The effect of management system on Camels milk yield and calve growth rate in north Kordofan, Sudan

Twenty lactating she-camels and two mature male for mating were selected in north Kordofan state, Sudan. The animals were divided into two groups 10 she-camel of each with one male for mating. Group one managed in a semi intensive system, all animals were herded during night in closed in pen and set free during the midday. Supplementation consists of concentrates (2kg/day) and roughages (5kg/day) were used. The other group served as a control (Under traditional system) all animals managed traditionally but within the site of the experimental work, on this system the animals are brought to grazing areas where they selected the feed by themselves from the available plants and allowing nothing as supplemented feeding. The calves' weights were determined every six months using traditional balances, also daily milk yield were recorded. The study indicated that daily milk production in she-camel reared under semi-intensive system was higher than the camels reared under traditional management. Also the results indicated that the body weight of the calves under semi-intensive system during six, 12 and 18 months of age were the highest than the calves reared in the traditional system, semi-intensive system improved the daily growth rates of the calve. The study showed that there were non-significant differences between male and female on daily gain. (Résumé d'auteur

Chemical composition, fibre types and enzymes activates of longissimus thoracis muscle of the one humped camel

Thirty samples of Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle were collected from 2-3 years old male camels slaughtered according to seasons of the year (winter, summer and autumn). The samples were then subjected to chemical analysis to study the chemical composition, fibre types and metabolic enzymes activities and variations among seasons. The results showed that chemical composition, ultimate pH (pHu) and calor were significantly influenced by season. Enzymes activities of isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) and phosphofructokinase (PFK) were higher during autumn season compared to summer and winter (2.7 and 1.8 uml/min per g muscle, respectively). Quantification of muscle myosin heavy chain isoforms by SOS-PAGE electrophoresis and image analysis indicated higher proportions rn winter for type I muscle fibres and in autumn for type I la muscle fibres. Positive correlation was observed (0.84) between the proportion of fibre type I and lsocitrate Dehydrogenase (ICDH) enzyme activity. These findings indicated that muscle characteristics in camels are highly regulated by season. (Résumé d'auteur

Protective activity of camel's milk and urine mixture (Camelus dromedarius) against ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

This study was implemented at the University of Khartoum to investigate the protective effect of camel milk mixed with camel urine against alcohol-induced liver damage in Wistar albino rats. The reasons for combining camel milk and urine together are because that in Sudan this combination is used extensively in traditional medicine and they claimed that this combination cures a lot of diseases including liver disease and jaundice; 25 Wister Albino rats of both sexes were brought and divided into 5 groups. Group 1 (control group) received normal saline, group 2 received ethanol 10% at dose of (0.5 g/100g body weight) and group 3 rats received Silymarin (5 mg/100g body weight) plus ethanol 10% (0.5 g/100g). Group 4 received a mixture of camel milk and urine (1:1) at the rate of 2 ml/100g and group 5 rats were administered with the mixture of camel's milk and urine as in group 4 plus ethanol 10% (0.5 g/100g). All treatments given by an oral intubation, experiment lasts for 28 days, rats were euthanized, serum samples and liver sections obtained. Oral administration of 10% ethanol (0.5 g/100g) induced liver damage which was clear in group 2 in a form of generalized necrosis, fatty change and congestion, beside high elevation of serum enzymes (AST, ALT, and ALP). Giving camel's milk and urine mixture to group 5 with ethanol 10% (0.5 g/100g), resulted in significant reduction of levels of serum enzymes (AST, ALT, and ALP) and in stabilization of serum metabolites (total protein, albumin and bilirubin). The degree of reduction was lower when significantly compared to (Silymarin + ethanol) group, and all results were verified by the histopathological changes. Hepatoprotective effects of camel's milk and urine mixture were recorded and this could be attributed to antioxidant activity or to its chelate effects on toxicants. Drinking raw camel milk and urine mixture, it was used extensively in traditional medicine in Sudan and it was found safe without any ill effect. (Résumé d'auteur

Combined sanger and ngs sequence analysis of the myostatin gene (mstn) in the Camelus dromedarius species

