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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Nucleofection and In Vivo Propagation of Chicken Eimeria Parasites
Published on: February 14, 2020
Chickens (Gallus domesticus) are natural intermediate hosts of Neospora caninum
K S Costa1, S L Santos, R S Uzêda
1Departamento de Patologia e Clínicas, Escola de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Av. Ademar de Barros 500, Ondina, Salvador, Bahia 40170-110, Brazil.
Abstract:
Neospora caninum naturally infects many mammal species, but has not previously been demonstrated in birds. We examined sera for N. caninum antibodies from 200 outdoor chickens and from 200 chickens confined indoors in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Seroprevalence was greater in outdoor chickens (23.5% versus 1.5%, P<0.001). PCR testing for N. caninum was positive in six of 10 seropositive chickens. Amplicons from two of these were sequenced and had 97-98% nucleotide identity with N. caninum. This finding extends the list of intermediate hosts of N. caninum to include birds and may have important epidemiological consequences.
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