An outbreak of dermatophytosis in camels (Camelus dromedaríus) at Qassim Region, Central of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study was carried out at Qassim Region, Central of Saudi Arabia, to study dermatophytosis in a private farm of dromedary camels. The prevalence of dermatophytosis in camels was 11.5% and significantly differed among different age groups (p ≤.0001 and odds ratio = 14.61), with higher prevalence among camels younger than three years (22.10%). Clinical signs of ringworm recorded in this study were non-pruriginous dry circumscribed discrete, crusty hairless lesion distributed over the head, neck, shoulder, limbs and flanks. Mycological examination revealed Trichophyton verrucosum from the clinically diseased camels (n = 23). Significant improvement in the terms of rapid recovery was recorded in camels receiving topical application of 10% iodine ointment for three weeks in addition to intramuscular injection of vitamin A (400,000 IU/animal) on alternate days for three times and mineral mixture supplementation as dietary additives for three weeks compared to the group that was treated using iodine ointment for three weeks alone.