Prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in camels (Camelus dromedarius) in a slaughterhouse in Iran

Cryptosporidiosis is a zoonotic protozoan disease of worldwide distribution, affecting a wide range of vertebrate hosts. Most data on the biology, distribution pattern, pathology and prevalence of cryptosporidial infection in farm animals is restricted to cattle, sheep and goats. Limited data is available in other domestic herbivores including camel. Numerous camels (Camelus dromedarius) are raised in the semi-arid regions of Iran. Although camel is acknowledged as a potential source of contamination, little is known with regards to the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in this population except a case report on the occurrence of this infection in a bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) in China. This investigation was undertaken to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in camels (C. dromedarius) from Najaf-Abad slaughterhouse, Isfahan Province, central part of Iran. Out of 103 faecal samples from 63 adult males and 40 adult females, 2-14 years old, 39 (37.9%) were found positive for oocysts. No significant differences were observed between males and females, and among different age groups. There was also no significant difference among infection intensity in different age groups. This is the first report of Cryptosporidium infection in camels from this country