Cellular imune response in water buffalo placentes after inoculation with Neospora caninum during early gestation

CANTÓN, G.; CHIANINI, F.; KONRAD, J.L.; CAMPERO, C.M.

Glasgow

Congreso; Spring Meeting and Trypanosomiasis & Leishmaniasis Seminar; 2012

British Society for Parasitology

Water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) play a crucial role in tropical áreas and their importance is increasing in western nations. Susceptinility to N. caninum (Nc) is not fully understood, although abortion has been confirmed after experimental and natural infections and na exaacerbated cellular imune response was associated with bovine abortion. The aim of this work was to characterise the placental imune response following experimental infection of 10 pregnant Mediterranean water buffalo intravenusly inoculated with 108 tachyzoites of Nc-1 strain at days 70 (B1) and 90 (B2) of gestation. Dams were culled either at 28 days post inoculation (dpi) (B1) ora t 28 and 42 dpi (B2). Placentomes were examined by immunohistochemistry using antobodies raised against T-cells, natural killer (NK) cells and B cells. Non-suppurative placentitis was the most frequente finding in challenged animals. Inflammation was generally mild to severe in group B1 and mild to moderate in group B2 animals. Inflamtion was mainly characterised by infiltration of CD3, TCR and CD4 cells; whereas CD8 cells were less numerous. Few BNK-cells were observed in infected animals. Compared with studies at the same gestation age in cattle, the cellular immune infiltrates were less severe. These finding may explain the milder clinical outcome observed in water buffalo after infection with Nc at the same period of gestation.