Bacteriological Studies on the Respiratory Tracts of Apparently Healthy and Pneumonic Camels (Camel Us Dromedaries) in Selected Districts of Afar Region, Ethiopia
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Date
2012-06-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
A cross-sectional study was conducted to isolate and characterize the normal bacterial flora and
bacterial agents implicated in pneumonia from the respiratory tract of the apparently healthy and
pneumonic camels in the selected districts of Asayita and Dubti woredas of Afar Region. A total
of 532 samples including 384 nasal swabs, 74 lung tissues and the same number of corresponding
tracheal swabs were collected for bacteriological examination from September 2011 to May
2012. Generally, 903 bacterial isolates that constituted 14 different genera were identified from
both the field and abattoir based study. The 384 nasal specimens collected yielded a total of 641
bacterial isolates. CNS, 28.6%, Bacillus, 13.5%, S. aureus, 13.3% and E. coli, 7.8% were the
leading bacterial species isolated from the nasal tracts of apparently healthy camels. Nasal swabs
collected from the pneumonic camels revealed S. aureus, CNS, Bacillus species and K.
pneumoniae at a rate of 28.0%, 11.7%, 11.3% and 7.0%, respectively. E. coli, 12.7%, Proteus
species, 10.9%, and K. pneumoniae, 9.1 % were recognized at higher proportions among the 55
bacteria identified from the normal lungs. On the other side, S. aureus, S. equi subsp. eqlli and P.
multocida were the frequently encountered species in the pneumonic lungs with the incidence of
16.3%, 13.0% and 10.9%, respectively. The majority of the isolates colonized all the anatomical
sites investigated. However, a general decrease in the isolation rate was observed as one goes
down the respiratory passageways. There was a statistically significant difference between the
health status of the camels as well as along the anatomical sites studied with the isolation rates of
the major camel respiratory pathogens (p<0.05). Streptococcus eqlli subsp. equi, S. equi subsp.
zooepidemicus and S. pneumoniae were identified using the OmnilogĀ®-Biolog identification
system at the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation, Addis Ababa. The majority of the strains of
the camel respiratory pathogens were found susceptible to norfloxacin, streptomycin and
gentamicin but resistant to the action of ampicillin and tetracycline on the invitro test. Further
studies on the demonstration of the role of other microorganisms, the pathogenicity of S. equi
subsp. equi, identification of the serotypes involved and development of polyvalent vaccine are
recommended to allow the progress of preventive methods
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Keywords
Abattoir, Aerobic bacteria, Antibiotic susceptibility, Asayita, Camel, Dubti, Nasal swab, Respiratory tract, Streptococcus equi sllbsp. equi