Molecular detection and identification of and spp. in one-humped camel () breeds in Egypt.

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Camels are a unique source of milk and meat, which helps recover from several diseases that affect humans worldwide. In Egypt, one of the great obstacles for this industry is tick-borne diseases. This study aimed to characterize blood parasite infections, such as (.) and (.) spp. in one-humped camel () (n=142) breeds in Halayeb and Shalateen, Egypt, through phylogenetic analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The prevalence of and spp. was identified in camels using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting the and genes, respectively. A nested PCR technique was conducted to detect . At the same time, KIN multispecies PCR assay was employed to diagnose and classify trypanosome DNA in camels.

RESULTS

was detected in 4/142 camels with an infection rate of 2.81%. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the strain of isolated from this population was closely related to strains isolated from Argentine, the United States, and Brazil. Moreover, was detected in 8/142 camels with an infection rate of 5.63%. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed that this isolated strain was closely related to detected from cattle in Brazil.

CONCLUSION

The obtained data indicated the existence of and in camels from two provinces of Egypt. The obtained findings have economic significance and reflect the importance of implementing effective prevention and control methods across Egypt to reduce the incidence of and in camels.