Neospora caninum - How close are we to development of an efficacious vaccine that prevents abortion in cattle?

Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite that causes abortion in cattle around the world. Although the clinical signs of disease in both dogs and cattle have now been recognised for over 20 years, treatment and control options are still limited, despite the availability of a commercial vaccine in some countries of the world. The case for an efficacious vaccine has not been convincingly waged by farmers, veterinarians and other members of the agricultural and rural communities. In recent times, however, economic modelling has been used to estimate the industry losses due to Neospora-associated abortion, providing, in turn, the business case for forms of control for this parasite, including the development of vaccines. In this review, we document progress in all areas of the vaccine development pipeline, including live, killed and recombinant forms and the animal models available for vaccine evaluation. In addition, we summarise the main outcomes on the economics of Neospora control and suggest that the current boom in the global dairy industry increases the specific need for a vaccine against N. caninum-associated abortion. © 2009 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc.