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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

Table

Suspect cases of camel prion disease, Tunisia, 2019–2021*

Animal ID Age, y Origin Clinical signs PrP genotype Brain
 Lymph node IHC
WB H&E IHC
P81/9
 12
 Dhaher Tataouine
 Disorientation, impaired spatial orientation, fugue-like behavior
 WT/WT
 +
 –
 +
 +
P81/13
 3
 Dhaher Tataouine
 Nervous disorder referred as “Medhbouba”
 WT/WT
 +
 +‡
 +
 NA
P81/14
 3
 Remada of Tataouine
 Nervous disorder referred as “Medhbouba”
 WT/WT
 +
 +‡
 +
 NA
P81/15
 20
 Remada of Tataouine
 Suppurative mastitis, paresis of the left hind limb
 WT/WT
 –
 –
 –
 NA
P81/16
 15
 Algeria, grazing in Remada of Tataouine
 Nervous disorder referred as “Medhbouba”
 WT/WT
 +
 +
 +
 +
P81/17
 5
 Remada of Tataouine
 Behavioral changes, teeth grinding
 WT/WT
 +
 –
 +
 +
P81/64†
 25
 Sousse
 Anorexia, mild ataxia, muscle tremors, paddling movements
 ND
 –
 –
 –
 NA
P81/65 3 Tataouine Trembling, loss of appetite WT/WT + + + +

*ND, not determined; H&E, hematoxylin and eosin staining; ID, identification number; IHC, immunohistochemistry; NA, not available; WB, western blot; WT/WT, homozygous wild-type allele (GenBank accession no. MF990558); +, positive (based on method used); –, negative (based on method used). †In addition to camel prion disease, a presumptive diagnosis of enterotoxemia had been made prior to death. Necropsy confirmed enterotoxemia, revealing digestive acidosis with hepatorenal degeneration. In dromedaries, this condition may manifest with neurological signs such as tremors, ataxia, aggression, hyperexcitability, convulsions, recumbency, opisthotonos, and death. ‡Animals P81/13 and P81/14 showed scattered vacuoles restricted to the basal ganglia; no spongiform alterations were observed in the cerebral cortices, medulla, or cerebellum.

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: May 21, 2026
Page updated: July 16, 2026
Page reviewed: July 16, 2026
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