Isolation of tissue cysts of Toxoplasma, Isospora, Hammondia and Sarcocystis from camel (Camelus dromedarius) meat in Saudi Arabia.

Meat samples were collected from the oesophagus and tongue of 38 camels slaughtered at the main abattoir of Al-Ahsa city, Saudi Arabia. Five cats and three dogs, conventionally reared and coccidia-free, were caged individually in steel cages. Camel meat was pooled, minced and fed to four cats and two dogs. One cat and one dog were not fed meat and were kept as noninfected controls. Faecal samples from infected and control animals were examined daily for a period of 2 months after feeding the meat. Three cats fed camel meat passed in their faeces oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii, Isospora felis and Isospora rivolta. The fourth cat passed only T. gondii and I. felis oocysts. One of the dogs fed camel meat passed oocysts of Isospora canis, Hammondia heydorni and Sarcocystis cameli sporocysts. The second dog excreted only S. cameli sporocysts.