Abstract
New epidemics of respiratory disease have caused 29.6 morbidity and 6.4% mortality in camels in the Somalia region of Ethiopia. The major clinical signs observed were fever of 40–41.5°C, depression, cough, loss of appetite and a watery nasal discharge that became mucopurulent at a later stage. Finally, the camel became recumbent and extended its neck straight along the ground. Some of the animals died within 8–9 days. The major post-mortem lesions were hydrothorax, adhesion of the lung to the thorax, red and grey hepatization, emphysema, hydropericardium and fibrinous pericarditis. A treatment trial indicated that oxytetracycline was more effective than a combination of penicillin and streptomycin, the results showing a significant difference (p>0.05) between the treated and control groups. The bacteria isolated from lung, thoracic fluid and whole blood were Pasteurella haemolytica. Further studies on the epidemiology of this disease, the identification of the serotypes involved, and the demonstration of any primary viral initiating agent are recommended to allow the development of preventive methods.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Abebe, W., 1991. Traditional husbandry practices and major health problems of camels in the Ogaden. Nomadic Peoples, 29, 21-31
Anon., 1984. Manual of Veterinary Investigation, vol. 1, (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, HMSO, London), 95-96
Anon., 1993. Animal Health Yearbook, (Food and Agriculture Organization, International Office of Epizootics, and World Health Organization, Rome)
Bekele, T., 1996. Survey on the distribution of ticks of domestic animals in the eastern zone of Ethiopia. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 28, 145-146
Dadi, A., 1991. Camels an important animal in the south-eastern rangelands. Proceedings of Studies and Research Works Presented to the 10th RegularMeeting of the South East Rangeland Development Project, Jijiga, Ethiopia, 1-29
Melaku, T. and Fesseha, G., 1988. Observation on the productivity and disease of the Issa camel. Proceedings of 2nd National Livestock Improvement Conference, Ethiopia Institute of Agricultural Research, Addis Ababa, 235-238
Radostitis, O.M., Blood, D.C. and Gay, C.G., 1994. Veterinary Medicine. A Text Book of the Diseases of Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Goats and Horses, 8th edn, (ELBS, Baillière-Tindall, London), 747-774
Richard, D., 1979. Study of the pathology of the dromedary in Borana Awraja (IEMUT Maison Alfort, France, Ethiopia), 25, 65-66, 213-214
Seifert, H.S.H., 1996. Tropical Animal Health (CTA, Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht), 373-378
Tesfaye, R., 1996. Report on the new camel disease (FURROO) in Southern Rangelands Development Project (SORDU), Borena, Ethiopia. Ethiopian Veterinary Association Proceedings of the 10th Conference, 1996, 13-15
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bekele, T. Studies on the Respiratory Disease ‘Sonbobe’ in Camels in the Eastern Lowlands of Ethiopia. Tropical Animal Health and Production 31, 333–345 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005290523034
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005290523034