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Volume 32, Number 8—August 2026

Dispatch

Camel Prion Disease, Tataouine, Tunisia, 2019–2021

Abdelkader Amara1, Michele Angelo Di Bari1, Kéfia Elmehatli, Rosalia Bruno, Rihab Andolsi, Barbara Chiappini, Ilaria Vanni, Elena Esposito, Geraldina Riccardi, Obaid Allah Ben Abid, Stefano Marcon, Atef Malek, Boubaker Ben Smida, Haykel Kessa, Walid Chandoul, Mariem Handous, Roukaya Khorchani, Romolo Nonno, Malek Zrelli, Umberto Agrimi, Gabriele Vaccari, and Laura PirisinuComments to Author 
Author affiliation: Université Mannouba Tunisie, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia (A. Amara, R. Andolsi, A. Malek); Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (M.A. Di Bari, R. Bruno, B. Chiappini, I. Vanni, E. Esposito, G. Riccardi, O.A. Ben Abid, S. Marcon, R. Nonno, U. Agrimi, G. Vaccari, L. Pirisinu); Arrondissement de Production Animale de Siliana, Siliana, Tunisia (K. Emehatli); Regional Delegation for Agricultural Development in Tataouine, Tataouine, Tunisia (B. Ben Smida); Arrondissement de Production Animale de Sousse, Sousse, Tunisia (H. Kessa); Regional Delegation for Agriculture in Medenine, Medenine, Tunisia (W. Chandoul); Institut Pasteur de Tunisie, Tunis, Tunisia (M. Handous); Direction Générale des Services Vétérinaires, Ministère de l’Agriculture, Tunisia (R. Khorchani) Ministry of Agriculture, Tunis (M. Zrelli)

Main Article

Figure 3

Histopathologic and immunohistochemical analyses of brain tissues and lymph nodes of camel prion disease–affected dromedary camels, Tunisia, 2019–2021. A) Examination of all available cerebral cortices (Appendix Table 3) showed mild spongiform changes exclusively in the temporal and occipital cortex of sample P81/16. B) Scrapie prion protein (PrPSc) immunostaining found in prefrontal cortex of sample P81/13. C) Magnification of the prefrontal cortex (dashed box in panel B) showing the involvement of the I and V–VI layers. D) Intraglial (inset) and intraneuronal PrPSc depositions observed in the thalamus in animal P81/9. E–I) PrPSc deposition patterns observed in camel prion disease–affected brain tissues: intraneuronal (E, arrows), perineuronal (F, arrows), glial associated (G, arrows), perivascular (H, arrows), punctate (I, arrows) and diffuse (I, asterisk) in the neuropil. J) Dense intra-astrocytic PrPSc deposition (arrows) observed in the medulla oblongata. K–L) PrPSc deposition, observed in primary and secondary follicles of lymph nodes, appear as a reticular network within the center of lymphoid follicles, accompanied by fine to coarse cytoplasmic granules in nonlymphoid cells. Representative immunostaining (arrows) of mandibular lymph node from animal P81/65 (K) and prescapular lymph node from animal P81/17 (L) highlights intense granular PrPSc depositions in tingible body macrophages within germinal centers. Brown indicates PrPSc deposition in brain sections; red indicates PrPSc deposition in lymph nodes. Scale bars indicate 50 µm in panels A and D, 100 µm in panel B, 250 µm in panel C, and 20 µm in panels E–L.

Figure 3. Histopathologic and immunohistochemical analyses of brain tissues and lymph nodes of camel prion disease–affected dromedary camels, Tunisia, 2019–2021. A) Examination of all available cerebral cortices (Appendix Table 3) showed mild spongiform changes exclusively in the temporal and occipital cortex of sample P81/16. B) Scrapie prion protein (PrPSc) immunostaining found in prefrontal cortex of sample P81/13. C) Magnification of the prefrontal cortex (dashed box in panel B) showing the involvement of the I and V–VI layers. D) Intraglial (inset) and intraneuronal PrPSc depositions observed in the thalamus in animal P81/9. E–I) PrPSc deposition patterns observed in camel prion disease–affected brain tissues: intraneuronal (E, arrows), perineuronal (F, arrows), glial associated (G, arrows), perivascular (H, arrows), punctate (I, arrows) and diffuse (I, asterisk) in the neuropil. J) Dense intra-astrocytic PrPSc deposition (arrows) observed in the medulla oblongata. K–L) PrPSc deposition, observed in primary and secondary follicles of lymph nodes, appear as a reticular network within the center of lymphoid follicles, accompanied by fine to coarse cytoplasmic granules in nonlymphoid cells. Representative immunostaining (arrows) of mandibular lymph node from animal P81/65 (K) and prescapular lymph node from animal P81/17 (L) highlights intense granular PrPSc depositions in tingible body macrophages within germinal centers. Brown indicates PrPSc deposition in brain sections; red indicates PrPSc deposition in lymph nodes. Scale bars indicate 50 µm in panels A and D, 100 µm in panel B, 250 µm in panel C, and 20 µm in panels E–L.

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

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