The aim of this study was to identify the species of gastrointestinal parasites affecting the Peruvian guanaco and to determine the levels of parasitism in the populations under evaluation. For this purpose, 132 fresh faecal samples were collected from nine populations of wild guanacos located in six departments of Peru: Huallhua Community in Ayacucho; Calipuy National Reserve in La Libertad; Chavín community in Ica; Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve, and Machaguay and Yarabamba districts in Arequipa, Quilahuani district and Vila Vilani community in Tacna, and La Capilla district in Moquegua. Samples were processed by the coproparasitological techniques of flotation, sedimentation, larvae culture, and Baerman, and biometry of larvae and oocysts. Eight species of nematodes were identified: Graphinema aucheniae, Bunostomun spp., Ostertagia spp., Trichuris spp., Cooperia spp., Nem...

El propósito del presente estudio fue identificar las especies de parásitosgastrointestinales que afectan al guanaco peruano y determinar los niveles de parasitismode las poblaciones evaluadas. Se obtuvieron 132 muestras de heces frescas deguanacos silvestres pertenecientes a nueve poblaciones ubicadas en seis departamentosdel Perú: Comunidad Campesina de Huallhua (Ayacucho), Reserva Nacional de Calipuy(La Libertad), Comunidad Campesina de Chavín (Ica), Reserva Nacional Salinas y AguadaBlanca y distritos de Machaguay y Yarabamba (Arequipa), distrito de Quilahuani yComunidad Campesina de Vila Vilani (Tacna), y distrito de La Capilla (Moquegua). Lasmuestras fueron procesadas mediante técnicas coproparasitológicas de flotación, sedimentación,cultivo de larvas, Baerman y biometría de larvas y ooquistes. Se identificaronocho especies de nematodos: Graphinema aucheniae, Bunostomun sp....

In recent years important economic losses have resulted from what is described as “dandruff” in vicuña fiber. With the goal of analyzing the possible cause/s was conducted an histopathological analysis of 75 skin biopsies (33 affected/42 unaffected), microbiological analysis of 85 skin/fiber scrapings (44 affected/41 unaffected), and microelement analysis (zinc, selenium, copper, molybdenum) of 70 serum samples (41 affected/ 29 unaffected), collected from three wild populations in the communities of Huaytará, Ayaví and Santa Rosa de Tambo, Huancavelica, Peru, as well as from the captive herd held jointly by these communities. The affected vicuñas were clinically normal and the presence of “dandruff” was generally detected after shearing. In these fleeces, white scales scattered or accumulated and firmly adhered to the fibers were found, especially on the flanks and backs of t...

Se describen 75 estudios histopatológicos en biopsias de piel (33 afectados y 42 no afectados con “caspa”), 85 análisis microbiológicos en raspados de piel (44 afectados y 41 no afectados) y 70 determinaciones séricas de zinc, selenio, cobre y molibdeno (41 afectados y 29 no afectados) de tres poblaciones de vicuñas silvestres capturadas en “Chakus” en el 2009 en las comunidades campesinas de Huaytará, Ayaví, Santa Rosa de Tambo y en una población captiva multicomunal, en Huancavelica. Los animales afectados no tenían alteraciones clínicas, pero los vellones a la postesquila presentaron escamas blanquecinas dispersas o acumuladas y fuertemente adheridas, usualmente, al dorso lateral y algunas veces por todo el vellón. Todas las muestras de piel, con mayor severidad en las afectadas, mostraron moderada hiperqueratosis ortoqueratótica laminar asociada con dermatosis ine...

A serologic study was conducted on 793 alpaca and 195 vicuña sera samples collected in Huancavelica and Ayacucho departments in Peru to detect specific antibodies against five pathogenic leptospira serovars (L. icterohaemorrhagiae, L. pomona, L. canicola, L. wolfii and L. ballum) by the microaglutination test. The survey revealed that 89.6% of the alpacas and 77.4% of vicuñas were positive to one or more serovars. In alpacas, the titers varied from 1:100 to 1:1600 reacting mainly to L. icterohaemorrhagiae (43.4%) and L. pomona (37.8%), whereas titers among vicuñas varied from 1:100 to 1:400 reacting similarly to L. icterohaemorrhagiae (69.2%) and L. pomona (8.2%) serovars. The alpacas also had antibodies to L. canicola (7.8 %) and L. wolfii (0.6%) serovars. These results show that the animals had previous exposure to at least 4 of the 5 serovars tested and the elevated titers to L. ic...

Se realizaron estudios serológicos en 793 alpacas y 195 vicuñas de comunidades campesinas de los departamentos de Huancavelica y Ayacucho, Perú, para detectar anticuerpos específicos para cinco serovares patogénicos (icterohaemorrhagiae, pomona, canicola, wolfii y ballum) mediante la prueba serovar específica de microaglutinación. Se encontró que 89.6% de las alpacas y 77.4% de las vicuñas eran seropositivas a uno o más serovares. En alpacas, los anticuerpos tuvieron títulos de 1:100 hasta 1:1600, mayormente con los serovares icterohaemorrhagiae (43.4%) y pomona (37.8%); en tanto que en las vicuñas se obtuvo títulos de 1:100 hasta 1:400, reaccionando similarmente a icterohaemorrhagiae (69.2%) y pomona (8.2%). Solamente las alpacas mostraron títulos positivos a los serovares canicola (7.8%) y wolfii (0.6%). Los resultados indican que los animales han estado expuestos a por l...

