The Respiratory Disease

As in other livestock, the respiratory disease complex has a multifactorial etiology and develops because of complex interactions between environmental factors, host factors, and pathogens. Two respiratory viruses namely influenza A and MERS-CoV have been detected in camels with obvious clinical signs in Bactrian and dromedary camels. Several other viruses including parainfluenza-3 virus (PI-3), bovine herpes virus-1 (BHV-1), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVD) have been detected in camels. The most widely recognized organisms associated with pneumonia in camels are opportunistic bacteria originating from the surrounding environment including Manhaemiya haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus equi, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Proteus species, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pneumococcus spp., Enterobacteria spp., Micrococcus spp., Haemophilus spp., Actinomyces spp., Pseudomonas spp., Corynebacterium spp., Arcanobacterium pyogenes, and Mycoplasma arginine. Clinical signs include pyrexia, cough, serous nasal and lacrimal discharge, increased respiratory rate, and increased breath sounds. Upper respiratory tract symptoms include rhinitis or nasal discharge sometimes accompanied by submandibular lymphadenopathy or anorexia. PCR is a useful and rapid method commonly used to detect virus infection. Antigen-ELISA for bovine respiratory viruses including PI-3, RSV, BHV-1, PPRV, and BVDV have been successfully used to detect these viruses in nasal swabs and lung tissues. As there is no specific treatment for viral respiratory infections in animals, treatment should focus on the antimicrobial therapy directed toward bacterial pneumonia.