Lung Lesions and Bacteria of the One-Humped Camel (Camelus dromedarius) at Nouakchott Slaughterhouse in Mauritania

Abstract

In Mauritania, data about pulmonary diseases of the dromedary are rare. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of pulmonary lesions and associated bacteria in the lungs of dromedaries at the slaughterhouse of Nouakchott, Mauritania. For this purpose, 729 lungs were examined, i.e. 31.5% (729/2315) of animals slaughtered during the period of the study. Among the 729 examined lungs, 421 presented lesions (57.7%). The main lesion types were focal atelectasis (68.6%), isolated pleurisy (64.4%) and partial emphysema (59.1%). Pneumonia and hydatid cyst prevalences were 24 and 5.2%, respectively. These lesions were classified as minor or major lesions. Thus, 17.3% (73/421) of the lesions observed were major. The high frequency (64.4%) and macroscopic aspect of pleurisy were particular facts. Lastly, a relatively high frequency of blood aspiration was noted in the lungs (26.5%). The histopathological examination confirmed the macroscopic aspects. Moreover, this examination revealed parasites and bacteria in the pulmonary lesions. Sixteen bacterial genera and several bacterial species were isolated. Apart from the common germs Bacillus and Proteus, the bacterial agents the most frequently isolated in the three sampling types were Streptococcus sp., Staphylococcus sp. and Escherichia. Several associations of bacterial species were noted within the same sample. The bacterial genera associated with major pulmonary lesions were Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella and Corynebacterium