Cross-sectional analysis of Piroplasma species-infecting camel (Camelus dromedaries) in Egypt using a multipronged molecular diagnostic approach

Olfat A Mahdy; Ahmed M Nassar; Bassma S M Elsawy; Heba F Alzan; Omnia M Kandil; Mona S Mahmoud; Carlos E Suarez

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1178511

Cross-sectional analysis of Piroplasma species-infecting camel (Camelus dromedaries) in Egypt using a multipronged molecular diagnostic approach

Front Vet Sci. 2023 Apr 28:10:1178511. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1178511. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Olfat A Mahdy^#¹, Ahmed M Nassar¹, Bassma S M Elsawy^{2

3}, Heba F Alzan^{2

3

4}, Omnia M Kandil², Mona S Mahmoud^#^{2

3}, Carlos E Suarez^#^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Parasitology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
² Parasitology and Animal Diseases Department, Veterinary Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.
³ Tick and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Unit, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States.
⁵ Department of Agricultural - Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, WA, United States.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Camel piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease (TBD) caused by hemoprotozoan parasites. Hereby, we describe a cross-sectional study aiming at identifying Piroplasma spp.-infecting camels in Egypt using a multipronged molecular diagnostic approach. A total of 531 blood samples from camels (Camelus dromedarius) were collected from slaughterhouses at different governorates in Egypt for analysis during the period from June 2018 to May 2019. Piroplasma spp. was identified using microscopical examination and several different and sequential polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting the 18S rRNA genes. The overall prevalence of Piroplasma spp. in microscopical and molecular analyses in the samples was 11% (58/531) and 38% (203/531), respectively. Further discriminative multiplex PCR analysis targeting the 18S rRNA gene applied on all Piroplasma spp.-positive samples allowed the detection of Theileria equi (41%), Babesia caballi (5.4%), Babesia bigemina (0.5%), and Babesia bovis (4%). Additionally, the blast analysis of nested (n) PCR, targeting the V4 region, amplicon sequences resulted in the identification of B. vulpes (22%), Babesia sp. (9%), and Theileria sp. (3%). Overall, the results of this study confirmed the high prevalence of TBDs caused by several types of piroplasm hemoparasites in camel and suggests the need for future interventions aimed at improving the control of these potentially debilitating diseases that may be t-hreatening important economic resources and food security in Egypt.

Keywords: Egypt; Piroplasma spp; camel; genetic characterization; phylogenetic analysis.

Grants and funding

A part of this study was funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) [Livestock Vaccine Innovation Fund (Grant 108525), funded by the Canadian Government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation] (Carlos E. Suarez and Heba Alzan), and by ARS-USDA CRIS 2090-32000-039-000-D (Carlos E. Suarez). In addition, this research was funded by the National Research Centre (NRC) fund for Bassma Said Mohamed Elsawy.