Research Abstract
Simple Summary: Sarcoptic mange is an important zoonotic parasite aecting camel production.
Mange zoonosis in camels is complicated by scarcity of available data. One of the main strategies for
disease control is early detection of the parasite combined with prevention/control of the major risk
factors associated with the infection. The present study focused on the prevalence of sarcoptic mange
in camels from Egypt together with a histopathological examination of the parasite and association of
the major risk factors, to describe the epidemiological pattern of the disease. Our data demonstrate
that 47.6% of the camels harbored sarcoptic mange infections. In addition, the animals exhibited
obvious clinical signs of mange and numerous histopathological findings that are consistent with
sarcoptic mange. The camel’s age, gender and sampling season were found to be the most significant
risk factors associated with the disease. Taken together, our epidemiological and histopathological
data are consistent with sarcoptic mange being widespread among camels in the studied area.
Our study suggests further research is needed for management of this zoonotic disease in Egypt.
Abstract: Mange has been considered one of the most common parasitic infestations among camels.
It adversely impacts animal productivity and poses a risk to human health. Given the scarcity of
available data about mange in camels, the current study focused on the prevalence of camel mange and
its associated risk factors in Aswan Governorate, Egypt. Towards this end, a general visual inspection
was conducted on camels (N = 210) in dierent markets and slaughterhouses in Aswan Governorate.
Animals 2020, 10, 1485; doi:10.3390/ani10091485 www.mdpi.com/journal/animals
Animals 2020, 10, 1485 2 of 11
Skin scrapings from suspect infected camels were also examined microscopically. Importantly,
these findings were further checked and confirmed by histopathology on samples from suspected
cases collected post-slaughter in abattoirs. The possible risk-associated factors, which include the
camel’s age, sex and sampling season, were recorded and statistically analyzed. Interestingly, the
data showed that a total of 100 camels (47.6%) were found exclusively infested by sarcoptic mange.
Furthermore, the predominant histopathological changes included burrowing tunnel of mites in the
skin, hyperkeratosis and acanthosisconsis of the epidermis, while the dermis showed hemorrhage,
mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltration around the blood vessels and perifolliculitis. These major
histopathological findings are consistent with sarcoptic mange. Furthermore, the statistical analysis
of the possible associated risk factors, camel’s age (p = 0.006), gender (p = 0.032) and sampling season
(p = 0.004), were all found to be significantly aected and related to the disease. In this regard, camels
2 years old were found at higher risk of infection (odds ratio (OR) = 2.75; 95% confidence interval
(CI), 1.345 to 5.604) versus younger animals (OR = 0.36; 95 CI, 0.1784 to 0.743). Females had higher
odds of exposure (OR = 2.02; 95% CI, 1.096 to 3.708) compared to males (OR = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.269
to 0.912). Moreover, the exposure to infection was reported higher in winter (OR = 2.30; 95% CI,
1.297 to 4.098) than in summer (OR = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.244 to 0.771). Collectively, our data provide
novel epidemiological and histopathological support for sarcoptic mange being widespread among
camels in the studied area. Sarcoptic mange is extremely contagious and zoonotic. Therefore, our
baseline investigation indicates an urgent need for additional multicenter-studies to investigate the
occurrence of this disease in camels and humans combined with the appropriate control measures of
camel importation for combating this disease.
Research Journal
animals
Research Pages
1485
Research Publisher
MDPI
Research Rank
1
Research Vol
10 (9)
Research Website
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/9/1485
Research Year
2020
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