An Epidemiological Study of Sheep and Goat pox Outbreaks in the Sudan

Sheep and goat pox Outbreaks occurred in different geographic areas of Sudan and most strikingly, were highly species specific. Two outbreaks in Gedarif State in June. 2013 affected no goats and outbreak in Khartoum state in March. 2015 affected no sheep despite communal herding; affected goats were vaccinated with 0240 strain. Clinically, the disease was characterized by fever, depression and eruption of generalized pox lesions. Mortality rate ranged between 5.2 and 6.7% with a mean of 6.1%. Isolation of viruses succeed on Lamb testes cell culture at passage four, the diseases were diagnosed using virus neutralisation test and polymerase chain reaction. Sheeppox and goatpox isolates grew well in lamb testes and Vero cells. In MDBK however, both viruses induced slight CPE that reached 60% in 9 days. On the other hand, both isolates induced no CPE in chick embryo fibroblast cells. Virus isolation attempts failed on chorioallantoic membrane of embryonated chicken eggs

Pathological, microscopic, and molecular diagnosis of paratuberculosis/John’s disease in naturally infected dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius)

Background and Aim: Paratuberculosis (PTB) or John’s disease is a chronic disease of ruminants impeding the reproduction and productivity of the livestock sector worldwide. Since there is a lack of pathological studies explaining the nature and development of the disease in camels, this study aimed to highlight the anatomopathological changes of PTB in camels, which may help in verifying and validating some diagnostic tests used to detect the etiology of the disease in camel tissues. Materials and Methods: In August 2017, at Alselaa border’s Veterinary Clinic of Al Dhafra Region, Western Abu Dhabi, UAE, one imported culled she-camel of 2 years old was subjected to clinical, microscopic, and anatomopathological investigations along with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) to confirm the infection and correlate between clinical signs and pathological lesions of the PTB in dromedary camels. Results: Clinically, typical clinical signs compliant with the pathognomonic gross and histologic lesions of PTB were seen in naturally infected dromedary camel. As presumptive diagnosis microscopically, acid-fast coccobacillus bacterium clumps were demonstrated in direct fecal smears as well as in scraped mucosal and crushed mesenteric lymph node films, and in histopathological sections prepared from a necropsied animal and stained by Ziehl-Neelsen stain. Free and intracellular acid-fast clump phagosomes were further confirmed as Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis by q-PCR. Conclusion: Clinical signs and pathological lesions of paratuberculosis in a dromedary camel were found to be similar to those of the other susceptible hosts

Epidemiology and laboratory diagnosis of very virulent infectious bursal disease virus in vaccinated chickens in Khartoum, Sudan

Background: Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD, Gumboro disease) has become more severe than in early outbreaks in the 1980s. The present research aims to study the epidemiology of IBD in Khartoum state and compare some commonly used laboratory techniques for diagnosis.Method: We collected epidemiological data from 30 farms that showed signs suggestive of IBD, estimated the morbidity and mortality rates, and interviewed the owners about the type and the doses of the used vaccines. We collected bursas of Fabricius for virus assays and histopathology. Samples positive in the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test were inoculated onto chicken embryo fibroblast cell culture and embryonated chicken eggs. Twenty two-day-old chicks were infected experimentally with three selected isolates, and morbidity and mortality rates were compared.Results: The results showed that 70% of outbreaks occurred between 6 and 8 weeks of age, and the mean mortality rate was 51%. Epidemiologic, clinical, gross, and histopathological findings were characteristic of the severe disease caused by the very virulent IBDvirus (vvIBDV). The farms that used intermediate or the intermediate plus vaccines had lowered mortality compared with the farms that used intermediate vaccines. The AGID was found more sensitive than the counter-immuno-electrophoresis (CIEP) since it detected 83.4% of the IBDV antigen in the samples while the CIEP detected 66.7% of the samples. The reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was found to be rapid, specific, and was more sensitive detecting 100% of the tested samples. Virus isolation in embryonated eggs and cell culture was not successful.Conclusion: A vvIBDV is responsible for the recent outbreaks of the disease in Sudan, resulting in a mean high mortality rate of 51%, even in vaccinated flocks. The RT-PCR and AGID are the best methods for laboratory confirmation

Investigation on papillomavirus infection in dromedary camels in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia

