<i>Neospora caninum</i>Infection and Repeated Abortions in Humans

Abstract

Neospora caninum, an intracellular protozoan parasite closely related to Toxoplasma gondii (1,2), was first described in dogs in Norway in 1984 and later in a wide range of other mammals including cattle, goats, horses, and sheep. The life cycle of N. caninum is only partially known, but the dog has recently been established as its definitive host (3). The pathogens only known natural route of transmission (which can occur during sequential pregnancies in cattle) is transplacental (4).