Determinación de la prevalencia de neosporosis (Neospora caninum) en vacas mestizas en el cantón Tiwintza.

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of neosporosis (neospora caninum) in mestizo cows in Tiwintza canton through a descriptive-explanatory research that shows the characteristics, causes, consequences and treatment of neosporosis in cattle; the quantitative approach focused on the numerical measurement of the study variables and the statistical analysis for the interpretation of the results. The population sample consisted of 148 mestizo females from the urban and rural parishes, Santiago and San José de Morona, respectively; and the overall and sectoral prevalence of the pathology, and the economic impact on the livestock sector were evaluated. Blood samples were taken from the coccygeal vein of each animal and a serological test was performed using the competitive ELISA technique, a method that detects the presence of antibodies in the blood. The relationship between variables was established through the Chi-Square test with a significance level of 5%. The results show that 14.86% of the population sample, corresponding to 22 animals, have a prevalence of neosporosis; however, this value is lower than the data reported by other researchers in similar conditions; and the economic impact on production significantly affects farmers, since the greatest number of positive cases occurred in young cows, reducing their reproductive capacity and making them prone to early discard within the herd due to subfertility or other clinical signs of the disease. It is concluded that the overall prevalence of neosporosis in Tiwintza county is low; however, the highest prevalence of this disease is concentrated in Santiago parish. It is recommended to avoid the presence of canines because they are the hosts of neosporosis and to establish sanitary programs to eliminate the presence of the parasite in the cattle herds.