Field Epidemiology of an Outbreak of Hemorrhagic Septicemia
in Dromedary Population of Greater CholistanDesert
(Pakistan)
Fraz Munir Khan
District Diagnostic Laboratory, Livestock & Dairy Development
Department, Government of the
Punjab,
Rahim Yar Khan,
Pakistan
*Corresponding Author: frazmunirkh@gmail.com
Abstract
An outbreak of a respiratory disease occurred in the dromedary population of
Greater Cholistan desert, which was quite foreign to the locale. The duration of
outbreak was more than a month (from the mid of November 2010 to the mid of
December 2010). Prevalence, cumulative mortality and case fatality of outbreak
were 0.79, 0.018 and 0.023, respectively. The disease was characterized by
pyrexia (up to 107.4ºF), severe dyspnea due to choking of nasal cavity with
thick gummy material and abortion during late gestation. The disease ran a
clinical course of 5-7 days. Febrile carcasses showed congestion of all visceral
organs, petechial hemorrhages on the serosal surfaces, serosanguineous fluid in
the thoracic and abdominal cavities and pneumonia. Postmortem findings indicated
septicemia. Pasteurella multocida subsp.
multocida
was isolated from representative clinical and morbid specimens. Treatment
trial on clinical cases indicated ciprofloxacin, ceftiofur hydrochloride,
gentamicin + tylosin and thiamphenicol + tylosin to be highly efficacious.