The Influence of Some Nematode Parasitism on Lipid Metabolism and Lipoprotein Profile in Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius)

The goal of the present study was to investigate the influence of enteric parasitism on adaptation system of traveling dromedaries from Sudan to Egypt under diverse nutritional conditions with special reference to lipoprotein profile. Up on coprological examination, three nematode species; Strongyloides species, Trichuris species, and Trichostrongylidae species were recovered from examined camels. Three camel groups, 10 animals each, were selected with single infestation with one of the three recovered nematodes, in addition to a forth control group of parasitic infestation-free animals. Serum level of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoproteins , low-density lipoproteins and very low-density lipoproteins were measured in all animals. Significant reduction of total cholesterol (P<0.01 and P<0.05), and LDL (P<0.001 and P<0.01) levels, and significant increase of triglyceride (P<0.001 and P<0.001), and VLDL (P<0.001 and P<0.001) levels were found only in Trichuris species and Trichostrongylus species-infested camels, respectively. Non significant changes of HDL level were found in all parasitized animals. These findings suggest that enteric parasitism intensifies negative energy balance in dromedaries traveling under diverse nutritional conditions and results in compensatory increase of lipolysis as an alternative energy source. This is expected to hinder the ability of camels to survive long term starvation and affect their production and burden capabilities. Key word: Dromedary Camels, Nematodes, Cholesterol, Triglyceride, Lipoproteins. Corresponding author, [email protected]