Subclinical anaplasmosis in camel (Camelus dromedarius) and its successful therapeutic management

On the Indian sub continent, dromedarian camel —‘the ship of the desert’ is an important constituent of the socio economic life style of nomadic owners in the semi arid to arid ecosystems. The animal suffers from a few parasitic diseases viz. surra, coccidiosis, sarcocystis, gastro intestinal concurrent metazoan infections, mange, nasal bots and ticks infestations. However, anaplasmosis in camel has not been reported so far from the Indian subcontinent. Systematic investigations of a 7 year male Jaisalmeri camel, with a clinical history of dullness, progressive loss of condition and stamina revealed subclinical Anaplasma marginale infection. The animal had depressed haematological indices, dry and constipated bowels, pale and icteric conjunctiva suggestive of anaemia. The animal positively responded to the specific integrated therapy. Reexamination of the animal on day 21 post-therapy revealed depressed haematological indices restored to normal levels and the erythrocytes were free from the pathogen. Neglected attention, poor and/or underreporting of camel diseases vis-a-vis economic significance of the versatile animal has been discussed. This appears to be the pioneer documentation of anaplasmosis in camels from Indian subcontinent.