Abstract
In April 2008, whole blood samples were collected from 36 dromedary camels in Sokoto, North-western Nigeria. Following PCR and reverse line blotting, twenty-two samples (61%) resulted positive for Ehrlichia/Anaplasma spp. and three (8%) for Theileria/Babesia spp., with three (8%) cases of co-infections being found. Both sequence and BLAST analyses identified Ehrlichia/Anaplasma spp. and Theileria/Babesia spp. positive cases as Anaplasma platys and Theileria ovis, respectively.This is the first report of the detection of A. platys and T. ovis in camels from sub-Saharan Africa. The epidemiological relevance of this finding is enhanced by the close living of these animals with both dogs and small ruminants. The high prevalence detected for A. platys suggests a possible role of camels as carriers of this infection.
Highlights
In April 2008, whole blood samples were collected from 36 dromedary camels in Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria
Following PCR and reverse line blotting, twenty-two samples (61%) resulted positive for Ehrlichia/Anaplasma spp. and three (8%) for Theileria/Babesia spp., with three (8%) cases of co-infections being found
Nigeria hosts a population of approximately 20,000 dromedary camels (i.e. Camelus dromedarius), most of which are found in its northern States (i.e. Sokoto State) (Mohammed and Hoffmann, 2006)
Summary
In April 2008, whole blood samples were collected from 36 dromedary camels in Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria. Little information is currently available on the occurrence of TBDs in camels in Nigeria, with all studies published to date relying on pathogen detection through cytological examination of blood smears (Mohammed et al, 2007; Bamaiyi et al, 2011; Rabana et al, 2011).
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