A Comparison of Camel Dermatophilosis in Kenya and Sudan a

Abstract

The arid and semi- arid areas in Kenya constitute about 80% of the country, and it is in these areas especially the North Eastern provinces that camels are reared. In Sudan, camels occur mainly in the Kordofan, Darfur, and Butana regions. Camels are reared in both Sudan and Kenya by pastoralists. In both countries, they mainly keep camels for the supply of milk especially during drought when other animals die or are unthrifty. It is then that the camels become a source of nutrition especially to women and children. The camel population in Kenya is 628,000 1 while the camel population in Sudan is about 2.7 million (National Statistics 1989). This is a low population when considering the potential of camels in these arid and semi-arid lands. Thus, this study attempted to determine what role camel dermatophilosis might play as a constraining factor in camel production in both countries.