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Neubert S, Puff C, Kleinschmidt S, Kammeyer P, von Altrock A, Wendt M, Wagener MG. Gastric Ulcers in Alpacas— Clinical, Laboratory, and Pathological Findings. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:877257. [PMID: 35664847 PMCID: PMC9159277 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.877257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastric ulcers are a common finding in post-mortem examinations of South American camelids (SAC), but diagnosis in living animals is often difficult. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the incidence of gastric ulcers in alpacas, common concomitant diseases, and clinical as well as laboratory findings to facilitate diagnosis for veterinarians. For this purpose, a total of 187 necropsy reports of alpacas were evaluated, including clinical and laboratory findings on the living animal. A total of 23.5% of the animals (n = 44) were found to have gastric ulcers, nine were perforated. Compartment 3 was most frequently affected by gastric ulcers. No sex predilection could be detected, but animals 1 year of age and older were more frequently affected by gastric ulcers than animals under 1 year of age. Alpacas with gastric ulcers were presented to the clinic due to different non-specific symptoms. In alpacas with gastric ulcers, significantly more organs or organ systems besides the stomach revealed clinical findings than in animals without gastric ulcers. Of the 44 animals with gastric ulcers, a total of 21 alpacas (47.7%) had a poor nutritional status, but cachexia was not significantly more frequent in animals with gastric ulcers than in other dissected animals without ulcers. Hematologic investigations revealed a significantly lower white blood count and significantly lower segmented neutrophils than in deceased animals without ulcers. Compared to animals discharged after treatment, alpacas that died with gastric ulcers had significantly higher levels of band neutrophils and fewer eosinophils and basophils. Occult blood in feces was found in three of 12 animals with gastric ulcers examined for occult blood. In summary, gastric ulcers are a common problem in SAC, which is difficult to diagnose clinically or by laboratory investigations. As these are often chronic processes involving other organ systems, regular monitoring of the animals' nutritional status and early detection of disease symptoms may help to prevent gastric ulcers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Neubert
- Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
- *Correspondence: Saskia Neubert
| | - Christina Puff
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Sven Kleinschmidt
- Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Food and Veterinary Institute Braunschweig/Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Patricia Kammeyer
- Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Food and Veterinary Institute Braunschweig/Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Alexandra von Altrock
- Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Michael Wendt
- Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Matthias Gerhard Wagener
- Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
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4
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Arias-Pacheco C, Pezo D, Mathias LA, Tebaldi JH, Castelo-Oviedo H, Lux-Hoppe EG. Parasitological status of vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) from southeastern Peru and its relationship with fiber quality. Trop Anim Health Prod 2021; 53:211. [PMID: 33738564 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-021-02650-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
We aim to describe the parasitic population in vicuñas from three Andean communities and its relationship with fiber quality using 115 fecal and 22 fiber samples, classified according to sex, age, body condition score, and management system. Coproparasitologic diagnostic revealed that 84.4% of animals presented at least one type of parasite egg/oocyst. Most frequent parasite egg/oocyst were Strongyle-type eggs (54.8%) and Eimeria punoensis (38.3%). Wild vicuñas had a higher prevalence of Strongyle-type eggs (91.4%) than semi-captive (38.8%) animals, and age was significative to Eimeria infection; crias had the highest frequency (100%) when compared to yearlings (84.2%) and adults (49.4%). Larvae identification revealed a strong influence of domestic animals on vicuña parasite community, presenting the first report of Bunostomum phlebotomum and Gaigeria pachyscelis in vicuñas from southeastern Peru. Females had a significantly finer diameter of fiber (13.05 ± 0.73 μm) than males (14.22 ± 1.22 μm), and infection with Eimeria spp. affected negatively fiber diameter and resistance. Our results provide data for disease surveillance and encourage further parasitological studies in vicuñas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Arias-Pacheco
- Department of Pathology, Animal Reproduction, and One Health, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Danilo Pezo
- Centro de Investigación IVITA, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Marangani, Peru
| | - Luis Antonio Mathias
- Department of Pathology, Animal Reproduction, and One Health, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - José Hairton Tebaldi
- Department of Pathology, Animal Reproduction, and One Health, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Estevam G Lux-Hoppe
- Department of Pathology, Animal Reproduction, and One Health, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
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5
