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Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) remains an important neurologic disease of horses. There are no pathognomonic clinical signs for the disease. Affected horses can have focal or multifocal central nervous system (CNS) disease. EPM can be difficult to diagnose antemortem. It is caused by either of 2 parasites, Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi, with much less known about N. hughesi. Although risk factors such as transport stress and breed and age correlations have been identified, biologic factors such as genetic predispositions of individual animals, and parasite-specific factors such as strain differences in virulence, remain largely undetermined. This consensus statement update presents current published knowledge of the parasite biology, host immune response, disease pathogenesis, epidemiology, and risk factors. Importantly, the statement provides recommendations for EPM diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) remains an important neurologic disease of horses. There are no pathognomonic clinical signs for the disease. Affected horses can have focal or multifocal central nervous system (CNS) disease. EPM can be difficult to diagnose antemortem. It is caused by either of 2 parasites, Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi, with much less known about N. hughesi. Although risk factors such as transport stress and breed and age correlations have been identified, biologic factors such as genetic predispositions of individual animals, and parasite-specific factors such as strain differences in virulence, remain largely undetermined. This consensus statement update presents current published knowledge of the parasite biology, host immune response, disease pathogenesis, epidemiology, and risk factors. Importantly, the statement provides recommendations for EPM diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) remains an important neurologic disease of horses. There are no pathognomonic clinical signs for the disease. Affected horses can have focal or multifocal central nervous system (CNS) disease. EPM can be difficult to diagnose antemortem. It is caused by either of 2 parasites, Sarcocystis neurona and Neospora hughesi, with much less known about N. hughesi. Although risk factors such as transport stress and breed and age correlations have been identified, biologic factors such as genetic predispositions of individual animals, and parasite-specific factors such as strain differences in virulence, remain largely undetermined. This consensus statement update presents current published knowledge of the parasite biology, host immune response, disease pathogenesis, epidemiology, and risk factors. Importantly, the statement provides recommendations for EPM diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Stelmann U.J.P., Ullmann L.S., Langoni H. & Amorim R.M. [Equine neosporosis: search for antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid and sera from animals with history of ataxia]. Neosporose equina: pesquisa de anticorpos no liquido cefalorraquidiano e soro sanguíneo de animais com histórico de ataxia. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinária, 33(2):99-102, 2011. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária. Departamento de Clínica Veterinária. Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Campus de Botucatu, Distrito de Rubião Júnior, s/n, Botucatu, 18.618-970, SP. Brasil. E-mail: stelmann.ppgctia@gmail.com Equine neosporosis is caused by the protozoans Neospora caninum and N. hughesi. Its clinical signs include hindlimb paralysis, incoordination, ataxia, and abortion. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from 38 equines with history of ataxia for indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) in order to detect antibodies to N. caninum. Of the tested serum samples 15/26 (57.6%) were positive, whereas all CFS samples were negative. These seronegative CFS samples suggest that N. caninum has no relation to the manifestation of the neurological clinical signs of ataxia., A neosporose equina é causada pelos protozoários Neospora caninum e N. hughesi. Os sinais clínicos são, entre outros, paralisia dos membros posteriores, incoordenação, ataxia e aborto. Amostras de soro e de líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR) foram coletadas de 38 equinos com histórico de ataxia. Para pesquisa de anticorpos anti-N. caninum foi utilizada a reação de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI). Das amostras de soro testadas neste grupo de equinos, 15/26 (57,6%) mostraram-se positivas, enquanto que as amostras de LCR foram negativas. Os resultados negativos, nas amostras de LCR, sugerem que N. caninum não teve relação com a manifestação dos sinais clínicos neurológicos de ataxia.

