Assessment of Hepatic Lesions in Slaughtered One Humped Camel at Maiduguri Main Abattoir, Borno State, Nigeria

The study examined the prevalence of hepatic gross and histopathological lesions of camels (Camelus dromedarius) slaughtered at Maiduguri Central abattoir. The study was carried out between the month of August and September, 2024. A total of 100 liver samples from camels slaughtered were investigated for the presence of gross lesions through visual palpation and incision. Tissue samples were randomly taken from 20 livers (10 male and 10 female) and processed for histopathological examination using standard procedure. Out of the 100 camels examined, there were no visible gross lesions recorded. However, out of the 20 tissues processed for histopathology, 16(80) had various histopathologic lesions observed. The most frequently recorded microscopic lesions were centrilobular necrosis 2(7.1%), apoptotic hepatocytes 2(7.1%), hepatitis 3(10.7%), hepatic hemorrhage 4(14.3%) and fibrosis 7(25%) and lipid accumulation 10(35.7%). The sex specific prevalence of hepatic histopathologic lesions observed was 50% in male and 50% in female. Of the 28 histopathologic lesions recorded, 14(50%) were from the males comprising of centrilobular necrosis 1(3.6%), hepatic hemorrhage 2(7.1%), hepatitis 2(7.1%), fibrosis 3(10.7%), and lipid accumulation 6(21.5%). The remaining 14(50%) microscopic lesions were from the females and comprised of centrilobular necrosis 1(3.6%), hepatitis 1(3.6%), hepatic hemorrhage 2(7.1%) and apoptotic hepatocyte 2(7.1%), fibrosis 4(14.3%) and lipid accumulation 4(14.3%), respectively. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate 80% prevalence of hepatic microscopic lesions in the absence of visible gross lesions in camels in the study area. Therefore, the design of effective prevention and treatment programs against conditions that affect the liver is very important.