Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii Infections in Stray Dogs of Hamadan Suburb, West of Iran, 2018

Background: Dogs, especially stray dogs, act as the major carriers of different infectious and parasitic agents in the environment; hence, their possible transmission to humans is a public health concern. The principal aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii infections in stray dogs of rural regions of Hamadan, West of Iran. Methods: During this cross-sectional survey in 2018, 180 blood samples were evaluated for the presence of antibodies to N. caninum and T. gondii using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Seroprevalence of N. caninum and T. gondii infections was detected to be 5% (95% CI: 2.8-8.2%) and 35% (95% CI: 28.1-41.9%), respectively. In addition, coinfection was detected in 2.8% of animals. No significant differences were found between infection rate, sex, and age of animals regarding both parasites (P>0.05). Conclusions: This study provides the first insight into the infection of dogs in a region with the prevalence of N. caninum and T. gondii.