Use of Hysteroscopy for Diagnosing Causes of Infertility in Camelids.

Hysteroscopy in alpacas and llamas allows for the identification of abnormalities on the surface or within the endometrium that cannot be identified with other methods. Hysteroscopy also allows for site-directed endometrial cytology, culture, and biopsy to achieve a definitive diagnosis. Even when no cause for infertility can be found, previously infertile females tend to become pregnant and maintain their pregnancies to term following the hysteroscopic procedure. This therapeutic effect may be a response to pre-hysteroscopy estrogen treatment, dilation of the uterine horns during hysteroscopy, and/or posttreatment uterine lavages. Complications following hysteroscopy have not been reported in camelids.

Identification of a novel coronavirus possibly associated with acute respiratory syndrome in alpacas (Vicugna pacos) in California, 2007.

Alpaca respiratory syndrome (ARS) was first recognized in California in October 2007. This syndrome is characterized by acute respiratory signs, high fever, and occasional sudden death, and has mostly been observed in pregnant alpacas (Vicugna pacos), although all signalments have been affected. A similarity in clinical signs to cases located on the East Coast of the United States was observed; however, a causative agent had not been identified. Preliminary diagnostic submissions to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS) were negative for known bacterial, parasitic, fungal, and viral pathogens, as well as for toxins, making the etiology of this disease unknown. However, based on pathologic findings, a viral or toxic etiology was strongly considered. A novel coronavirus was recovered from lung tissue of a clinical case submitted to CAHFS. The coronavirus identity was confirmed in tissue culture by transmission electron microscopy and by sequence analysis of a conserved region within the viral genome. Statistical analysis calculating a serologic association between the serum virus neutralization antibody titer and coronavirus, the presence of exposure history on 40 animals with a history of ARS, and 167 controls provided an odds ratio of 121 (95% confidence interval: 36.54 and 402.84; P < 0.0001). The findings indicate that the ARS-associated coronavirus described is distinct from the previously reported gastrointestinal-associated coronavirus identified in alpaca herds.