected between seroprevalence of N. caninum and T. gondii and mixed infection in goats with a history of abortion. This is the first report of IgG antibody production against N. caninumand T. gondii co-infection in small ruminants in Iran. Our findings indicated that neosporosis and toxoplasmosis may be responsible for abortion in small ruminants in this region. Therefore, further investigations are needed to improve sanitary strategies in animals’ husbandry and launching control programs.

Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii, Sheep, Goats, Iran