Veterinarni Medicina, 53, 2008 (3): 117–123 Original Paper 117 Seroprevalence of Aspergillus fumigatus antibodies in bovine herds with a history of reproductive disorders M.E. Garcia 1 , J. Caballero 2 , S. Alvarez-Perez 1 , J.L. Blanco 1 1 Veterinary Faculty, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain 2 Laboratorios Hipra, Amer, Girona, Spain ABSTRACT: Bovine reproductive disorders are of growing interest from both economic and health standpoints. The role that fungi play in these processes is becoming increasingly important. Study of the seroprevalence of anti-Aspergillus antibodies in cow sera taken from herds with previous reproductive disorders is therefore of great interest. We used an indirect ELISA technique, that had shown suitable results in previous studies in other animal species. Thirteen percent of the 387 animals tested in the current study were positive, accounting for 41% of herds. When this technique was applied to the sera of two fetuses, that were aborted due to aspergillosis, a sig- nificant difference in anti-Aspergillus antibody levels was found compared with those in control sera. The ELISA technique was compared with PLATELIA and PCR for 24 ELISA-positive cattle sera; these assays resulted in only one and three positive results, respectively. In conclusion, the ELISA analysis showed a significant seroprevalence of Aspergillus antibodies in herds with previous reproductive disorders. There is therefore a need for more atten- tion to be paid to Aspergillus in the differential diagnoses of these conditions and to improve preventive methods to effectively control this organism. Keywords: Aspergillus; abortion; fungi; ELISA; PCR; antibodies Supported by the Laboratory Hipra and the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (Grant No. AP 2005-1034). Abortion in cattle is a serious problem, which results in considerable economic losses to the in- dustry from reduced productive efficiency. The different factors influencing reproductive ef- ficiency, and the difficulty in obtaining a definitive diagnosis of infertility, make laboratory investiga- tion necessary in many cases. However, the diag- nostic accuracy of the laboratories has traditionally been low for reproductive problems. Various factors contribute to this problem: etiological complexity, samples in bad condition or inappropriate samples, and lack of technical ability. Even when it is possible to detect the presence of an infectious agent in the fetus, caution must be taken before considering its role in the disease process. It must be borne in mind that the presence of a specific microorganism does not necessarily mean a causal association between the microorganism and the abortion. Bovine mycotic abortion is a worldwide sporadic disease that usually affects a small percentage of animals within a herd. Cows typically abort in their second or third trimester of pregnancy, usually between the fifth and seventh month of gestation (Tell, 2005). Systemic bovine aspergillosis is difficult to diag- nose clinically in cattle because there is no typical clinical picture and therefore most cases are not diagnosed until post-mortem pathology is applied. Aspergillus fumigatus infection is predominantly found in the lung, the gastrointestinal tract and,