Neospora caninum
Taxonomy
- Kingdom Protozoa
- Phylum Apicomplexa
- Class Conoidasida
- Order Eucoccidiorida
- Family Sarcocystidae
- Genus Neospora
Final host
Dog and other canids
Morphology
Oocysts are round to slightly oval (≈ 11 x 12 µm) Sporulated oocysts contain two sporocysts each containing four sporozoites Tachyzoites (≈ 6 x 2 µm) are found developing in vacuoles in cytoplasma of cells Tissue cyst are oval (up to ≈ 107 µm long), have a thick wall (up to ≈ 4 µm) and are found in neural tissue
Cycle
Direct - Indirect (optional heteroxenous) Intermediate host: cattle
Location
Enteric cycle (final host) in enterocytes Extra-enteric cycle: brain, heart, liver, placenta (intracellularly)
Feeding
Holozoic (micropores)
Diagnostic
Oocyst (faeces of canids) Tachyzoites and cyst containing bradyzoites (placenta and neural tissues of cattle foetuses and carnivores)
Transmission
Sporulated oocyst (cattle) Tissue cysts containing bradyzoites (dog) Tachyzoite (transplacentary transmission)