Different mutations have been identified in the myostatin gene (MSTN), some of which are responsible for protein inactivation and double muscling phenotype in mammals. So far, no extensive polymorphism survey has been carried out in Camelus dromedarius. We therefore performed a sequence analysis, adopting a combined strategy involving Sanger and next generation sequencing (NGS). Notably, 3.6 kb of the MSTN locus were Sanger sequenced in a population dataset including samples from Algeria (10), Tunisia (5), Egypt (9), Mauritania (5), Sudan (5) and Saudi Arabia (9). A further wholegenome dataset, including 7 C. dromedarius from Pakistan (1), Kenya (1), Saudi Arabia (3), Canary Islands (1) and Oman (1) were sequenced using the Illumina Hi-Seq 2000 technique at an average 15-fold coverage. Whole-genome NGS sequence data from 9 C. bactrianus and 7 C. ferus samples were also available for comparison. Overall, only four polymorphisms were detected, all of them were observed in intronic regions, corresponding to an average presence of one SNP per 1200 bps. Ten fixed sites were observed when comparing C. dromedarius MSTN sequences with those from C. bactrianus and C. ferus. The apparent low sequence diversity observed at the MSTN locus may reflect the peculiar evolutionary history of this species, with purifying selection and drift phenomena as the most likely acting forces.(Résumé d'auteur

Camel in Sudan: future prospects

According to FAO statistics, camel population in Sudan ranks the second in the world after Somalia with 4.5 millions heads. This population is quite important while the camel production appears, at least officially, very low. With a meat production of 49,880 tons and a milk production of 120,000 tons, camel production is far away from the potential. Even if these data did not cover the entire reality, it is obvious that camel production in Sudan is insufficiently valorized. Meat from young camels has been reported to be comparable in taste and texture to beef. Inspite of the increase in local camel meat consumption to 63,000 tons in 2009, yet camel meat is common in some parts of the country and milk consumption under gariss form is popular in rural areas where camel is generally reared. Camel diseases are the major constrains of production such as trypanosomiasis and mastitis. The research has to push in that way in order to innovate camel meat and milk sector. The modernization of meat and milk processing could be the motor for the improvement of camel production. Both in terms of research and of development, the identification of the main constraints for the camel sector is the way to propose a fruitful strategy. (Résumé d'auteur

Effect of slaughter season on fatty acids composition of desert camel meat (Camelus dromedaries)

The study aimed to study the effect of slaughter season on fatty acids composition of camel Longissimus thoracis muscle. Desert camel calves (n=30) were fattened by local camel herders in Sudan and slaughtered in different seasons of the year: winter, summer and autumn (ten camels each). The average of total lipids of the three seasons was 11.7g/100g fresh muscle, showed no differences among seasons. Camel LT muscle contained 52.2% SFA, 35.8% MUFA, 11.6 PUFA and 0.5% CLA, respectively. Slaughter season influenced the total MUFA which found high in summer compared to other seasons. As well, the ratio of 18:2 n-6/18:3 n-3, n-6/n-3 as well as UFA/SFA were influenced by slaughter season (P<0.05). CLA content and the percentages of trans11, cis 9 18:2 isomer are relatively high, while n-6/n-3 ratio was within the recommended values for the human diet which indicated that camel LT muscle has a high nutritional value throughout the year. (Résumé d'auteur

Signals of selection during domestication in old world camelids. [P0686]

In many parts of the Old World domesticated camels genus Camelus re an essential resource providing food labor commodities and sport to millions of people Of the three extant species two have been domesticated single humped dromedaries Camelus dromedarius and two humped Bactrian camels Camelus bactrianus and one remains wild two humped wild Bactrian camels Camelus ferus All three species possess a variety of adaptations to harsh desert conditions including mechanisms to tolerate extreme temperatures dehydration and sandy terrain Recent genomic studies of camels have identified patterns of selection consistent with the aforementioned adaptations in addition to quantifying genetic variation and examining demographic history However these studies are limited to analyses based upon a single genome from each species thus biasing many inferences of selection and adaptation Furthermore draft genomes are susceptible to errors in gene annotation thereby distorting conclusions of adaptation based upon orthologous genes between species In this study we take a population genomics approach to inferring both positive selection and demographic history of Old World camelids By re sequencing multiple genomes from all three species our objectives were to i) identify genes or regions under selection within and between species related to domestication or adaptation ii) examine the recent demographic history and genome ancestry and iii) provide an extensive set of genomic resources for future studies of camels. (Résumé d'auteur