Establishment of biochemical and hematological profiles of dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) under extensive and intensive production systems.

In Algeria, camel husbandry is undergoing a shift from a traditional extensive system to one more intensive. Such a move in the production system of the dromedary camel should be well investigated in terms of animal welfare, health, and production status. The main objective of this study was to define and evaluate the effects of production systems on physiological responses (hematological and biochemical parameters) in Sahraoui dromedary camels to understand possible changes caused by intensive livestock farming. We analyzed the biochemical and hematological blood profiles in Sahraoui dromedary camel to evaluate and establish the differential responses to intensive conditions. Blood samples were taken from 41 healthy Sahraoui dromedary camels as part of routine veterinary analysis in southern Algeria. In total, 28 camels were from an intensive production system (IS) fed with formulated concentrate and a supply of minerals, and 13 camels were reared in a traditional extensive system (ES) maintained exclusively on grazing. Animals were of a different sex: 16 males and 25 females, and they were divided into three age categories: less than 4 years, 4 to 8, and above 8 years. All animals were healthy. This enabled us to simultaneously check the effect of age and sex on the blood profiles. Results showed that the production system affected the blood parameters of Sahraoui dromedary camel; as total protein, total cholesterol, and urea concentration were significantly higher in the plasma of animals in the intensive production system (P < 0.05). Glucose, triglycerides, and urea values differed significantly (P < 0.05) in camel plasma between age categories. Sex in our study had no effect on enzyme activities (P > 0.05). However, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in camels reared in the extensive production system (1454.13 ± 290 IU/l) than those reared in intensive production system (1313.17 ± 32 IU/l). Age and sex had a marginal effect on mineral status in dromedary camel plasma as only iron concentrations were significantly higher in male camels (P < 0.05), while Ca, P, and K concentrations were increased in the intensive system. On the other hand, our findings showed that sex, age, and production system did not affect the hematological parameters of Sahraoui dromedary (P > 0.05), except for hematocrit (PCV %) that was significantly higher in the extensive system. This work contributes to a better understanding of Sahraoui dromedary camel biology regarding the effect of different production systems on hemato-biochemical parameters.

Whole Genome Sequence Analysis of Mycobacterium bovis Cattle Isolates, Algeria.

Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), a Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex species responsible for tuberculosis in cattle and zoonotic tuberculosis in humans, is present in Algeria. In Algeria however, the M. bovis population structure is unknown, limiting understanding of the sources and transmission of bovine tuberculosis. In this study, we identified the whole genome sequence (WGS) of 13 M. bovis strains isolated from animals exhibiting lesions compatible with tuberculosis, which were slaughtered and inspected in five slaughterhouses in Algeria. We found that six isolates were grouped together with reference clinical strains of M. bovis genotype-Unknown2. One isolate was related to M. bovis genotype-Unknown7, one isolate was related to M. bovis genotype-Unknown4, three isolates belonged to M. bovis genotype-Europe 2 and there was one new clone for two M. bovis isolates. Two isolates from Blida exhibited no pairwise differences in single nucleotide polymorphisms. None of these 13 isolates were closely related to four zoonotic M. bovis isolates previously characterized in Algeria. In Algeria, the epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis in cattle is partly driven by cross border movements of animals and animal products.

Mycobacterium bovis Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Algeria.

We analyzed 98 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates collected in 2 regions of Algeria in 2015-2018 from 93 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis. We identified 93/98 isolates as M. tuberculosis lineage 4 and 1 isolate as M. tuberculosis lineage 2 (Beijing). We confirmed 4 isolates as M. bovis by whole-genome sequencing.

