Health impact evaluation of alternative management systems in vicuña (Vicugna vicugna mensalis) populations in Peru.

To determine the impact of farming over vicuña population in Peru, serum samples were collected from 207 vicuñas (126 captive vicuñas and 81 free-ranging vicuñas) and 614 domestic South American camelids (571 alpacas and 43 llamas), in ten Andean communities at the Salinas y Aguada Blanca reserve, province of Arequipa, southern Peru. Samples were tested for the presence of leptospirosis, foot and mouth disease (FMD), bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1), brucellosis, bluetongue disease (BT), paratuberculosis, and neosporosis. Serological results showed that 1.9% (4/207) of vicuñas, 18.6% (106/571) of alpacas, and 23.3% (10/43) of llamas were positive to one or more Leptospira serovars. One percent of vicuñas (2/207) and 2.4% of domestic camelids (15/614) had Neospora caninum antibodies tested by ELISA, but only two vicuñas and two alpacas were confirmed by Western blot. Epidemiological evaluation found an association of leptospirosis to sex and age (p < 0.001), with female subjects older than 2.5 years at higher risk of infection. Interestingly, antibodies against Leptospira serovars were only found in captive vicuñas. This is the first study where health status of free-ranging and captive vicuñas has been compared. Results indicate minimal to nil presence of FMD, BVD, BHV-1, brucellosis, BT, paratuberculosis, and neosporosis allied to health disorders in our sample. The detection of seropositive animals against Leptospira, however, unveils the likely significance of leptospirosis in wild and domestic South American camelids, the impact of mixed husbandry over vicuña population and the risk to human health.

Contribución al estudio del parasitismo gastrointestinal en guanacos (Lama guanicoe cacsilensis) / Contribution to the study of gastrointestinal parasitism in the guanaco (Lama Guanicoe Cacsilensis)

El propósito del presente estudio fue identificar las especies de parásitos gastrointestinales que afectan al guanaco peruano y determinar los niveles de parasitismo de las poblaciones evaluadas. Se obtuvieron 132 muestras de heces frescas de guanacos silvestres pertenecientes a nueve poblaciones ubicadas en seis departamentos del Perú: Comunidad Campesina de Huallhua (Ayacucho), Reserva Nacional de Calipuy (La Libertad), Comunidad Campesina de Chavín (Ica), Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca y distritos de Machaguay y Yarabamba (Arequipa), distrito de Quilahuani y Comunidad Campesina de Vila Vilani (Tacna), y distrito de La Capilla (Moquegua). Las muestras fueron procesadas mediante técnicas coproparasitológicas de flotación, sedimentación, cultivo de larvas, Baerman y biometría de larvas y ooquistes. Se identificaron ocho especies de nematodos: Graphinema aucheniae, Bunostomun sp., Ostertagia sp., Trichuris sp, Cooperia sp., Nematodirus sp., Mazamastrongylus peruvianus y Trichostrongylus sp. y cuatro especies de Eimeria: E. lamae, E. alpacae, E. punoensis y E. macusaniensis. Todas las poblaciones se encontraban con al menos un guanaco parasitado, presentando en general cargas bajas y variando las frecuencias de parasitismo gastrointestinal de una población a otra, dependiendo del hábitat y de la proximidad a herbívoros domésticos.

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., Nematodirus spp., Mazamastrongylus peruvianus and Trichostrongylus spp., and four Eimeria species: E. lamae, E. alpacae, E. punoensis and E. macusaniensis. All guanaco populations had at least one animal with parasites, showing low parasite burden in general, and with a variation in the frequency of gastrointestinal parasitism from one population to another, depending on the habitat and the proximity to other domestic herbivores.