Stelmann U.J.P., Ullmann L.S., Langoni H. & Amorim R.M. [Equine neosporosis: search for antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid and sera from animals with history of ataxia]. Neosporose equina: pesquisa de anticorpos no liquido cefalorraquidiano e soro sanguíneo de animais com histórico de ataxia. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinária, 33(2):99-102, 2011. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária. Departamento de Clínica Veterinária. Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Campus de Botucatu, Distrito de Rubião Júnior, s/n, Botucatu, 18.618-970, SP. Brasil. E-mail: stelmann.ppgctia@gmail.com Equine neosporosis is caused by the protozoans Neospora caninum and N. hughesi. Its clinical signs include hindlimb paralysis, incoordination, ataxia, and abortion. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from 38 equines with history of ataxia for indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) in order to detect antibodies to N. caninum. Of the tested serum samples 15/26 (57.6%) were positive, whereas all CFS samples were negative. These seronegative CFS samples suggest that N. caninum has no relation to the manifestation of the neurological clinical signs of ataxia., A neosporose equina é causada pelos protozoários Neospora caninum e N. hughesi. Os sinais clínicos são, entre outros, paralisia dos membros posteriores, incoordenação, ataxia e aborto. Amostras de soro e de líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR) foram coletadas de 38 equinos com histórico de ataxia. Para pesquisa de anticorpos anti-N. caninum foi utilizada a reação de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI). Das amostras de soro testadas neste grupo de equinos, 15/26 (57,6%) mostraram-se positivas, enquanto que as amostras de LCR foram negativas. Os resultados negativos, nas amostras de LCR, sugerem que N. caninum não teve relação com a manifestação dos sinais clínicos neurológicos de ataxia.

Stelmann U.J.P., Ullmann L.S., Langoni H. & Amorim R.M. [Equine neosporosis: search for antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid and sera from animals with history of ataxia]. Neosporose equina: pesquisa de anticorpos no liquido cefalorraquidiano e soro sanguíneo de animais com histórico de ataxia. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinária, 33(2):99-102, 2011. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária. Departamento de Clínica Veterinária. Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Campus de Botucatu, Distrito de Rubião Júnior, s/n, Botucatu, 18.618-970, SP. Brasil. E-mail: stelmann.ppgctia@gmail.com Equine neosporosis is caused by the protozoans Neospora caninum and N. hughesi. Its clinical signs include hindlimb paralysis, incoordination, ataxia, and abortion. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from 38 equines with history of ataxia for indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) in order to detect antibodies to N. caninum. Of the tested serum samples 15/26 (57.6%) were positive, whereas all CFS samples were negative. These seronegative CFS samples suggest that N. caninum has no relation to the manifestation of the neurological clinical signs of ataxia., A neosporose equina é causada pelos protozoários Neospora caninum e N. hughesi. Os sinais clínicos são, entre outros, paralisia dos membros posteriores, incoordenação, ataxia e aborto. Amostras de soro e de líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR) foram coletadas de 38 equinos com histórico de ataxia. Para pesquisa de anticorpos anti-N. caninum foi utilizada a reação de imunofluorescência indireta (RIFI). Das amostras de soro testadas neste grupo de equinos, 15/26 (57,6%) mostraram-se positivas, enquanto que as amostras de LCR foram negativas. Os resultados negativos, nas amostras de LCR, sugerem que N. caninum não teve relação com a manifestação dos sinais clínicos neurológicos de ataxia.

Neospora hughesi is a recently described cause of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). In the present study, we examined the susceptibility of BALB/c gamma-interferon gene knockout (gamma-INFKO), BALB/c, CD-1, and C57BL/6 strains of mice and gerbils to infection with tachyzoites of the Nh-A1 strain of N. hughesi. Only the gamma-IFNKO mice developed severe clinical disease following infection with N. hughesi. The most severe lesions were in the hearts of these mice. Two dogs fed the brains of mice, shown to contain N. hughesi tissue stages by cell culture and g-IFNKO mouse bioassay, did not shed N. hughesi oocysts over a 23 day observation period. We report important differences between the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the dense granule proteins GRA6 and GRA7 of N. hughesi and N. caninum. The newly defined proteins of N. hughesi are referred to as NhGRA6 and NhGRA7. From analysis of the sequences we found that there is a 14.8% difference in deduced amino acid sequence between NhGRA7 and NcGRA7, and a 4% difference between NhGRA6 and NcGRA6 in areas that could be compared. This thesis supports the identification of N. hughesi as a separate species from N. caninum and describes novel methods of distinguishing between the two.