Bipolaris hawaiiensis describes subcutaneous lesions caused by dematiaceous fungi, brown-pigmented mould. In a camel farm in Saudi Arabia, the owner complained of cases of skin infection among camels. Lesions persisted after sarcoptic mange outbreak, which was treated until the infection resolved. General examination revealed that four camels were affected showing alopecia, erythema, numerous small subcutaneous nodules and brownish blackish crusts. The affected areas were disinfected with 70% ethyl alcohol and deep scraping were prepared in 10% potassium hydroxide for microbiological examination. Cultures were done onto sabouraud dextrose agar with chloramphenicol 0.5mg/ml, incubated at 30⁰C. Another set cultured on the same media enriched with chloramphenicol 0.5mg/ml and cycloheximide 0.4 mg/l and incubated at 27⁰C and 37⁰C. Molecular mycology analysis was done by polymerase chain reaction on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene using ITS1 and ITS4 primers. Microscopic examination indicated an absence of dermatophytes. However, brownish to black, septate hyphae arranged as arthro-hyphae, and black yeast-like particles were showed microscopically. Cultures yielded multiple, velvety, gray colonies turning brownish black later. Lactophenol cotton-blue smears revealed septate, branched hyphae that are dark brown in colour1.5–5μ wide. Conidiophores are septate, unbranched with flexuose apexes, bearing brown, multi-septate, cylindrical conidia. ITS gene sequence analysis confirmed the isolate from camel skin scrapings to be bipolaris hawaiiensis. The case is interesting as this represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first authenticated report of bipolaris hawaiiensis in camels from a tropical country.
Key words: Camels, Fungus, Bipolaris, skin, gene sequencing, microbiology
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