Dr. Tesfaye Sisay, Dr. Genene TeferaMU’UZ, GEBRU2020-06-182023-11-302020-06-182023-11-302012-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/21707A 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. equi 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 equi subsp. equi, S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus and S. pneumoniae were identified using the Omnilog®-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.enAbattoirAerobic bacteriaAntibiotic susceptibilityAsayitaThesis