Neospora caninum: A successful testing and eradication program in a dairy goat herd

This report describes the detection and epidemiology of Neospora caninum (N. caninum) within a closed dairy goat herd and the successful eradication and control program instituted. A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the eradication and control plan that was designed and implemented to eliminate this parasite from the dairy goat herd. The parasite's presence in the herd was first suspected by individual screening in 1998. However, the limited availability of specific and sensitive testing delayed full herd wide screening until 2000 with the availability of a Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunoabsorbent Assay (cELISA) supported by a follow-on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on tissues as appropriate. Infection transmission and pregnancy outcomes were further studied to determine generational passage. Seropositive animals were associated with more frequent abortion events and a familial relationship between seropositive animals was identified. With the availability of confirmatory testing, an eradication and control program was implemented in 2004. All dairy goats in the closed herd have tested negative for N. caninum since 2008.