Molecular survey of Babesia, Theileria, Trypanosoma, and Anaplasma infections in camels (Camelus dromedaries) in Egypt. (October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Salman, Doaa; Sivakumar, Thillaiampalam; Otgonsuren, Davaajav; Mahmoud, Motamed E.; Elmahallawy, Ehab Kotb; Khalphallah, Arafat; Kounour, Ahmed M.E.Y.; Bayomi, Sara A.; Igarashi, Makoto; Yokoyama, Naoaki
• Is Part Of: Parasitology international. Volume 90(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-10
• Subjects: Anaplasma -- Babesia -- Camel -- Egypt -- Theileria -- Trypanosoma; Parasitology -- Periodicals; Parasites -- Periodicals; Parasitic Diseases -- Periodicals; Parasitology -- Periodicals; Parasitologie -- Périodiques; 571.99905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2022.102618
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1383-5769

Abstract

Abstract: The one-humped camel ( Camelus dromedarius ) or dromedary is an economically important domestic animal. However, infectious diseases, including those caused by vector-borne hemopathogens, frequently compromise the health and production of camels. In this study, we examined infections caused by Babesia, Theileria, Trypanosoma, and Anaplasma species in camels in Egypt. We analyzed blood DNA samples from 148 camels reared in six Egyptian governorates (Giza, Asyut, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, and the Red Sea) using pathogen-specific Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assays. Our results indicated that 29 (19.6%), 22 (14.9%), 1 (0.7%), 2 (1.4%), 1 (0.7%), 2 (1.4%), and 28 (18.9%) of the surveyed animals were infected with Babesia bovis, B. bigemina, Babesia sp. Mymensingh, Theileria sp. Yokoyama, Theileria equi, Trypanosoma evansi, and Anaplasma marginale, respectively. We found that a total of 68 (45.9%) animals were infected with at least one of the detected hemopathogens. Sequencing analyses of PCR amplicons confirmed our diagnostic results. This study is the first to report Theileria sp. Yokoyama and Babesia sp. Mymensingh in Egypt. This is also the first report of infection with these two species in one-humped camel. In conclusion, this study found that camels in Egypt are infected with several vector-borne hemopathogens, including novel parasite species. Graphical abstract: Unlabelled Image Highlights: We surveyed camels in six Egyptian governorates for hemopathogens using PCR assays We detected several species of Babesia, Theileria, Trypanosoma, and Anaplasma We report Babesia sp. Mymensingh in dromedary and in Egypt for the first time We report Theileria sp. Yokoyama in dromedary and in Egypt for the first time