Prevalence and Morphological Characterization of the Camel Nasal Botfly, Cephalopina titillator (Diptera: Oestridae) Collected from Abattoirs in Egypt

Abstract

The Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius) is considered one of the important livestock that has a major impact on humans' life, especially economically. Larval stages of the camel nasal botfly, Cephalopina titillator (Diptera: Oestridae), come on the top list of obligate endoparasites causing nasopharyngeal myiasis leading to huge economic loss to the camel culture and industry all over the world. Although adult flies are not parasitic and are unable to feed, they can survive on the nutrient reserve from the larval stages. In Egypt, little is known about the biology and ecology of C. titillator and the role of the ambient ecological factors in affecting larval development as associated with the camel host and under laboratory conditions. To address this knowledge gap, we studied morphology, population structure, and seasonal prevalence of C. titillator larval stages in camels in Egypt. A total of 429 of both 2 nd and 3 rd stage larvae were collected from slaughtered camel's heads in El-Bassatin abattoir over a 12-months period, from June 2019 to May 2020. Out of the 62 examined animal heads, 33 (53.23%) were infested. The mature 3 rd instar larvae were reared in the laboratory at different ambient temperatures and observed till the emergence of the adult stages. Detailed morphological characterization and fine ultrastructure for both the larval instars and adult flies are provided using light and scanning electron microscopic examination, respectively. Therefore, this study showed the impotence of body characteristics that are among the important dimorphic features of adult flies.* Larval index = number of larvae/infected animal ** Rate of camel infestation (%) = (# of infested camels / Total # of examined camels) ×100