THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF CAMELS TO NATURAL INFECTION WITH FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE VIRUS

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 National Agriculture and Water Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Water, Saudi Arabia

2 Dept. of Foot and Mouth Diseases, Vet. Serum and Vaccine Research Institute, Abbassia, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

The results of previous studies on the susceptibility of camels (Camelus dromedarius) to natural infection with Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) reported by different authors are contradictory. Comparative serological studies carried out on non-vaccinated animals (cattle, sheep, goats and camels raised in three different farms located in endemic FMD provinces in the Central and Eastern regions of Saudi Arabia and exposed to type (A) and (0) FMD outbreaks, revealed that none of the tested camel sera positive for VIA antibodies, while 58%(29/50) cattle, 14%(44/307) sheep and 13%(36/273) goats reacted positive. Moreover, all sera with precipitating antibodies against VIA antigen confirmed the presence of antibodies against A Sau 41/91 and 01 Manisa \68 strains of FMD virus. None of the examined camels' sera showed any neutralizing antibodies against the two viruses. In the animals of the second outbreak, out of 20 sheep and 39 goats' sera that reacted negative against VIA antigen, 8 (40%) and 17(44%) respectively neutralized 01 Manisal 68 strain of FMD virus. Testing oesopharyngeal fluids (O.P.) collected from 19 cattle, 34 sheep, 29 goats that reacted positive against VIA antigen showed the isolation of seven type A, and 32 type O FMD carrier viruses. On the contrary, 30 probang samples collected from camels tested negative. The results obtained from the present study indicated that camels did not show any antibody development. However, their role as carriers of FMD viruses can not be ruled out.

Keywords

Assiut Veterinary Medical Journal
Volume 40.1, Issue 79
October 1998
Pages 201-211

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