Camel pox in the United Arab Emirates and its prevention

Abstract

Pox is the most common infectious viral disease of the camel. Since 1993 camel pox outbreaks which occurred in the UAE during the rainy season between October and April have been carefully observed and monitored. During the 1993-94 winter season 15 camelpoxvirus strains were isolated from 16 different outbreaks, whereas 22 camelpox outbreaks were confirmed during the winter season 1995-96. Orthopox virus cameli was isolated from scabs and different organs of dissected camels on Vero and Dubca cells and typical brick-shaped particles were detected in scab material when tested by electron microscopy confirming an infection with orthopox virus. It is the first time that the camelpox virus has been demonstrated (electron microscopy) and isolated in cell culture from ticks. During both winter seasons (1993-94 and 1995-96) many camels developed a generalised severe illness with fatalities. In these cases pox lesions were observed in the trachea, oesophagus and lungs. It could be proven by restriction enzyme analysis of the viral DNA which was performed on all isolated camel pox strains that all isolates were nearly identical indicating that no new camel pox strains have been introduced into the UAE. A live attenuated camel pox vaccine (called Ducapox = Dubai camelpox vaccine) has been established at the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory in Dubai and is being produced in South Africa (Onderstepoort) on a commercial scale. It is now proven that this vaccine protects camels from camel pox.