Prevalence and pathology of camel nasal myiasis in eastern areas of Iran

Camel botfly, Cephalopina titillator, causes severe economic losses to the camel industry in many camel-producing areas of the world. A total of 1328 camels, of different age groups and of both sexes, slaughtered at Mashhad Slaughterhouse, Khorasan Razavi Province, eastern Iran were inspected for infestation with larvae of C. titillator. After slaughtering, the head was dissected and grossly inspected for presence of C. titillator larvae and other gross abnormalities. Seven hundred and seventy one camels (58.1%) were infested with this larvae and the rate of infestation was significantly greater in the colder months (69.8%) compared to those of warmer ones (36.2%) and in males (65.0%) compared to those of the female camels (45.60%). The prevalence rate was lower in camels younger than 2 years old (39.8%) compared to those of 2-6 (61.5%) and over 6 years old (62.8%). Proper tissue sections from nasal cavity, pharynx, turbinates and frontal sinuses of 30 infested and 10 uninfested camels processed routinely for histopathological studies. The mucous membranes of the nasopharynx and frontal sinuses of the heavily infested camels were congested, swollen, edematous, occasionally haemorrhagic and infrequently occupied by copious amounts of muco-fibrinous exudates. Dark brown or black nodules were seen in the mucous membrane of these structures. The main histopathologic changes were desquamation, hydropic degeneration and hyperplasia of the mucosal epithelium with focal or diffused infiltration of lymphocytes, plasma cells, macrophages, eosinophils and fibroblasts in the mucosa and submucosal layers. Hyperemia of the blood vessels of the nasopharyngeal wall, goblet cell hyperplasia and cystic dilatation of submucosal secretory glands were also present in the heavily infested animals. This investigation was designed to record the prevalence together with gross and histopathological changes observed due to C. titillator in camels in eastern provinces of Iran.