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An abattoir survey of female genital disorders of imported camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Kano, Nigeria
Br. vet . J. (1991) . 147, 2 90
SHORT COMMUNICATION
AN ABATTOIR SURVEY OF FEMALE GENITAL DISORDERS OF IMPORTED CAMELS (CAMELUS DROMEDARIUS) IN KANO, NIGERIA
A . Y . RIBADU*, D. OGWU, C . O .
NJOKUt and L . O .
EDUVIEt
Department of Veterinary Surgery and Medicine ; tDepartment of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine ; $Department of Animal Reproduction, National Animal Production Research Institute; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
SUMMARY An abattoir survey of 850 female genital organs of imported camels was conducted at the Kano abattoir between October 1987 and April 1988 . An incidence of 4 .49% of disorders was recorded, including follicular cystic degeneration (0 .12%), ovarian haemorrhagic cysts (0 .47%), pyometra (0 .35%), early embryonic mortality (0 .12%), endometrial haemorrhages (0 .47%), fetal maceration (0 .12%), abscess (0 .24%), vulvar tick infestation (1 .77%) and cervical hypoplasia (0 .12%) .
INTRODUCTION Disease factors and management are the most important causes of infertility in camels (Shalash, 1965) and may take the form of specific diseases affecting reproductive organs, or non-specific diseases that affect reproduction by reducing the efficiency of the animal as a whole (Shalash, 1980) . There is an increased requirement for camel meat as a source of animal protein in Nigeria . At the Kano abattoir alone, 19 762 and 16 999 camels were slaughtered in 1986 and 1987 respectively (Ribadu, 1988) . The majority of the camels slaughtered at this abattoir were imported into Nigeria from neighbouring Niger and Chad Republics . There is a dearth of information on reproductive disorders of camels in Nigeria, hence the undertaking of this study .
MATERIALS AND METHODS Female genital tracts of 850 camels were collected from the Kano abattoir between October 1987 and April 1988 and examined for abnormalities . The composition of the population as studied was not known . *Present address : Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, University of Liverpool, Leahurst, Neston, South Wirral L64 7TE, UK
FEMALE GENITAL DISORDERS IN CAMELS
29 1
All tracts were incised from the vagina to the oviduct and the lumen examined . Where a tract was found to be abnormal, the lesion was recorded . The ovaries were also examined for gross abnormality . Pus from three cases of pyometra was inoculated on blood and MacConkey agar plates and incubated aerobically and anaerobically at 37 ° C for 48 h . Identification of the organism was made by conventional methods (Cowan, 1974) .
RESULTS The types and incidence of gross pathological conditions of the female genitalia are summarized in Table I . Gross abnormalities were recorded from 38 of 850 reproductive organs examined . Table I Incidence of various abnormalities in 850 female camel (Camelus dromedarius) genitalia in Kano, Nigeria Abnormality/lesion
Ovarian follicular cysts Haemorrhagic ovarian cysts Pyometra Early embryonic mortality Focal endometrial abscess of left uterine horn Focal abscess on serosa of left uterine horn Endometrial haemorrhages Fetal maceration Incomplete development of cervix Vulvar tick infestation
Total
Percentage
7 3
0 .83 0 .47 0.35
1
0 .12
1
0 .12
1
0.12
4
0 .47
1 1
0 .12 0 .12
15
1 .77
38
4 .49
4
The fluid of the ovarian follicular cysts ranging from 17 to 22 .5 ml were slightly yellow to amber coloured . In the cases of pyometra the uteri were distended with thick creamy pus, from which Actinomyces pyogenes was isolated . The ticks observed at the vulva were identified as Hyalomma dromedarii .
DISCUSSION The overall incidence of genital abnormalities (4 .49%) is quite low compared with the results obtained in Egypt by Shalash (1965) and Nawito et al. (1967) who recorded an incidence of 19 .46% and 16 .72% respectively . El-Wishy (1988), however, recorded an incidence of 2 .77% from 1264 genital organs of camels in Egypt .
292
BRITISH VETERINARY JOURNAL, 147, 3
The isolation of A . pyogenes from all three pyometra cases is consistent with the observation by Hegazy et al. (1979) . Vulva tick infestation (1 .77%) was the most frequent abnormality recorded in this investigation .
REFERENCES COWAN, S . T . (1974) . Cowan and Steel's Manual for the Identification of Medical Bacteria, 2nd edn . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press . EL-WISHY, A . B . (1988) . Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 82, 587 . HEGAZY, A ., YoussEP, H . I . & SELIb9, S. A . (1979) . Journal of Egypt Veterinary Medical Association 39 (3), 81 . NAWITO, M . F ., SHALASH, M . A., HOPPE, R . & RAKHA, A . M . (1967) . Reproduction in the Female Camel. Bulletin No . 2, p . 82 . Cairo : Animal Science Research Centre . RtBAUL, A . Y . (1988) . MSc thesis, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria . SHALASH, M . R. (1965) . World Review of Animal Production 4, 103 . SHALASH, M . R. (1980) . Reproduction in Camels. Proceedings of the Ninth International Congress of Animal Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Madrid 2, 559 . (Accepted for publication 14 November 1990)
SHORT COMMUNICATION
AN ABATTOIR SURVEY OF FEMALE GENITAL DISORDERS OF IMPORTED CAMELS (CAMELUS DROMEDARIUS) IN KANO, NIGERIA
A . Y . RIBADU*, D. OGWU, C . O .
