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Table I.

Detection of parasite DNA and histopathological changes in foetal and maternal tissues of cattle inoculated with Nc-1 (group 1) and Nc-Spain 1H (group 2) or PBS (group 3) at 70 days of gestation.

Group Foetal death (days p.i.) Foetal
Maternal
Liver
Heart
Brain
Placenta
Brain
HPa DNAb HP DNA HP DNA HP DNA HP DNA
1 34* ++ 3/3 ++ 3/3 + 3/3 ++ 3/3 +
34* + 1/3 ++ 3/3 + 3/3 ++ 3/3
+ + + +
+ + + +
26* ++ 3/3 ++ 3/3 + 3/3 ++ 3/3 +
2 + +
+ + + 1/3
+ +
+ +
+ +
3
*

Day p.i. when foetal death was detected by transrectal ultrasonography. The remaining foetuses lived until the end of the experiment.

a

Histopathological lesion severity: none detected (−), consistent with (+), and characteristic of (++) N. caninum infection.

b

Fractions represent number of samples positive by nested PCR/number of samples examined.