Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Department of Internal Medicine and Infections Diseases

A total of 369 nasal swabs and lung tissues were collected from adult Arabian camels for bacteriological examination of mycoplasma associated with respiratory disease. Mycoplasmas were recovered from 67 (18.2%) samples, which were differentiated using digitonin sensitivity test into Mycoplasma (35) and acholeplasma (32) in percentages of 52.2 and 47.8% of mycoplasmas, respectively. Mycoplasma were differentiated according to biochemical reactions into biochemical groups III, IV and V in percentages of 68.6, 17.1 and 14.3% of isolated mycoplasma, respectively. All mycoplasma isolates were identified molecularly on the genus level using PCR for detection of 16S rRNA gene, and on the species level as M. bovis (24) and M. bovirhinis (six) in the percentages of 68.6 and 17.1%, respectively using PCR for detection of specific 16S rRNA gene for each species. The prevalence of Mycoplasmosis in samples collected during summer was significantly higher than among samples collected in winter. The most susceptible age is from five to ten years in apparently healthy camels. However, high prevalence of mycoplasmosis had been found in diseased old age (more than ten years). In addition, Male camels were found to be more susceptible to mycoplasmosis than she-camels and higher prevalence of mycoplasma in the samples obtained from El-Basateen abattoir than those originating from the northwestern coastal zone. iELISA showing high positive results than bacterial isolation in diseased and apparently healthy camels which indicated that iELISA more sensitive than bacterial isolation. MIC showed that the most effective antibiotic is doxycycline 0.078 æg / ml

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