Viruses and bacteria associated with neonatal camel calf diarrhea in Eastern Sudan

Virological and bacteriological investigations were carried out on fecal samples collected from 1-3 months old diarrheic camel calves in Eastern Sudan. Group A rotavirus was detected in 8 out of 200 samples by latex agglutination test, 11 out of 117 samples by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and 4 out of 87 samples by electron microscopy (EM). Small round virus (SRV) particles were detected in the feces of one camel calf by electron microscopy. The genome of one camel rotavirus isolate was analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in comparison to group A human and equine rotavirus isolates. The separation of RNA segment 7 from segment 8 and 9 at a position closer to segment 6 and co-migration of segment 11 with 10 is unusual for group A rotavirus that share the characteristic triplet of segments 7, 8 and 9. Seventeen E coli isolates and 4 Salmonella species isolates were obtained after culturing 42 fecal samples in selective media. E. coli pathogenicity genes for 8 randomly selected camel E. coli isolates were analyzed by colony blot DNA hybridization using enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), verotoxins 1 and 2 (VT1 and VT2) gene probes. 5 isolates were pathotyped as EIEC , two as EHEC and one isolate as VT2 pathotype . All 8 E.coli isolates and 4 salmonella spp isolates were sensitive to Amoxycillin, Trimethoprim, Cefotaxime, Chloramphenicol and Gentamycin.