CLINICAL, HAEMATOLOGICAL AND SOME TRACE ELEMENTS STATUS IN HEALTHY AND EMACIATED CAMELS IN ASSIUT AND NEW VALLEY GOVERNORATES.

A total number of 71 camels of both sex, 6-12 years old were investigated in this study. 39 camels belonged to animals raised in the New Valley Governorate and 32 camels belonged to camels reared in Assiut Governorate at the Nile valley. 24 camels of the 71 investigated animals (14 camels in the New Valley and 10 camels in Assiut Governorate) were clinically healthy and kept as two control groups. The rest of the animals were emaciated and showed various degree of debility. Studying the clinical, haematological and some trace elements status in blood serum of these camels were the main objectives of this study. Clinical examination of the emaciated camels revealed: weakness and paleness of the mucous membranes, some camels showed disappearance of the hump, atrophy of the thigh muscles and depletion of the sub-cutaneous fat, others showed alopecia, scales, keratinization and wounds of the skin and 12 camels were suffering from chronic diarrhoea. Clinical signs and laboratory findings of blood film and skin scraping revealed that 20 camels were suffering from trypanosomiasis (10 camels in the New Valley and 10 camels in Assiut Governorates), 6 camels suffering from mange mite, 9 camels suffering from trypanosoma evansi and mange mite and 12 camels suffering from chronic diarrhoea, emaciation and weakness. There were a highly significant decrease in the blood serum levels of copper in all the examined emaciated camels in the New Valley and Assiut Governorates. Blood serum levels of iron, zinc and manganese in camels in the New Valley were not affected however the levels of iron and zinc were significantly decreased and the level of manganese was not changed in the blood serum of emaciated camels reared in Assiut Governorate. The blood serum levels of iron, zinc
and manganese in healthy camels reared in Assiut Governorate were statistically lower than that of camels raised in the New Valley Governorate. This may be attributed to the high levels of these elements in the soils of the New Valley zones. Regarding the haematological investigation there were a decrease in the total count of erythrocytes, haemoglobin, PCV and MCHC, no changes in the MCV and MCH values and highly significant increase in the total count of leucocytes. These finding revealed that the examined emaciated camels were suffering from normocytic hypochromic anaemia with leucocytosis.