Worm burdens and associated histopathological changes caused by gastrointestinal nematodes in alpacas from Australia

• Published in: Parasitology research (1987) Vol. 118; no. 3; pp. 1031 - 1038
• Main Authors: Rashid, Mohammed H., Beveridge, Ian, Vaughan, Jane L., Jabbar, Abdul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-03-2019; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alpaca; Analysis; Beef cattle; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Diseases and pests; Eggs; Gastrointestinal system; Helminthology - Short Communication; Identification and classification; Immunology; Intestinal parasites; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Movie theaters; Nematodes; Pathological histology; Polymerase chain reaction; Roundworms; Species; Varieties; Australia; Total worm count; Gastrointestinal nematodes; Alpaca; Haemonchus contortus; Camelostrongylus mentulatus; Graphinema auchenia
• ISSN: 0932-0113; 1432-1955
• DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06237-6

In this study, 100 gastrointestinal tracts of Australian alpacas were examined to assess the worm burden and to identify the species of nematode present. Faecal samples were collected from 97 alpacas and processed for faecal egg counts (FECs). For identification of the species, both molecular (multiplexed-tandem polymerase chain reaction [MT-PCR]) and morphological techniques were used. Total worm counts (TWCs) revealed a mean burden of 1300 worms, with the highest burden of 29,000 worms. The average egg count was 501 eggs per gram of faeces (EPG), with the highest count of 3500 EPG. Nineteen different species of gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) were identified, and
Graphinema auchenia
,
Camelostrongylus mentulatus
and
Trichuris tenuis
were recovered from Australian alpacas for the first time.
Haemonchus contortus
was the most prevalent nematode (81%) followed by
C. mentulatus
(60%). The majority of the nematodes found are shared with sheep, goats and cattle. Findings of this study provide useful insights into the spectrum of GINs and their burden in Australian alpacas.