ABSTRACT
Free-ranging vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) are handled in some areas of the Andean high plateau region following an ancestral practice known as chaku, which consists in their transient capture and shearing of their fiber for commercialization. In this study, 807 vicuñas captured during 12 chaku events that took place in 2019 in the province of Jujuy, Argentina, were examined for typical mange skin lesions. Twenty-eight of the examined vicuñas presented alopecia with erythema, exudation, hyperkeratosis, and/or bleeding scarred lesions, mostly in the chest, rear and front legs, and inguinal zone. Most of the cases (82%) appeared in Laguna Cucho at 4900 masl, where 23% of the animals presented these skin reactions. Microscopic evaluation of skin scrapings revealed the presence of a great number of 0.1- to 0.4-mm-long mites of different life cycle stages, morphologically compatible with the species Sarcoptes scabiei. This etiological agent was confirmed by PCR amplification and sequencing of a cox-1 species-specific segment. Histopathological examination of skin biopsies showed extensive infiltration of the dermis with lymphocytes, neutrophils and eosinophils, hyperplasia at different stages, epidermis degeneration, and hyperkeratosis. This is the first characterization of sarcoptic mange in free-ranging vicuñas by clinical examination, mite morphology, histopathological studies, and molecular confirmation in the region. Mange hampers the welfare of vicuñas and the economy of the local communities that organize chaku events since infested vicuñas cannot be sheared. Its long-term effects are unknown but it might affect the fitness and survival of this iconic South American camelid.
Subject(s)
Camelids, New World , Scabies , Animals , Argentina/epidemiology , Sarcoptes scabiei/genetics , Scabies/diagnosis , Scabies/epidemiology , Scabies/veterinary , SkinABSTRACT
Resumen El Valle de Lerma (VDL) es una región ubicada en la parte central de la provincia de Salta, República Argentina, la cual da origen a la mayor parte de la producción láctea provincial. La nematodiasis gastrointestinal es uno de los problemas sanitarios de mayor impacto económico en los sistemas productivos de base pastoril. El objetivo de este trabajo fue caracterizar la variación estacional de la eliminación de huevos y géneros de nematodos al medio ambiente. Mensualmente se tomaron muestras de materia fecal en bovinos de recría para conteo de huevos por gramo (HPG) y coprocultivo para determinación de géneros en tres establecimientos ganaderos de la región. En todos ellos se observaron dos picos en los valores medios de HPG, que ocurrieron entre principios de verano y fines de otoño. Los géneros/especies más prevalentes fueron Cooperia pectinata, Haemonchus spp. y Cooperia punctata, seguidos por Oesophagostomum spp., Trichostrongylus spp. y Ostertagia spp. Estos resultados aportan nueva evidencia al conocimiento de la epidemiología de los nematodos gastrointestinales de los bovinos en la región del VDL.
Abstract The Lerma Valley (LV) is a region located in the central part of the province of Salta, Argentine Republic. The largest dairy production in the province originates in this region. Gastrointestinal nematodiasis is one of the health problems with the greatest economic impact in pastoral-based production systems. The objective of the present work was to characterize the seasonal variation of the elimination of eggs and genera of nematodes to the environment. Fecal matter samples were taken from rearing cattle to count eggs per gram (Epg) and culture for gender determination monthly in three farms in the region. In these, it was possible to observe that the Epg values showed two peaks, which occurred between the beginning of summer and the end of autumn. Regarding the genera/species, the most prevalent were Cooperia pectinata, Haemonchus sp. and Cooperia punctata, followed by Oesophagostomum spp., Trichostrongylus spp. and Ostertagia spp. These results contribute with new evidence to the knowledge of the epidemiology of gastrointestinal nematodes of cattle in the LV region.
