Ehrlichia Species in Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedarius) and Ruminants from Somalia

Osman, Aamir M.; Hassan-Kadle, Ahmed A.; André, Marcos R.; Collere, Flávia C. M.; Córdova, Amir Salvador Alabí; Montiani-Ferreira, Fabiano; Vieira, Thállitha S. W. J.; Ibrahim, Abdalla M.; Yusuf, Abdulkarim A.; Machado, Rosangela Z.; Vieira, Rafael F. C.

doi:10.3390/pathogens14010065

Open AccessArticle

Ehrlichia Species in Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedarius) and Ruminants from Somalia

by

Aamir M. Osman

^1,2,3,*

,

Ahmed A. Hassan-Kadle

^2,4

,

Marcos R. André

⁵

,

Flávia C. M. Collere

¹

,

Amir Salvador Alabí Córdova

⁵

,

Fabiano Montiani-Ferreira

^1,6

,

Thállitha S. W. J. Vieira

⁷

,

Abdalla M. Ibrahim

^2,4,

Abdulkarim A. Yusuf

^4,8,

Rosangela Z. Machado

^5,*

and

Rafael F. C. Vieira

^1,9,10,*

¹

Vector-Borne Diseases Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba 80035-050, Brazil

²

Somali One Health Centre, Abrar University, Mogadishu P.O. Box 25, Somalia

³

Department of Animal Health and Veterinary Services, Ministry of Livestock, Forestry, and Range, Mogadishu, Somalia

⁴

Abrar Research and Training Centre, Abrar University, Mogadishu P.O. Box 25, Somalia

⁵

Vector-Borne Bioagents Laboratory (VBBL), Department of Pathology, Reproduction and One Health, Faculty of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal CEP 14884-900, Brazil

⁶

Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba 80035-050, Brazil

⁷

Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA

⁸

Department of Slaughterhouses, Somali Meat Company, Mogadishu, Somalia

⁹

Center for Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER), The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA

¹⁰

Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Pathogens 2025, 14(1), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14010065

Submission received: 11 December 2024 / Revised: 24 December 2024 / Accepted: 9 January 2025 / Published: 13 January 2025

(This article belongs to the Section Bacterial Pathogens)

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Abstract

Ehrlichioses, caused by Ehrlichia species, are tick-borne diseases (TBDs) that affect animals and humans worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the molecular occurrence of Ehrlichia spp. in 530 animals (155 Dromedary camels, 199 goats, 131 cattle, and 45 sheep) in the Benadir and Lower Shabelle regions of Somalia. Blood DNA samples were tested for PCR targeting dsb and sodB genes of Ehrlichia spp. and PCS20 and map1 genes of E. ruminantium. The obtained sequences were submitted for phylogenetic analyses. Ehrlichia spp. were detected in 26.4% (140/530) of animals by dsb-PCR, with the highest prevalence in dromedary camels (54.8%), followed by cattle (29.8%), goats (7.0%), and sheep (4.4%). Dromedary camels, cattle, and goats had significantly higher infection odds compared to sheep (p < 0.05). Among dsb-PCR-positive samples, 76.9% (30/39) of cattle tested sodB-positive, while other species were negative. E. ruminantium was detected in 13.7% (18/131) of cattle by pCS20-PCR, but none were positive for the map1 gene. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed E. minasensis in camels, sheep, and goats and E. ruminantium in cattle, marking the first molecular evidence of E. minasensis in dromedary camels, sheep, and goats globally, and E. ruminantium in cattle from Somalia. These findings emphasize the need for further research on its economic and public health impact.

Keywords: tick-borne diseases; ehrlichiosis; Ehrlichia minasensis; Ehrlichia ruminantium; heartwater; Somalia; sub-Saharan Africa

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MDPI and ACS Style

Osman, A.M.; Hassan-Kadle, A.A.; André, M.R.; Collere, F.C.M.; Córdova, A.S.A.; Montiani-Ferreira, F.; Vieira, T.S.W.J.; Ibrahim, A.M.; Yusuf, A.A.; Machado, R.Z.; et al. Ehrlichia Species in Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedarius) and Ruminants from Somalia. Pathogens 2025, 14, 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14010065

AMA Style

Osman AM, Hassan-Kadle AA, André MR, Collere FCM, Córdova ASA, Montiani-Ferreira F, Vieira TSWJ, Ibrahim AM, Yusuf AA, Machado RZ, et al. Ehrlichia Species in Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedarius) and Ruminants from Somalia. Pathogens. 2025; 14(1):65. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14010065

Chicago/Turabian Style

Osman, Aamir M., Ahmed A. Hassan-Kadle, Marcos R. André, Flávia C. M. Collere, Amir Salvador Alabí Córdova, Fabiano Montiani-Ferreira, Thállitha S. W. J. Vieira, Abdalla M. Ibrahim, Abdulkarim A. Yusuf, Rosangela Z. Machado, and et al. 2025. "Ehrlichia Species in Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedarius) and Ruminants from Somalia" Pathogens 14, no. 1: 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14010065

APA Style

Osman, A. M., Hassan-Kadle, A. A., André, M. R., Collere, F. C. M., Córdova, A. S. A., Montiani-Ferreira, F., Vieira, T. S. W. J., Ibrahim, A. M., Yusuf, A. A., Machado, R. Z., & Vieira, R. F. C. (2025). Ehrlichia Species in Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedarius) and Ruminants from Somalia. Pathogens, 14(1), 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14010065

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Ehrlichia Species in Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedarius) and Ruminants from Somalia

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