The results of our recent research work on enterotoxemia in Peruvian alpacas are presented. Microbiological and molecular analyses found that the majority of the isolates corresponded to Clostridium perfringens and contained the cpa coding gene for α toxin (A genotype) while 0.4% contained both the cpa and cpb genes of the α and β toxins (C genotype). A parallel study revealed that 8.5% of the genotype A isolates also had cpb2, but the cpe (enterotoxin) gene was absent in all cases. These results highly suggest that the exotoxins secreted by C. perfringens are the virulent factors in enterotoxemia, rather than the endogenous enterotoxin. Additionally, an histopathological study of intestinal samples from fatal cases showed that 30.6% had abundant immature structures of Eimeria macusaniensis affecting deep mucosa and cryptic gland epithelia, primarily in the jejune and ileum, suggestin...

The objective of the present study was to determine the levels of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) in neonatal alpacas (5-23 days of age) killed by enterotoxemia and in animals of similar ages, but clinically healthy. In a first phase, a standard curve of physiological degradation of serum IgG was established from blood sera of six apparently healthy neonates from day 2 to 21 days of age (n=9). In a second phase, serum IgG concentrations were determined in 17 dead neonatal alpacas with lesions compatible with enterotoxemia and in 26 animals of similar ages, apparently healthy. The concentrations of IgG, determined by the Radial Immunodiffusion test, showed that all the animals at 48 hours of birth had adequate concentrations of IgG, while only three of the animals killed by enterotoxemia had IgG levels below the obtained standard curve, although only one of them with levels below 900 mg/dl a...

The results of our recent research work on enterotoxemia in Peruvian alpacas are presented. Microbiological and molecular analyses found that the majority of the isolates corresponded to Clostridium perfringens and contained the cpa coding gene for α toxin (A genotype) while 0.4% contained both the cpa and cpb genes of the α and β toxins (C genotype). A parallel study revealed that 8.5% of the genotype A isolates also had cpb2, but the cpe (enterotoxin) gene was absent in all cases. These results highly suggest that the exotoxins secreted by C. perfringens are the virulent factors in enterotoxemia, rather than the endogenous enterotoxin. Additionally, an histopathological study of intestinal samples from fatal cases showed that 30.6% had abundant immature structures of Eimeria macusaniensis affecting deep mucosa and cryptic gland epithelia, primarily in the jejune and ileum, suggestin...

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo determinar los niveles de Inmunoglobulina G (IgG) sérica en alpacas neonatas (5-23 días de edad) muertas por enterotoxemia y en animales de edades similares, pero clínicamente sanos. En una primera fase se estableció una curva estándar de degradación fisiológica de la IgG sérica a partir de sueros sanguíneos de seis neonatos aparentemente sanos a partir del día 2 y hasta los 21 días de edad (n=9). En una segunda fase se determinaron las concentraciones de IgG sérica en 17 alpacas neonatas muertas con lesiones compatibles con enterotoxemia y en 26 animales, de edades similares, aparentemente sanos. Las concentraciones de IgG, determinadas por la prueba de Inmunodifusión Radial, evidenciaron que todas las crías a las 48 horas del nacimiento presentaron concentraciones adecuadas de IgG, mientras que solo tres de los animales muertos por e...

In the present study, 24 native supernatants isolated from enterotoxemia fatalities were evaluated to characterize lecitinase, hemolytic, in vitro cytotoxicity, and in vivo enterotoxicity activities of the phospholipase C (Cp-PLC) exotoxin. The lecitinase activity was monitored in microplates using egg white emulsifications, the hemolityc and perfringolisine in microplates using sheep and equine eritrocytes respectively, the cytotoxic activity was tested on HEp-2 cells and the enterotoxicity by inoculating within intestinal loops of rabbits. At the molecular level, all the isolates (12 vegetative and 12 sporulated) were found to contain the cpa gene (genotype A), while six also contained cpb2 gene but none had the cpe gene. These isolates were classified, according the lecitinase activity, as high, medium and low producer strains. Most of the vegetative (66.6%) isolates had high and medi...

Se reportan evaluaciones de sobrenadantes bacterianos (nativos) crudos obtenidos de 24 aislados de C. perfringens de casos fatales de enterotoxemia buscando caracterizar propiedades lecitinasas, hemolíticas, citotóxicas in vitro y enterotóxicas in vivo de la exotoxina fosfolipasa C (Cp-PLC). Los aislados (12 en estados vegetativos y 12 esporulados) contenían el gen cpa (genotipo A), y seis de ellos tenían además el gen cpb2, pero todos carecían del gen de la enterotoxina (cpe). Las actividades lecitinasas fueron evaluadas, en microplacas, usando emulsiones de yemas de huevo; las hemolíticas y perfringolisina en microplacas, usando eritrocitos de carnero y de equino respectivamente; las citotóxicas, en células HEp-2; y las enterotóxicas en conejos inoculados intraintestinalmente. Los aislados fueron clasificados, de acuerdo a los niveles de la actividad lecitinasa, en cepas de ...