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

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the following people who generously helped us in this study: C. Flores and D. Arias (CONACS), A. Cornejo and M. Avendaño (INRENA), H. Escarza (ACVIRA), and Andean communities from Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve (Toccra, Tarucani, Chuca-Imata, Pillone, Chalhuanca, Ampi, Colca-Huallata, Tambo Cañahuas, Salinas Huito, and Carmen Chaclaya). We also thank J.M. Blasco (Center of Agrofood Technology and Research of Aragon, Spain) for analyzing samples against brucellosis by MAT analysis and Dr. J. Kuonen (Alpaka-Zucht Simplon) for kindly providing samples with negative control alpaca serum. This study was financed by a grant for cooperation for the development from the University Complutense of Madrid (projects for cooperation to development—Complutense University of Madrid, ref. 14/05: health impact evaluation of new management systems on vicuña population of Peru).

Conflict of interest

All authors have given informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study and certify that there is no conflict of interest with any financial organization regarding the material discussed in the manuscript.

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  1. Veronica Risco-Castillo

    Present address: INSERM, UMR-S 945, Paris, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SALUVET, Animal Health Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Veronica Risco-Castillo & Luis Miguel Ortega-Mora

  2. CONOPA—Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo de Camélidos Sudamericanos, Lima, Peru

    Jane Collins Wheeler

  3. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Avda. Circunvalación s/n San Borja, Lima, Peru

    Raúl Rosadio, Domingo Hoces, Hugo Castillo & Álvaro Veliz

  4. Laboratory of Animal Health of Algete, National Reference Laboratory for Animal Leptospirosis, Madrid, Spain

    Francisco Javier García-Peña

  5. Laboratory of Animal Health and Production of Galicia, Lugo, Spain

    Ignacio Arnaiz-Seco

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  1. Veronica Risco-Castillo
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  2. Jane Collins Wheeler
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Correspondence to Veronica Risco-Castillo.

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Risco-Castillo, V., Wheeler, J.C., Rosadio, R. et al. Health impact evaluation of alternative management systems in vicuña (Vicugna vicugna mensalis) populations in Peru. Trop Anim Health Prod 46, 641–646 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-014-0543-3

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