Abstract
This study was conducted on Sudanese and Somalian imported camels at Al-Warraq abattoir, Giza (Egypt), during the period from September 2014 to November 2015. A total of 850 adult one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) were subjected to clinical and postmortem examinations. Caseous lymphadenitis lesions were detected in 88 (10.35%) animals. Superficial form (9.76%) was significantly more prevalent than the visceral form (0.58%). Incised lesions showed cheesy greenish-whitish pus, four lesions were congested without abscess formation. Coryneform bacteria were isolated as a pure culture in 11 (30.55%) cases. Targeting Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis serotype 1, being a common cause of caseous lymphadenitis, two isolates were identified by pld gene-specific polymerase chain reaction. Other coryneforms were tested by the API Coryne system; three Cellulomonas spp./Microbacterium spp. and one Brevibacterium spp. were identified. The API-unidentified bacteria were subjected to the Vitek 2 system which identified two isolates as Corynebacterium jeikeium and Corynebacterium urealyticum. The Vitek 2 system-unidentified isolates were classified as unidentified coryneforms. Histopathological findings revealed suppuration, necrosis, hyperplastic lymphoid follicles and sinus histocytosis of the affected lymph nodes. In contrast to small ruminants, few studies are available on caseous lymphadenitis in camel and rare of them involve the visceral form. In conclusion, caseous lymphadenitis is prevalent in Sudanese and Somali imported camels in Egypt. In camels, the disease has variable natures and visceral lesions are uncommon. Coryneform bacteria other than Corynebacterium pseudotu1berculosis are associated with the disease in camels which necessitate multiple identification steps.

Key words: CLA, camel, clinical, postmortem, microbiological, histopathology