Experimental caprine neosporosis: the influence of gestational stage on the outcome of infection

Table 2 Clinical outcome, histology findings and PCR detection and quantification of N. caninum in the placenta and foetal liver and brain.

Group	Foetal death (dpi)	Birth (dpi)	Placenta		Liver		Brain
Group	Foetal death (dpi)	Birth (dpi)	Histology^b	PCR^c	Histology^b	PCR^c	Histology^b	PCR^c
G1^a	10–11	–	–	1/4 (0.001)	–	0/4 (0)	–	0/4 (0)
G1^a	17–21	–	++	3/3 (30 802)	++	3/3 (9828)	+	3/3 (10 213)
G2	27–35	53–55^d	++	7/7 (31 455)	+	3/6 (0.001)	++	7/8 (11.5)
G3	–	12–22^e	+	6/7 (732.5)	++	7/8 (345.4)	++	7/8 (28.27)

dpi: days post infection when abortion occurred.
^aThe G1 group was divided due to the differences found (histology, detection and burdens), depending on whether the animals aborted during the second or third wpi.
^bHistopathological lesion severity: none detected (–), consistent with (+), and characteristic of (++) N. caninum infection.
^cFractions represent the number of positive animals/total number of animals assessed by nested-ITS1 PCR, and figures within brackets represent the median values of parasite burden (tachyzoites/mg tissue).
^dThree goats kidded. One goat gave birth to a stillbirth at 143 days of gestation, and two gave birth to healthy kids at 143 and 145 days of gestation.
^eAll goats kidded between 132 and 142 days of gestation giving birth to 8 kids, of which 6 showed clinical signs of weakness.

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