The effects of CYP1A enzyme on the pharmacokinetics of p-acetaminophen were studied in Bactrian camel. Twelve Bactrian camels were divided into 2 groups, then given a single dose of p-acetaminophen only or with the enzyme inhibitor lomefloxacin. Blood samples were collected after different intervals, and p-acetaminophen concentration was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Pharmacokinetic parameters were analyzed by Phoenix WinNonLin v.7.0. The results show that lomefloxacin can significantly inhibit Bactrian camel CYP1A enzyme, as evidenced by the prolonged elimination half-life, increased maximum plasma concentration and area under the curve values and the shortened time to peak concentration for p-acetaminophenol in the substrate with inhibitor group. The results lay a foundation for revealing the particular characteristics of the CYP1A enzyme in Bactrian camels.
Camels ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Half-Life ; Pharmacokinetics ; Plasma

This study examined the sedative, analgesic, behavioral, and clinical effects of a combination of xylazine (XY) and nalbuphine-xylazine (NA-XY) in camels. A total of five adult camels were used in a prospective randomized cross-over design with a wash out period of two weeks. Camels were allocated randomly to two treatment groups: the XY group (xylazine, 1.1mL/100 kg IV) and the NA-XY group (xylazine, 1.1mL/100 kg IV and nalbuphine, 1 mg/kg IV). The sedative, analgesic, behavioral, and clinical effects of XY and NA-XY combination were evaluated prior to administration (baseline) and at 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 120 minutes post-administration. The results showed that the NA-XY combination accelerates the onset of sedation and analgesia and prolongs the durations of both sedation (p < 0.001) and analgesia (p < 0.01). The behavioral parameters showed higher scores with a NA-XY combination than xylazine alone. Although a XY injection resulted in a significant decline in the heart and respiratory rate, the NA-XY combination group revealed a non-significant change in both clinical parameters compared to the baseline. In conclusion, the use of a NA-XY combination in camels improved the sedative and analgesic onset and duration with an improved outcome in the behavioral scores, as well as in both the heart and respiratory rates compared to XY alone.
Adult ; Analgesia ; Camels ; Cross-Over Studies ; Heart ; Humans ; Nalbuphine ; Prospective Studies ; Respiratory Rate ; Xylazine

The geographical distribution and ecological preferences of Haemaphysalis in domestic animals in Iran were studied 4 times a year from April 2003 to March 2005. A total of 1,622 ixodid tick specimens were collected from 3 different zones. Among them, 108 (6.7%) Haemaphysalis ticks, consisting of 6 species, were identified; H. punctata (3.4%), H. parva (0.5%), H. sulcata (0.6%), H. choldokovskyi (1.7%), H. concinna (0.06%) and Haemaphysalis sp. (0.6%). H. punctata was the most abundant species, whereas H. concinna was the rarest species collected in humid and sub-humid zones on cattle, sheep and goats. H. choldokovskyi was principally collected from sheep and goats grazed in cold mountainous areas. The infested areas consisted of Caspian Sea (Guilan, Mazandaran, Golestan, and central provinces), mountainous (Azarbaiejan, Ardebil, Kohgilouyeh, and Kordestan) and semi-dessert (Khorasan, Semnan, Kerman, Sistan, and Baluchestan) zones. The Caspian Sea zone (23.6%) was the most highly infested region. The results show that various species of Haemaphysalis ticks infest domestic ruminants in Iran and each tick species show characteristic geographical distributions.
Animals ; Camels ; Cattle ; Ecosystem ; Geography ; Goats ; Iran/epidemiology ; Ixodidae/*classification ; Ruminants/*parasitology ; Sheep ; Tick Infestations/epidemiology/*veterinary

The prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. was investigated by gross and histopathological examinations in 250 camels (Camelus dromedarius) slaughtered from 2002 to 2005 in the Mashhad Slaughterhouse, eastern Iran. Samples were taken from the diaphragm, heart, tongue, esophagus and masseter muscles for histopathological studies. No macroscopic sarcocysts were found in the samples at gross inspection. Sarcocysts were detected in 209 of 250 (83.6%) examined camels at histopathological level. The infection rate of the esophagus, heart, masseter muscles, diaphragm, and tongue was 58.8%, 48.0%, 46.8%, 41.6%, and 28.0%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the rate of infection between male (85.8%) and female (81.0%) camels. The tissue response to vital cysts was minimal; however, reaction to the degenerating cysts was severe and caused tissue damages resulting in hyperemia, hemorrhages, mononuclear cell infiltration, necrotic changes, and fibrosis. The wild and domestic carnivores especially dogs may be the final hosts of Sarcocystis spp. in this area.
Animals ; *Camels ; Esophagus/parasitology ; Female ; Heart/parasitology ; Iran/epidemiology ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal/parasitology ; Prevalence ; Sarcocystis ; Sarcocystosis/complications/epidemiology/*veterinary

This review describes the epidemiology of childhood diabetes in India. It focuses on the incidence and prevalence of type 1 diabetes and its complications and comorbid conditions. The review also covers data related to type 2 diabetes, glucose intolerance, and monogenic diabetes from India. A brief discussion regarding unique contributions from India to the world literature is included. The topics discussed include use of camel milk as adjuvant therapy in type 1 diabetes, relevance of the A1/A2 hypothesis, and comprehensive clinico-etiopathological classification of type 1 diabetes.
Camels ; Child ; Classification ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Epidemiology ; Glucose Intolerance ; Humans ; Incidence ; India* ; Milk ; Prevalence

