RUMEN AND BLOOD CONSTITUENTS ALTERATIONS IN GASTROINTESTINAL PARASITES INFESTATION IN EGYPTIAN DROMEDARY CAMELS

It was necessary to emphasize the rule of gastrointestinal parasites in clinical physical
examination, prevalence and impact on rumen and blood constituents in apparently healthy,
infected and treated dromedary camels. Complete clinical examination of 240 camels
(including 60 infected cases); rumen and blood samples were examined during the affection
and after treatment with Netobimin 15% (Hapadex®) as 5 ml/100kg body weight. High prevalence
rate of gastrointestinal parasites was recorded as Trichostrongylus and Nematodirus were 53.7 and
52.5 %; while that of Heamonchus, Trichuris, Cooperia and Monezia were 22.1, 21.7, 21.3
and 12.5% respectively in camels examined around the year. The infected camels suffered
from mild rumen acidosis with significant increases (p<0.001) in the level of acetic,
propionic, butyric and isovaleric acids; macrocytic hypochromic anemia, hemodilution,
moderate hypokinemia and hypercupremia. The increases in the rumen calcium, magnesium
and zinc were significant (p<0.001). The study of the correlations confirmed the tight
interaction between the rumen and blood constituents in health and disease.