Broad diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains isolated from humans and cattle in Northern Algeria suggests a zoonotic transmission cycle.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) comprises closely related species responsible for human and animal tuberculosis (TB). Efficient species determination is useful for epidemiological purposes, especially for the elucidation of the zoonotic contribution. In Algeria, data on MTBC genotypes are largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the occurrence and diversity of MTBC genotypes causing human and bovine TB in Northern Algeria. During a two-year sampling period (2017-2019) in two regions of Northern Algeria, we observed an overall prevalence of 6.5% of tuberculosis (TB) among slaughtered cattle, which is higher than previous Algerian data yet comparable to neighboring countries. A total of 296 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates were genotyped by spoligotyping: 181 from tissues with TB-like lesions collected from 181 cattle carcasses and 115 from TB patients. In human isolates, we identified 107 M. tuberculosis, seven M. bovis and one "M. pinnipedii-like", while for bovine samples, 174 isolates were identified as M. bovis, three as M. caprae, three as "M. pinnipedii-like" and one as "M. microti-like". The majority of isolates (89.2%) belonged to 72 different known Shared International Types (SIT) or M. bovis spoligotypes (SB), while we also identified seven new SB profiles (SB2695 to SB2701). Twenty-eight of the SB profiles were new to Algeria. Our data suggest zoonotic transmission in Sétif, where significantly more TB was observed among cattle (20%) compared to the slaughterhouses from the three other regions (5.4%-7.3%) (p < 0.0001), with the isolation of the same M. bovis genotypes from TB patients. The present study showed a high genetic diversity of MTBC isolated from human and cattle in Northern Algeria. Even though relatively small in terms of numbers, our data suggest the zoonotic transmission of TB from cattle to humans, suggesting the need for stronger eradication strategies for bovine TB.

Mycobacterium algericum sp. nov., a novel rapidly growing species related to the Mycobacterium terrae complex and associated with goat lung lesions.

A previously undescribed, rapid-growing, non-chromogenic Mycobacterium isolate from a goat lung lesion in Algeria is reported. Biochemical and molecular tools were used for its complete description and showed its affiliation to the Mycobacterium terrae complex. 16S rRNA, rpoB and hsp65 gene sequences were unique. Phylogenetic analyses showed a close relationship with M. terrae sensu stricto and Mycobacterium senuense. Culture and biochemical characteristics were generally similar to those of M. terrae and M. senuense. However, in contrast to M. terrae and M. senuense, the isolate was positive for urease production and had faster growth. The mycolic acid profile was distinct from those of M. terrae and M. senuense, thus further supporting the new taxonomic position of the isolate. We propose the name Mycobacterium algericum sp. nov. for this novel species. The type strain is TBE 500028/10(T) ( = Bejaia(T) = CIP 110121(T) = DSM 45454(T)).

African 2, a clonal complex of Mycobacterium bovis epidemiologically important in East Africa.

We have identified a clonal complex of Mycobacterium bovis isolated at high frequency from cattle in Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. We have named this related group of M. bovis strains the African 2 (Af2) clonal complex of M. bovis. Af2 strains are defined by a specific chromosomal deletion (RDAf2) and can be identified by the absence of spacers 3 to 7 in their spoligotype patterns. Deletion analysis of M. bovis isolates from Algeria, Mali, Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa, and Mozambique did not identify any strains of the Af2 clonal complex, suggesting that this clonal complex of M. bovis is localized in East Africa. The specific spoligotype pattern of the Af2 clonal complex was rarely identified among isolates from outside Africa, and the few isolates that were found and tested were intact at the RDAf2 locus. We conclude that the Af2 clonal complex is localized to cattle in East Africa. We found that strains of the Af2 clonal complex of M. bovis have, in general, four or more copies of the insertion sequence IS6110, in contrast to the majority of M. bovis strains isolated from cattle, which are thought to carry only one or a few copies.

[Evaluation of variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) isolates of Mycobacterium bovis in Algeria]. / Evaluation des VNTR (variable number of tandem repeats) des isolats de Mycobacterium bovis en Algérie.

