Brucellosis in Camels in Intensive Animal Breeding Areas of Sudan. Implications in Abortion and Early-Life Infections

Abstract

To study brucellosis in 3413 camels raised in areas of Sudan, where cattle,sheep and goats were intensively bred, bacteriological and serologicalexaminations were performed. Among the camels, 3275 belonged to 110herds, 35 were reared individually or with cattle, and 103 had beenslaughtered at Nyala abattoir. The infection was found in 50 (45.5%) of 110herds, with prevalence rates ranging from 1.4 to 89.5%; in 72 (7.3%) out of993 males and in 196 (8.1%) out of 2420 females; 75% of the positive camelswere adults over 4 years old and the remaining 25% were younger, from 6months to 4 years old. In infected herds, abortion rates associated with thedisease ranged from 3.1 to 72.7% depending on the location. Otherconditions caused by the disease were retention of placenta, fetal death andmummification, delayed service age and infertility. Hygromas and cases oforchitis were not shown to be caused by brucellosis. The disease in camelswas found milder than in cattle. Brucella abortus antibodies in infectedcamels ranged from 31 to 1969 IU/ml (2/20 to 2/1280). The milk ring test wasimproved by adding bovine milk negative for the disease to camel milk. Malecamels used for service were negative for the disease implying that they didnot play a role in its transmission. Recommendations for brucellosis controlwere given.