Antimicrobial Effects of Camel Milk against Some Bacterial Pathogens

Introduction

Camels play a major role in the lifestyle of many communities, particularly those in dry zones in the Middle East and the Arabian area. Camels have the ability to adapt to climatic conditions. They are used in transport, sport, source of meat and milk Therefore, camels, contribute in raising the economy and food security for humans. It has been found that camel milk has antidiabetic, anti - hepatitis and bactericidal [1,2,3] .The milk of mammals is protected to diff erent extents against microbial contaminations by natural inhibitory systems, including the lactoperoxidase/ thiocyanate/hydrogen peroxide system, lactoferrins, lysozyme, immunoglobulins and free fatty acids [3] . The concent ration and the activity of each of these antimicrobial systems/substances depend on the animal species and on the stage of lactation Camel’s milk is reported to have a stronger inhibitory system than that of cow’s milk [1] . In particular; the levels of lysozyme and lactoferrins are reported to be two and three times higher than those of cow’s milk, respectively [4,5] . Camel milk contains peptides and proteins that exhibit its biological activi ties that have beneficial effect on many bioprocesses as digestion, absorption, growth and immunity [6,7] . Furthermore, camel’s milk can be stored at room temperature longer period than milk from other animals [8] . Camel's whey proteins include a heterogeneous group of proteins, including serum albumin, α - lactalbumin, immunoglobulin, lactophorin and peptidoglycan recognition protein [9] . Dietary whey supplementat ions may improve wound healing by increasing GSH synthesis and cellular antioxidant defense can survive from hours to weeks, or even months, on dry environmental surfaces, depending on strain [11] . S. aureus infections can spread through contact with pus from an infected woun d, skin - to - skin contact with an infected person by producing hyaluronidase that destroys tissues, and contact with objects such as towels, sheets, clothing, or athletic equipments used by an infected person. Deeply penetrating S.aureus infections can be se vere. Sever S. aureus infection causes septic arthritis, endocarditis and pneumonia and mastitis in animals [11] . On the other hand, Escherichia coli ( E.coli ) are Gram negative bacilli (Enterobacteriaceae) founds in the int estinal tract as a commensal. Pathogenic strains of this organism are distinguished from normal flora by their possession of virulence factors such as exotoxins. The specific virulence factors can be used, together with the type of disease, to separate the se organisms into pathotypes. There are two major families of verocytotoxins, Vt1 and Vt2. Enterohemorrhagic E. coli are VTEC that possess additional virulence factors, giving them the ability to cause hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome in h umans [12] . From the above stated facts about the importance of camel milk and severity of S. aureus and E. coli comes the importance of this study. Therefore, current study aimed to investigate the protective effect of cam el milk on the pathogenicity induced by E. coli and S. aureus injection in Wistar rats