NJOKUt and L . O .
EDUVIEt
Department of Veterinary Surgery and Medicine ; tDepartment of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine ; $Department of Animal Reproduction, National Animal Production Research Institute; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
SUMMARY An abattoir survey of 850 female genital organs of imported camels was conducted at the Kano abattoir between October 1987 and April 1988 . An incidence of 4 .49% of disorders was recorded, including follicular cystic degeneration (0 .12%), ovarian haemorrhagic cysts (0 .47%), pyometra (0 .35%), early embryonic mortality (0 .12%), endometrial haemorrhages (0 .47%), fetal maceration (0 .12%), abscess (0 .24%), vulvar tick infestation (1 .77%) and cervical hypoplasia (0 .12%) .
INTRODUCTION Disease factors and management are the most important causes of infertility in camels (Shalash, 1965) and may take the form of specific diseases affecting reproductive organs, or non-specific diseases that affect reproduction by reducing the efficiency of the animal as a whole (Shalash, 1980) . There is an increased requirement for camel meat as a source of animal protein in Nigeria . At the Kano abattoir alone, 19 762 and 16 999 camels were slaughtered in 1986 and 1987 respectively (Ribadu, 1988) . The majority of the camels slaughtered at this abattoir were imported into Nigeria from neighbouring Niger and Chad Republics . There is a dearth of information on reproductive disorders of camels in Nigeria, hence the undertaking of this study .
MATERIALS AND METHODS Female genital tracts of 850 camels were collected from the Kano abattoir between October 1987 and April 1988 and examined for abnormalities . The composition of the population as studied was not known . *Present address : Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, University of Liverpool, Leahurst, Neston, South Wirral L64 7TE, UK
FEMALE GENITAL DISORDERS IN CAMELS
29 1
All tracts were incised from the vagina to the oviduct and the lumen examined . Where a tract was found to be abnormal, the lesion was recorded . The ovaries were also examined for gross abnormality . Pus from three cases of pyometra was inoculated on blood and MacConkey agar plates and incubated aerobically and anaerobically at 37 ° C for 48 h . Identification of the organism was made by conventional methods (Cowan, 1974) .
RESULTS The types and incidence of gross pathological conditions of the female genitalia are summarized in Table I . Gross abnormalities were recorded from 38 of 850 reproductive organs examined . Table I Incidence of various abnormalities in 850 female camel (Camelus dromedarius) genitalia in Kano, Nigeria Abnormality/lesion
Ovarian follicular cysts Haemorrhagic ovarian cysts Pyometra Early embryonic mortality Focal endometrial abscess of left uterine horn Focal abscess on serosa of left uterine horn Endometrial haemorrhages Fetal maceration Incomplete development of cervix Vulvar tick infestation
Total
Percentage
7 3
0 .83 0 .47 0.35
1
0 .12
1
0 .12
1
0.12
4
0 .47
1 1
0 .12 0 .12
15
1 .77
38
4 .49
4
The fluid of the ovarian follicular cysts ranging from 17 to 22 .5 ml were slightly yellow to amber coloured . In the cases of pyometra the uteri were distended with thick creamy pus, from which Actinomyces pyogenes was isolated . The ticks observed at the vulva were identified as Hyalomma dromedarii .
DISCUSSION The overall incidence of genital abnormalities (4 .49%) is quite low compared with the results obtained in Egypt by Shalash (1965) and Nawito et al. (1967) who recorded an incidence of 19 .46% and 16 .72% respectively . El-Wishy (1988), however, recorded an incidence of 2 .77% from 1264 genital organs of camels in Egypt .
292
BRITISH VETERINARY JOURNAL, 147, 3
The isolation of A . pyogenes from all three pyometra cases is consistent with the observation by Hegazy et al. (1979) . Vulva tick infestation (1 .77%) was the most frequent abnormality recorded in this investigation .
REFERENCES COWAN, S . T . (1974) . Cowan and Steel's Manual for the Identification of Medical Bacteria, 2nd edn . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press . EL-WISHY, A . B . (1988) . Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 82, 587 . HEGAZY, A ., YoussEP, H . I . & SELIb9, S. A . (1979) . Journal of Egypt Veterinary Medical Association 39 (3), 81 . NAWITO, M . F ., SHALASH, M . A., HOPPE, R . & RAKHA, A . M . (1967) . Reproduction in the Female Camel. Bulletin No . 2, p . 82 . Cairo : Animal Science Research Centre . RtBAUL, A . Y . (1988) . MSc thesis, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria . SHALASH, M . R. (1965) . World Review of Animal Production 4, 103 . SHALASH, M . R. (1980) . Reproduction in Camels. Proceedings of the Ninth International Congress of Animal Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Madrid 2, 559 . (Accepted for publication 14 November 1990)