The discriminatory potency of variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR), based on 7 loci (MIRU 26, 27 and 5 ETRs A, B, C, D, E) was assayed on Mycobacterium bovis strains obtained from samples due to tuberculosis in two slaughterhouses in Algeria. The technique of MIRU-VNTR has been evaluated on 88 strains of M. bovis and one strain of M. caprea and shows 41 different profiles. Results showed that the VNTR were highly discriminatory with an allelic diversity of 0.930 when four loci (ETR A, B, C and MIRU 27) were highly discriminatory (h>0.25) and three loci (ETR D and E MIRU 26) moderately discriminatory (0.11

African 1, an epidemiologically important clonal complex of Mycobacterium bovis dominant in Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad.

We have identified a clonal complex of Mycobacterium bovis present at high frequency in cattle in population samples from several sub-Saharan west-central African countries. This closely related group of bacteria is defined by a specific chromosomal deletion (RDAf1) and can be identified by the absence of spacer 30 in the standard spoligotype typing scheme. We have named this group of strains the African 1 (Af1) clonal complex and have defined the spoligotype signature of this clonal complex as being the same as the M. bovis BCG vaccine strain but with the deletion of spacer 30. Strains of the Af1 clonal complex were found at high frequency in population samples of M. bovis from cattle in Mali, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Chad, and using a combination of variable-number tandem repeat typing and spoligotyping, we show that the population of M. bovis in each of these countries is distinct, suggesting that the recent mixing of strains between countries is not common in this area of Africa. Strains with the Af1-specific deletion (RDAf1) were not identified in M. bovis isolates from Algeria, Burundi, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. Furthermore, the spoligotype signature of the Af1 clonal complex has not been identified in population samples of bovine tuberculosis from Europe, Iran, and South America. These observations suggest that the Af1 clonal complex is geographically localized, albeit to several African countries, and we suggest that the dominance of the clonal complex in this region is the result of an original introduction into cows naïve to bovine tuberculosis.

Molecular characterization of Mycobacterium bovis strains isolated from cattle slaughtered at two abattoirs in Algeria.

BACKGROUND: Bovine Tuberculosis is prevalent in Algeria despite governmental attempts to control the disease. The objective of this study was to conduct, for the first time, molecular characterization of a population sample of Mycobacterium bovis strains isolated from slaughter cattle in Algeria. Between August and November 2007, 7250 animals were consecutively screened at the abattoirs of Algiers and Blida. In 260 animals, gross visible granulomatous lesions were detected and put into culture. Bacterial isolates were subsequently analysed by molecular methods. RESULTS: Altogether, 101 bacterial strains from 100 animals were subjected to molecular characterization. M. bovis was isolated from 88 animals. Other bacteria isolated included one strain of M. caprae, four Rhodococcus equi strains, three Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) and five strains of other bacterial species. The M. bovis strains isolated showed 22 different spoligotype patterns; four of them had not been previously reported. The majority of M. bovis strains (89%) showed spoligotype patterns that were previously observed in strains from European cattle. Variable Number of Tandem Repeat (VNTR) typing supported a link between M. bovis strains from Algeria and France. One spoligotype pattern has also been shown to be frequent in M. bovis strains from Mali although the VNTR pattern of the Algerian strains differed from the Malian strains. CONCLUSION: M. bovis infections account for a high amount of granulomatous lesions detected in Algerian slaughter cattle during standard meat inspection at Algiers and Blida abattoir. Molecular typing results suggested a link between Algerian and European strains of M. bovis.

Improved microwave steam distillation apparatus for isolation of essential oils. Comparison with conventional steam distillation.

Steam distillation (SD) is routinely used by analysts for the isolation of essential oils from herbs, flowers and spices prior to gas chromatographic analysis. In this work, a new process design and operation for an improved microwave steam distillation (MSD) of essential oils from aromatic natural products was developed. To demonstrate its feasibility, MSD was compared with the conventional technique, SD, for the analysis of volatile compounds from dry lavender flowers (Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Lamiaceae). Essential oils isolated by MSD were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained by SD, but MSD was better than SD in terms of rapidity (6 min versus 30 min for lavender flowers), thereby allowing substantial savings of costs in terms of time and energy. Lavender flowers treated by MSD and SD were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Micrographs provide evidence of more rapid opening of essential oil glands treated by MSD, in contrast to conventional SD.