Prevalence Investigation of Gastrointestinal Nematodes in Sonid Bactrian Camels

To investigate the prevalence, intensity and predominant species of gastrointestinal nematode infections in Sonid Bactrian camels, Inner Mongolia, a survey on the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes was conducted on 307 naturally grazed Bactrian camels from 5 regions in Inner Mongolia using faecal egg, larvae and adult nematode identification methods. The results showed that gastrointestinal nematodes were quite severe in Sonid Bactrian camels, with an overall infection rate of 87.6% (269/307) and an average infection intensity of 1,981 (EPG). Among them, the infection rates of Bactrian camels were generally higher in Abaga Banner, West Uzumqin Banner, Durbed Banner, Sonid East Banner and Sonid West Banner, which were 100% (15/15), 100% (15/15), 98.6% (71/72), 98.1% (101/103) and 65.6% (67/102), respectively with infection intensities ranging from 50 to 10,350 (EPG). Trichostrongylus spp. was the predominant species, followed by Ostertagia ostertagi. This result was validated through PCR testing of DNA extracted from 46 faecal samples collected from Sonid Bactrian camels, confirming the findings. Therefore, the present study provides preliminary epidemiological survey data on the major nematode infections prevalent in Sonid Bactrian camel herds in Inner Mongolia, contributing to the understanding of gastrointestinal nematodiasis in Sonid Bactrian camels.