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Seroprevalence of Rift Valley Fever virus in one-humped camels (Camelus dromedaries) in Egypt

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A Correction to this article was published on 04 November 2023

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Abstract

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral disease that affects a variety of domestic animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, and camels, and has zoonotic potential. Although the rift valley fever virus (RVFV) is usually asymptomatic in camels, it can induce abortion in some pregnant animals. In the current study, a serosurvey was carried out to investigate the prevalence of RVFV antibodies and related risk factors in camels from four Egyptian governorates. A total of 400 serum samples were examined for anti-RVFV antibodies using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA). The results revealed that the overall prevalence of RVF among examined camels was 21.5% and the disease was more prevalent in Kafr ElSheikh governorate in Nile Delta of Egypt. In addition, the age group of camels with more than 5 years (OR=4.49, 95%CI: 1.39–14.49), the female sex (OR=3.38, 95%CI: 1.51–7.58), the emaciated animals (OR=1.52, 95%CI: 0.86–2.66), the summer season’s infection (OR=5.98, 95%CI: 1.79–19.93), the presence of mosquitoes (OR= 2.88, 95%CI: 1.39–5.95), and the absence of mosquitoes control (OR=3.97, 95%CI: 2.09–7.57) were identified as risk factors for RVFV infection. The results of this study support knowledge on the risk factors for RVFV infection and demonstrate that camels raising in Egypt have RVFV antibodies. Quarantine measures or vaccination program should be implemented to reduce the likelihood of RVFV introduction, dissemination among susceptible animals, and ultimately transmission to humans.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia for the financial support of this research through the Grant Number 3293.

Funding

This work was supported through the Annual Funding track by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia (Grant Number 3293).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed Marzok

  2. Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafr El Sheikh University, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt

    Mohamed Marzok

  3. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, 82722, Saudi Arabia

    Khalid Alkashif

  4. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafr elsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt

    Mahmoud Kandeel

  5. Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia

    Mahmoud Kandeel

  6. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, 45142, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed Salem

  7. Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, 12613, Egypt

    Mohamed Salem

  8. Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt

    Mohamed Z. Sayed-Ahmed

  9. Department of Animal Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Toukh, 13736, Egypt

    Mohamed Z. Sayed-Ahmed & Abdelfattah Selim

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  1. Mohamed Marzok
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Contributions

Conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, resources, data curation, writing-original draft preparation, A.S., M.Z.S.A., K.A., M.S., M.K. and M.M.; writing-review and editing, A.S., M.Z.S.A., K.A., M.S., M.K. and M.M.; project administration, M.M.; funding acquisition, A.S., M.Z.S.A., K.A., M.S., M.K. and M.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mohamed Marzok or Abdelfattah Selim.

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The Benha University ethical committee for animal experiments approved all other procedures, including the handling and collection of blood samples. The animal owners gave their informed permission for the collecting of samples. The ARRIVE criteria were adhered to throughout the entire study process.

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Marzok, M., Alkashif, K., Kandeel, M. et al. Seroprevalence of Rift Valley Fever virus in one-humped camels (Camelus dromedaries) in Egypt. Trop Anim Health Prod 55, 345 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03765-3

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