Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium caprae in a camel (Camelus dromedarius)

Abstract

Background Animal tuberculosis (TB) is distributed worldwide and has a wide range of wild and domestic reservoirs. Few studies concerning TB in camelids have been published in the last decade, particularly as regards Old World Camelids (OWC), but the increase in reports of TB outbreaks in these species in recent years suggests a high susceptibility to the infection. Case presentation We studied a dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) herd (n = 24) in which a Mycobacterium caprae infection was detected. The TB infection was confirmed in one animal at necropsy through the detection of TB lesions, mainly in the abdominal organs, and the subsequent isolation of M. caprae (SB0157 spoligotype). The whole herd was additionally tested using cellular and humoral based diagnostic techniques. The intradermal tuberculin test results were compared with those obtained using P22 ELISA for the detection of specific antibodies against the M. tuberculosis complex. The TB infected animal was a positive reactor to both the intradermal tuberculin tests and P22 ELISA, while the others were negative to all the diagnostic tests. Conclusion The present study found M. caprae infection in OWC. This is the first report of M. caprae infection in an OWC not living in a zoo. Since the animal was born in the herd and fed with goat’s milk, this practice was suspected to be the potential source of TB infection, which was not confirmed in the other animals present in the herd. Moreover, our results highlight that the intradermal tuberculin test and the P22 ELISA could be valuable tools for the diagnosis of TB in OWC.

Changes in Fecal Microbiome Associated with Parity in Lactating Bactrian Camels

“…Mycobacterium tuberculosis, reported as the etiological agent of tuberculosis, is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, accounting for 1.7 million deaths in 2016 [51]. Animal tuberculosis is globally distributed, with instances of Mycobacterium caprae infection reported in dromedary camel herds [52].…”

<i>Mycobacterium caprae</i> tuberculosis in a captive lion in Ukraine – Case Report

“…Mycobacterium caprae (one of bovine bacilli), a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), has been mainly isolated from goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) and domestic cattle (Bos primigenius taurus) [17]. There are also known cases in other animal species, such as camel (Camelus dromedarius) or Borneo elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) [18,19]. M. caprae was described for the first time in the Polish animal population in 2011 and is still reported as the causative agent of animal tuberculosis [20].…”

Case Report: Congenital tuberculosis in an aborted dromedary camel fetus

“…In dromedary camels, Mycobacteria belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) have been frequently isolated; however, Mycobacterium bovis was reported as the most common etiological agent ( 3 , 4 ). The most frequent clinical signs of camel TB are chronic weight loss, weakness, and lethargy; nevertheless, respiratory signs and fever were also recorded infrequently ( 3 , 5 ).…”