Pathological study on liver of dromedary camels

This study was undertaken to find out gross and microscopic hepatic lesions of dromedary camels slaughtered in the central part of Iran. The grossly affected livers from 156 camels with different ages and unknown history were collected from freshly slaughtered animals at Najaf-Abad abattoir, Iran and examined grossly and histopathologically. The pathological changes observed were caseous necrosis and calcification (18.58%), hydatid cysts (12.17%), lipomatous lesion (3.2%), hepatocellular degeneration and pigmentation (5.1%), toxic hepatic lesions (1.92%), liver atrophy and fibrosis (1.28%), fascioliasis (1.28%), focal hepatic lipidosis, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis lesions, and haematoma, each one (0.64%). In the present study, focal caseous necrosis and hydatid cysts were the most common hepatic lesions in the examined camels. In some liver sections, partially degenerated parasitic ova and hydatid cysts were identified as cause of focal caseous necrosis and calcification.