Risk factors predisposing dromedary camels and pastoral communities to zoonotic diseases in Kenya

Abstract

Dromedary camels have coexisted with humans throughout civilizations providing versatile life-sustaining benefits and serving as heritage in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa belt. Like other livestock that show close resilience to harsh environmental conditions, camelids suffer from tropical diseases, which jeopardize their productivity. This study aimedat assessing the potential risk factors predisposing dromedary camels to tropical diseases and the vulnerability of key populations to zoonotic diseases in Kenya. We conducted a stratified random sampling aiming for at least 15% of the camel population inthe area (for camel herd > 20 camels). For small herds (<20 camels) every camel was considered for inclusion. Attempts were made to evenly represent thesex distribution of camels. Live camels (n=1625) were randomly selected across the 13 counties and checked for the presence or absence of clinical signs indicative of thedisease state. Human respondents (n=602) were also randomly selected for interviews to assess the level of interaction between humans, camels and other livestock. The study showed that 80% of the respondents were unaware of zoonoses and 20% of those who knew about it did not consider it as a significant risk. Sixty-three percent of the respondents interacted directly with camels at home, while 37% had no camels in their homestead butreported to have interacted with camels and have used their products. Additionally, a significant correlation between migrations (OR=0.8, p=0.01) and acquisition of diseases was identified. Camels that used wells as the source of drinking water showed an increased risk of acquiring an infection (OR=1.49, p=0.01), while grazing camels mixed with other livestock increased the likelihood of disease transmission by 13-15%. Taken together, the findings suggest existence of significantrisk factors that drive zoonoses across the camel rearing ecosystems.