A disturbing disease reminiscent of mad cow found in camels
Hi dear steemians...
A prion similar to that of mad cow disease has been detected in the dromedary. A potentially dramatic news for people who consume the milk and meat of this animal in Africa.
A new form of prion has been discovered in dromedaries, Algerian and Italian researchers report in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The first cases were reported by the slaughterhouse of Ouargla, the largest in Algeria, which had noted erratic behavior in some animals (tremor, aggression, hyperactivity, disordered movements, falls, etc.). The diagnosis was confirmed after the removal of three brains from diseased animals, which showed all signs of prion infection. 3.1% of dromedaries slaughterhouse would be concerned, said the study.
Prion diseases, characterized by degeneration of the central nervous system, are also known as subacute transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). They are due to the accumulation in the brain of a protein which, changing its conformation, becomes pathogenic. The best-known form is Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease. This epidemic ravaged cow herds in the 1980s and 2000s, causing the direct death of 190,000 animals in Europe and leading to systematic slaughter of whole herds to limit spread. BSE is potentially transmissible to humans in the form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) via the consumption of certain offal (banned since 2001).
The dromedary, a source of livelihood for millions of Africans
The prion found in the dromedary has a different configuration than that of BSE, but researchers do not exclude that the animals were contaminated by eating infected carcasses from European cows. "The origin of this prion is unknown," the authors acknowledge. "It can be a form specific to the dromedary or a form derived from another species." The dromedaries could have been infected by feeding in landfills located near oil fields, they argue.
This news is particularly worrying according to the authors of the study. In Africa, dromedaries are an essential source of livelihood for millions of people who consume meat and milk and use it as a means of transportation and transportation. This could promote a rapid spread of an epidemic.
On the other hand, if it were found that camels were infected by eating contaminated meat, this would prove the ability of the prion to move from one species to another, which would be dramatic for small farmers. Finally, control systems in North Africa are not as demanding as in Europe. "There is a real risk to human and animal health," insist the authors, who advocate an urgent strengthening of surveillance.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
A new form of prion has been detected for the first time in dromedaries.
It is not known if this is a species-specific form or derived from infected meat contamination.
The health risk is real for the millions of Africans who consume the meat and milk of the animal.
Source: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/24/6/17-2007_article
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