Assessment of mastitis in camel using high-throughput sequencing

Abstract

Camel milk is recognized as a functional food with significant economic value. Mastitis is one of the most common and costly diseases in the dairy industry. Mastitis, which is caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and algae, has an impact on the quality and quantity of milk produced as well as animal health and welfare. There is a paucity of data on the etiological factors that cause camel mastitis. This study reports the bacterial and fungal community involved in clinical camel mastitis using Illumina amplicon sequencing. A total of 25 milk samples were analyzed, including 9 samples with mastitis and 16 healthy samples. The bacterial community in healthy samples was significantly more diverse and abundant than in mastitis samples. The fungal population in mastitis samples, on the other hand, was more diverse and abundant. As compared to healthy samples, the genera Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Schlegelella, unclassified Enterobacteriaceae, Lactococcus, Jeotgalicoccus. and Klebsiella were found to be abundant in mastitic milk. However, the genera Corynebacterium, Enteractinococcus, unclassified Sphingomonadaceae, Atopostipes, Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus, Sphingomonas, Pediococcus and Moraxella were reduced. In the fungal community, mastitis caused a significant increase in the relative abundance of the majority of taxa, including Candida, Phanerochaete, Aspergillus, Cladosporium and unclassified Pyronemataceae, while Penicillium and Alternaria showed a decline in relative abundance. In the bacterial and fungal communities, the discriminant analysis showed 19 and 5 differently abundant genera in healthy milk and mastitic milk, respectively. In conclusion, this study showed a microbiome dysbiosis linked to clinical camel mastitis, with opportunistic pathogens outgrowing commensal bacteria that were reduced. These findings are essential in designing an appropriate control program in the camel dairy herd, as well as in preventing and treating camel mastitis.

Association of milk microbiome with bovine mastitis before and after antibiotic therapy

“…Pang et al [25] found a reduction in the abundance of this genus in a group of cows with mastitis compared with that in healthy cows. Similar findings were observed in a study on the microbiota associated with mastitis in camels [26]. Our results are also consistent with previous data, as we observed a decrease in the abundance of this genus in the clinical mastitis group compared with that in the healthy group.…”

Design of a multi-epitope camel mastitis vaccine candidate using a reverse vaccinology approach

“…Dromedary camels ( Camelus dromedarius ) are resilient, multi-purpose animals well adapted for survival in harsh environments characterised by scarcity of water and pasture (Darwish, 2023; Seligsohn et al, 2020). Camels are a vital source of income, milk and meat for pastoralists in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) of Africa (Guliye et al, 2007; Volpato and Howard, 2014) with camel milk being an important alternative source of protein and a particularly appropriate functional food for infants and geriatrics due to its high nutrients content in these regions (Alhaj and Kanhal, 2010; Rahmeh et al, 2022). Moreover, camel milk has been reported as a potential remedy for jaundice, tuberculosis, diabetes, asthma and leishmaniasis (Swelum et al, 2021).…”

Clinicopathological study on camel mastitis at Matrouh Governorate

“…In arid and semi-arid regions, camels serve as valuable sources of both meat and milk. Additionally, camels have been historically utilized as a means of transportation [ 1 – 3 ]. The milk produced by camels possesses nutritional qualities akin to those of other dairy animals’ milk, encompassing all essential nutrients.…”

“…Remarkably, camels continue to produce milk even under stressful circumstances like drought, while other milk-producing animals cease lactation. Camels exhibit an extended duration of lactation, yielding around 5–6 l of milk per day, even during periods of drought [ 1 – 3 ].…”

“…In severe instances, the affected area may exhibit redness and a heightened temperature upon touch. Additionally, affected camels may display signs of fever and lethargy [ 1 – 3 ].…”