Abstract

Camel is an important domestic animal uniquely adapted to the hot and arid environment, but its contribution to Ethiopian pastoralists is disproportionate to its resource potential due to the presence of various infectious and parasitic diseases in the area. Therefore this study was conducted with an attempt to isolate and characterize respiratory viruses from infected lungs. Accordingly, camel lung tissues were collected from Akaki abattoir and transported to National Veterinary Institute virology laboratory and stored temporarily at -85°C. The samples were processed and inoculated on confluent VERO cells, incubated at 37°C and examined for the development of cytopathogenic effect (CPE) for 4 to 15 days. From thirty five examined samples twenty seven were CPE positive.  Ten supernatant samples exhibiting CPE were taken and tested for presence of both DNA and RNA viruses, using universal degenerate oligonucleotide primed– polymerase chain reaction (DOP-PCR) and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Five out of six samples tested by DOP-PCR were positive for presence of RNA virus, while only one sample was positive for DNA virus. Nine of ten samples were positive for, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and two of six were positive forAdenovirus, but all tested samples were negative for Peste Des Petits Ruminants Virus (PPRV) andParainfluenza viruses 1-3.

Key words: Abattoir, camel, pneumonia, respiratory viruses, polymerase chain reaction.