We investigated two outbreaks of papillomatosis between 2013 and 2015 in Al Ahsa region of eastern Saudi Arabia involving fourteen dromedary camels. The disease affected both young and adult animals and occurred in coincidence with demodectic mange infestation. Diagnosis was made based on gross and histopathological characteristics of the wart lesion and was confirmed by PCR. Rolling circle amplification followed by degenerate primer PCR and sequencing of the amplicons revealed the presence of both Camelus dromedarius papillomavirus types 1 and 2, previously identified in infected dromedaries in Sudan.Keywords: Al Ahsa, Dromedary camels, Infection, Papillomavirus, Saudi Arabia

Salmonella enterica and Theileria co-infection in dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) in UAE

Background: Despite a steady increase in camel husbandry worldwide, pathology of camel diseases is still relatively under investigated. Clinical hematuria is generally indicative of either; acute or chronic urogenital inflammations, traumatic calculous injuries, cancers, or corrosive poisonings as well infectious agents are not typically implicated in urinary tract infection of camels; Aim: This study aims to explore possible causes in camels clinically suffered from acute febrile disease with severe hematuria. Methods: to achieve aims of the study culturing of urine samples, microscopic examination for detection of blood parasites, phenotypic and genotypic characterization for identification of isolated bacteria were followed. Results: Conventional bacteriology enabled identification of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar typhimurium which further genotyped by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Microscopic examination of Giemsa stained blood smears from both infected dromedary camels revealed the presence of pleomorphic Theileria piroplasms. The results suggest that the clinical symptoms were as coinfection induced by salmonellosis and theileriosis. Conclusion: Given these remarkable findings, further research should aim to better characterize the opportunistic pathogens associated with camel theileriosis, as well as to determine other possible infectious agents of the camel urinary tract

A study on transmission of Peste des petits ruminants virus between dromedary camels and small ruminants

International audienceIntroduction: In recent years Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease caused several epidemics in a wide range of susceptible hosts. The ability of the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) to cross the species barrier necessitates further research, particularly on disease circulation and cross-species transmission between typical and atypical hosts to guide and facilitate the eradication program anticipated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in 2030. The aim of this study is to explore the role of dromedary camels as transmitters for PPR. Methodology: Four experiments were carried out on clinically healthy seronegative camels, sheep and goats. In experiment I, the animals were inoculated with a PPR- positive suspension of camel pneumonic lung homogenate. In the other three experiments either sheep and goats were inoculated and after three days were housed with camels or vice versa. Results: Marked clinical signs suggestive of PPR were seen in sheep and goats while camels showed mild infection. Severe clinical signs of PPR were seen in sheep and goats when kept with inoculated camels. Postmortem examination revealed PPR lesions in all inoculated animals including camels. Conclusions: This study showed that dromedary camels infected with PPRV can transmit the disease to sheep and goats, even when they developed mild clinical signs

Molecular Investigation on Tick-Borne Hemoparasites and <i>Coxiella burnetii</i> in Dromedary Camels (<i>Camelus</i><i>dromedarius</i>) in Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi, UAE

Camels represent an important resource for inhabitants of the most arid regions of the world and their survival is mainly related to environment conditions including the risk of parasitic diseases, which may represent a significant cause of losses in livestock production of these areas. Camels may be parasitized by several hematophagous arthropods, which can be vectors of several diseases including zoonosis. This study aimed to investigate in dromedary camels and their ticks the importance of tick-borne hemoparasites that might be responsible for a recent and obscure morbidity of camels in Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, UAE. Blood samples and ticks from 93 naturally infected camels belonging to 36 herds, affected by variable acute clinical syndromes lasting from 3 to 5 days, were analyzed through molecular techniques for specific DNA presence of different blood pathogens: Anaplasmamarginale/Anaplasmaovis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Coxiella burnetii,Babesia spp., and Theileria spp. DNA. All the 72 ticks collected belonged to the Hyalomma dromedarii species and were negative for blood pathogens. n = 15 camels (16.1%) were found positive to the following tick-borne hemoparasites: A. phagocytophilum 11 (11.8%), Coxiella burnetii 3 (3.2%), and Babesia/Theileria spp. 2 (2.1%). One singular camel showed coinfection of C. burnetii and A. phagocytophiulm. Genetic profile of C. burnetii showed a high phylogenetic relatedness to European, Asian and African C. burnetii strains. This is the first laboratory investigation on tick-borne pathogens in camels in UAE, and the first report of A. phagocytophilum and C. burnetii. Moreover, since the detected pathogens are recognized pathogens for humans, this study highlights the zoonotic risk for humans working in camel husbandry