This study was conducted to underscore the spatial distribution of some biologically active proteins within the epididymal duct in the dromedary camel. Paraffin-embedded sections from different regions of epididymis were stained by conventional histological techniques and by immunohistochemistry. A battery of primary antibodies against six proteins (S100, alpha smooth muscle actin [alpha-SMA], connexin-43 [Cx43], galactosyltransferase [GalTase], angiotensin converting enzyme [ACE], and vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF]) were used. The epididymal epithelium consisted of five cell populations: principal, basal, apical, dark, and halo cells. The histochemical findings indicated the absence of binding sites for VEGF and Cx43. The principal cells (PCs) showed variable immunoreactivity (IR) for ACE, S100, and GalTase throughout the whole length of the duct. The apical surfaces of most PCs (at the caput) and some PCs (at the corpus) exhibited intense ACE-IR, whereas those at the cauda displayed alternating negative and strong immunostaining. Similarly, moderate S100-IR was found in cytoplasm and nuclei of all PCs at the caput, few PCs at the corpus, and several PCs alternating with negative PCs at the cauda. In contrast, only some PCs showed weak to strong GalTase-IR in different regions. Apart from negative to weak positive S100-IR, basal cells failed to show IR for all other proteins. Apical cells displayed strong IR for ACE, S100, and GalTase with some regional differences. The peritubular and vascular smooth muscle cells revealed strong alpha-SMA-IR in all regions. In conclusion, the spatial distribution of different proteins in camel epididymis showed similarities and differences to other mammalian species. The region-specific topographic distribution of different proteins and cell types might indicate that the caput and cauda are metabolically more active than that of the corpus.
Actins ; Antibodies ; Binding Sites ; Camels ; Connexin 43 ; Cytoplasm ; Epididymis ; Epithelium ; Histological Techniques ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; Proteins ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Genetic polymorphisms of encoding antigen B2 gene (AgB2) in Echinococcus granulosus were studied using PCR-RFLP and DNA sequencing among 20 Egyptian isolates. Five isolates from different host origins (humans, camels, pigs, and sheep) were collected and used. All examined isolates of each host group gave very similar patterns of PCR-RFLP after restriction enzyme digestion with AluI, with the gene size of approximately 140 bp and 240 bp for sheep and human isolates, and approximately 150 bp and 250 bp for pig and camel isolates. No digestion pattern was obtained after incubation of all studied isolates with EcoRI. These results reveal high intra-group homogeneity. DNA sequence analysis highlighted that human infecting strain showed 100% identity with respect to sheep infecting isolate, 96% and 99% with pig and camel infecting isolates, respectively.
Animals ; Camels ; Cysts/parasitology ; Echinococcosis/*parasitology/*veterinary ; Echinococcus granulosus/*genetics/isolation & purification ; *Genetic Variation ; Humans ; Lipoproteins/*genetics ; Parasitic Diseases, Animal/*parasitology ; Sheep

A rare case of laminitis was recorded in an adult camel that was kept in confinement without giving any exercise and fed daily with considerable quantity of pearl millet grains (Pennisetum typhoideus) for more than five months.
Animal Feed/adverse effects ; Animals ; *Camels ; Cereals ; Dietary Fiber/deficiency ; Foot Diseases/etiology/pathology/surgery/*veterinary ; Lameness, Animal/*etiology/pathology/surgery ; Male

The 4a and 4b proteins of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been described for their antagonism on host innate immunity. However, unlike clustering patterns of the complete gene sequences of human and camel MERS-CoVs, the 4a and 4b protein coding regions did not constitute species-specific phylogenetic groups. Moreover, given the estimated evolutionary rates of the complete, 4a, and 4b gene sequences, the 4a and 4b proteins might be less affected by species-specific innate immune pressures. These results suggest that the 4a and 4b proteins of MERS-CoV may function against host innate immunity in a manner independent of host species and/or evolutionary clustering patterns.
Camels ; Clinical Coding ; Coronavirus Infections ; Evolution, Molecular ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus ; Middle East ; Open Reading Frames ; Phylogeny ; Zoonoses

PURPOSE: The production of camel heavy-chain antihuman IgE (huIgE) that has the potential to block IgE-FcepsilonRI interaction and histamine release by basophils. METHODS: Camels were immunized with a synthetic loop peptide (SLP) designed in a multiple antigen peptide system (MAPS) forming SLP-MAPS immunogen. Camel polyclonal antibodies (PCAs) were produced, purified, characterized using Protein A & G, ELISA, and SDS-PAGE, and tested for their potency to block passive sensitization and histamine release of human basophils using flow cytometry (FCM) and ELISA, respectively. RESULTS: FCM data indicated that camel conventional (IgG1) and heavy chain antibodies (HCAbs; IgG2, and IgG3) had blocking activities of 43.9%, 72%, and 96.6%, respectively. Moreover, both IgG2 and IgG3 achieved remarkable inhibition rates of 93.98% and 97.05% in histamine release, respectively, whereas the IgG1inhibiting activity was 60.05%. CONCLUSIONS: Camel PCAs produced against SLP-MAPS were capable of blocking the IgE-receptor interaction and the release of histamine by basophils with superiority to HCAbs. These findings may pave the way toward the possible use of camel anti-huIgE HCAbs as blocking antibodies in the treatment of IgE-mediated allergy and asthma.
Antibodies* ; Antibodies, Blocking ; Asthma ; Basophils* ; Camels* ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Histamine Release* ; Histamine* ; Humans* ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Staphylococcal Protein A