Some clinicopathological aspects of camelpox in Saudi Arabia

The clinicopathological aspects of an outbreak of camelpox in an experimental camel herd in Riyadh are recorded. The morbidity rate in camel calves was 100% with a corresponding morbidity rate of 33% in pregnant females. Premonitory signs comprised fever, inappetence and listlessness, followed by localized or generalized skin eruptions typical of this disease. One of the pregnant females aborted and another gave a stillbirth. However, apart from one case of neonatal infection that terminated fatally, all of the infected camels recovered slowly. Blood analysis of the infected camel calves revealed anemia, hypoalbuminemia and elevated serum aspartate aminotransferase and garnma-glutamyl transferase activities