Clinical and Clinicopathological Findings of Arthritic Camel Calf Associated with Mycoplasma Infection(Camelus Dromedarius)

Camel is an economically important farm animal used for meat, milk and hair production in the Middle-East and North Africa [1]. Mycoplasmas are highly contagious organism capable of auto-replication and difficult to culture and slow growing [2,3]. Camel joints are infected by variety of infectious diseases that may affect their racing performance. Mycoplasma spp. are considered the common causes of some diseases as arthritis, pneumonia and abortion [4]. Camel calves are more susceptible to mycoplasma infection and developing clinical signs [5]. Consequently, the pathogen cannot be detected during the incubation period. Moreover, the serological cross reactions among the Mycoplasma spp. are a critical problem [6,7]. Synovial fluids analysis is the common method for diagnosis of various joint diseases [8]. The most commonly isolated organisms are Staphylococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Arcanobacterium spp., Corynebacterium and less commonly Mycoplasma spp. [8]. Navel ill is considered the most common term which includes navel abscesses and umbilical hernia [9-11]. Reports on arthritis associated with mycoplasmosis in camels are scare. Consequently, the present study aimed to assess the clinical and clinicopathological findings associated with arthritis caused by mycoplasma spp. in camel calves in district areas in Saudi Arabia.