An acute outbreak of natural Trypanosoma evansi infection in camel (Camelus dromedarius) herds in the southwestern Iran

Trypanosomosis is a common disease in camels and other ruminants, horses, dogs, and of the most important diseases in camels causing huge losses in different countries. Two camel herds in mid-summer of 2014 were involved by wasting infectious disease with cachexia and progressive weakness in southwestern Iran. Upon clinical examination, tachycardia, fever, edema and facial swelling, keratitis, hypopyon, pale mucous membranes, alopecia, dehydration, enlarged lymphatic nodes, and reluctance to move were submitted in a large number of camels. Finally, according to the clinical signs, hematological and biochemical changes, and also observing trypanosomes in peripheral blood smears of camels, trypanosomosis was confirmed. For detection of trypanosome and assuring the virulence of current strain, laboratory-bred mice were inoculated intraperitoneally and subcutaneously with 0.5 ml of buffy coat or whole blood of each smear-positive camel. Parasitemia with anemia was observed in experimentally inoculated mice. Furthermore, the DNA was extracted from the blood and tissue samples of the camels and aborted fetus respectively, and analyzed by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) using specific primers. Disease confirmed and the camels in both herds with the same clinical signs were treated by trypanocide drugs. The signs of trypanosomosis were obviated in all involved camels. It was concluded that trypanosomosis was the cause of abortion and the other observed signs in the camels of Khuzestan province, Iran.