Thursday, April 3, 2014

Haemonchus contortus and camelids

by Dr. Lisa Williamson
University of Georgia College of Vet Medicine


As is the case in sheep and goats, gastrointestinal parasites are a leading cause of illness and death in camelids. The blood-feeding nematode Haemonchus contortus is especially devastating in camelid herds living in endemic areas.

Research conducted by the University of Georgia a few years ago on hundreds of llamas and alpacas living on 26 privately owned farms in the southeastern United States found that Haemonchus contortus was the most prevalent nematode parasite on the farms.

Multi-drug resistance was documented in the Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus colubriformis isolates from the llamas and alpacas.  Similar to the anthelmintic profiles seen in sheep and goats in the southeastern United States, ivermectin and benzimidazole resistance was a common finding. Many Haemonchus contortus isolates from camelids were sensitive to levamisole and moxidectin.

Camelids were more challenging to score using the FAMACHA© system than sheep and goats, because many animals resented having a hand placed on their foreheads. Modification of the approach made scoring them easier.  Researchers concluded that the FAMACHA© system has good discriminatory value for detecting anemia associated with haemonchosis in camelids. Further, body condition score was a good indicator of which camelids were harboring the most significant parasite burdens regardless of type.

Source: American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (ACSRPC) web site

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