Parasitic diseases of camels in Iran (1931–2017) – a literature review

Abstract

Parasitic diseases of camels are major causes of impaired milk and meat production, decreases in performance or even death. Some camel parasites also represent a threat to human health. About 171,500 one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) and 100–300 two-humped camels (Camelus bactrianus) live in Iran. Knowledge of the biodiversity of their parasites is still limited. The present review covers all information about camel parasitic diseases in Iran published as dissertations and in both Iranian and international journals from 1931 to February 2017. Ten genera of Protozoa (Trypanosoma, Eimeria, Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, Neospora, Sarcocystis, Besnoitia, Theileria, Babesia and Balantidium), 48 helminth species detected in the digestive system, including three species of Trematoda, four species of Cestoda, and 41 species of Nematoda, as well as helminths from other organs – Echinococcus spp., Dictyocaulus filaria, Thelazia leesei, Dipetalonema evansi and Onchocerca fasciata – have so far been described in Iranian camels. Furthermore, 13 species of hard ticks, mange mites, the myiasis flies Cephalopina titillator and Wohlfahrtia magnifica, and immature stages of the Pentastomida Linguatula serrata have also been reported from camels of Iran. Camel parasitic diseases are a major issue in Iran in terms of economics and public health. The present review offers information for an integrated control programme against economically relevant parasites of camels.

Vector-borne bacteria in blood of camels in Iran: New data and literature review

“…The vectors of Candidatus Anaplasma camelii are still bot known. Camels of Iran are mainly infested with hard ticks of the genus Hyalomma [1]. Similarly in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Morocco, infection of dromedaries with Anaplasma platys-like organisms occurs in dromedaries primarily infested with Hyalomma spp.…”

“…Camels are susceptible to a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms and they may act as carriers or reservoirs for several animal and zoonotic diseases [1]. However, apart from camel brucellosis and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), reports of camel-to-human transmission of zoonotic agents are either anecdotal or unsubstantiated.…”

Zoonotic implications of camel diseases in Iran

“…Information on the epidemiology of echinococcosis in camels in different regions of Iran is very limited (Borji & Parandeh 2010). Cross-sectional studies and parasitology tests from 1970 to 2016 showed that infected camels with E. granulosus varied from 20.73% to 70% (Afshar, Nazarian, & Baghban-Baseer, 1971;Mobedi, Madadi, & Arfaa, 1970;Moghadar, Oryan, & Pour, 1992;Mowlavi, 1997;Sazmand & Joachim, 2017) in various parts of Iran (Table 3).…”

“…It has been identified as the cause of numerous outbreaks of diarrhoeal disease in humans and animals all over the world (Fayer, 2004;Razavi, Oryan, Bahrami, Mohammadalipour, & Gowhari, 2009). Cryptosporidium is transmitted via the faecal-oral route and easily spreads through water, food and contact with infected animals and contaminated environments (Lal, Cornish, Fearnley, Glass, & Kirk, 2015;Sazmand & Joachim, 2017). Cryptosporidiosis is a zoonotic problem and its excreted oocysts could be the sources of human infection and great public health concern (Pieniazek et al, 2003).…”

“…In Iran, epidemiological studies reported a wide range of infections from 0% to 32% in different human societies (Jafari, Maghsood, & Fallah, 2012). Few data are available on Cryptosporidium prevalence in camels of Iran (Nazifi et al, 2010;Sazmand & Joachim, 2017). From 2008 to 2012, microscopic examination of smears stained by modified Ziehl-Neelsen showed that 1.9%…”