Endogenous transplacental transmission of Neospora caninum during successive pregnancies across three generations of naturally infected sheep

Table 2 N. caninum infection in the offspring of each generation of ewes (G0, G1 and G2)

Lambing year	G0			G1			G2
Lambing year	I/T¹ (%)	Parasite burden² Me (Q₂₅–Q₇₅)	With antibody response N (%)	I/T¹ (%)	Parasite burden² Me (Q₂₅-Q₇₅)	With antibody response N (%)	I/T¹ (%)	Parasite burden² Me (Q₂₅-Q₇₅)	With antibody response N (%)
2014	50/51^♦ (98)^a	65 (12–134)^a	48 (96)
2015	37/39 (94.9)^ab	6 (0.01–34)^b	37 (100)	14/18^♦♦ (77.8)	50 (16–74)	13 (92.9)
2016	27/33 (81.8)^b	12 (0.01–59)^b	27 (100)	13/19 (68.4)	18 (0.01–48)	13 (100)	4/6 (66.7)	2 (0.01–6)	4 (100)

¹ I/T: number of infected lambs/total number of lambs.
² Parasite burden is expressed as number of tachyzoites per mg of tissue. Me: median; Q₂₅-Q₇₅: lower - upper quartiles.
^♦ Infected lambs = 50 (38 lambs with parasite DNA + 12 ewe lambs used for breeding that transmitted the infection in subsequent parturitions). Total number of lambs from gestations with transplacental passage of N. caninum = 51 (55 born lambs − 4 lambs which could not be analysed).
^♦♦ Infected lambs= 14 (9 lambs with parasite DNA + 5 breeding ewe lambs that transmitted the infection in the subsequent lambing). Total number of lambs from gestations with transplacental passage of N. caninum= 18 (19 born lambs - 1 lamb which could not be analysed).
^a,bDifferent letters within columns indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).

ISSN: 1297-9716