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Vater AL, Zandt E, Maierl J. The topographic and systematic anatomy of the alpaca stomach. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 304:1999-2013. [PMID: 33480155 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The gastric anatomy of the alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is adapted to the physiological process of ruminating and the degradation of plant cell wall contents to a great extent. Most alpaca husbandries consist of only few animals and with the still increasing number of alpacas worldwide the number of persons who are responsible for these animals is increasing as well. Despite this, little research has been done with regard to the clinical anatomy of the stomach of alpacas. Six animals were used for dissection. The vascular system of two alpacas was injected with latex milk to illustrate the course of the blood supply to the viscera. One stomach was used to prepare formalin-fixed preparations. The stomach consisted of three compartments (C1-C3) and showed two sacculated areas in C1 and another comb-like system in C2. The compartments were lined by a smooth mucosa. Only the deep cells of C2 were lined by a papillated mucosa. The main blood supply was provided by the coeliac artery which was divided into the hepatic artery and the left gastric artery, supplying abdominal organs like liver, spleen, pancreas, and the initial part of the duodenum. Literature research on the llama stomach showed that the alpaca stomachs that were used resembled each other to a very large degree. The specific design of the stomach together with its related functions and physiological processes confirm that the evolution of Tylopoda and Ruminantia took place in parallel and not in homology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Lisa Vater
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chair of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Zandt
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chair of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johann Maierl
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chair of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
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6
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Carvallo FR, Uzal FA, Flores C, Diab SS, Giannitti F, Crossley B, Wünschmann A. Alimentary necrobacillosis in alpacas. J Vet Diagn Invest 2020; 32:339-343. [PMID: 32070228 DOI: 10.1177/1040638720906409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ulcers of the oral cavity, esophagus, and gastric compartments of South American camelids are uncommon. Multifocal-to-coalescing ulcers were identified in the oral cavity, esophagus, and/or gastric compartments of 5 alpacas submitted for postmortem examination. Fusobacterium necrophorum was isolated from the lesions in all alpacas, in combination with other aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. In 4 of these cases, F. necrophorum-associated lesions were considered secondary to neoplasia or other chronic debilitating conditions; in 1 case, the alimentary ulcers were considered the most significant autopsy finding. It is not known if this agent acted as a primary or opportunistic agent in mucosal membranes previously damaged by a traumatic event, chemical insult, immunodeficiency, or any other debilitating condition of the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco R Carvallo
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino (Carvallo, Uzal) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Davis (Diab, Crossley) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile (Flores).,Plataforma de Investigación en Salud Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), La Estanzuela, Colonia, Uruguay (Giannitti).,University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, St. Paul, MN (Wünschmann)
| | - Francisco A Uzal
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino (Carvallo, Uzal) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Davis (Diab, Crossley) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile (Flores).,Plataforma de Investigación en Salud Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), La Estanzuela, Colonia, Uruguay (Giannitti).,University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, St. Paul, MN (Wünschmann)
| | - Carlos Flores
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino (Carvallo, Uzal) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Davis (Diab, Crossley) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile (Flores).,Plataforma de Investigación en Salud Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), La Estanzuela, Colonia, Uruguay (Giannitti).,University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, St. Paul, MN (Wünschmann)
| | - Santiago S Diab
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino (Carvallo, Uzal) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Davis (Diab, Crossley) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile (Flores).,Plataforma de Investigación en Salud Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), La Estanzuela, Colonia, Uruguay (Giannitti).,University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, St. Paul, MN (Wünschmann)
| | - Federico Giannitti
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino (Carvallo, Uzal) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Davis (Diab, Crossley) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile (Flores).,Plataforma de Investigación en Salud Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), La Estanzuela, Colonia, Uruguay (Giannitti).,University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, St. Paul, MN (Wünschmann)
| | - Beate Crossley
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino (Carvallo, Uzal) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Davis (Diab, Crossley) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile (Flores).,Plataforma de Investigación en Salud Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), La Estanzuela, Colonia, Uruguay (Giannitti).,University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, St. Paul, MN (Wünschmann)
| | - Arno Wünschmann
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino (Carvallo, Uzal) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Davis (Diab, Crossley) branches, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile (Flores).,Plataforma de Investigación en Salud Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), La Estanzuela, Colonia, Uruguay (Giannitti).,University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, St. Paul, MN (Wünschmann)
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