This investigation was performed in the Altiplano Altoandino sub-humid region in the Ulla Ulla district, Pelechuco township, Franz Tomayo province, department of La Paz, Bolivia. The objective of this study was to quantify and compare the presence of Brucellosis in male and female alpacas (Lama pacos) at ages 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 years. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein of 500 alpacas from the Hichucollo, Huacuchani, Ucha Ucha, and Ulla Ulla communities. The serum from each sample was separated and a serological diagnosis was performed by rapid agglutination with Rose Bengal chemical stain. In the Ulla Ulla district, 11.0% of alpacas were suspected of being infected. Of that 11.0%, 9.6% represented female alpacas while the remaining 1.4% represented male alpacas. By community, the overall results were 0.6%, 0.2%, 7.4%, and 2.8% for Hichucollo, Huacuchani, Ucha Ucha, and Ulla Ulla respectively. With regards to gender in each community, 1.4%, 1.6%, 13.3%, and 11.1% of female alpacas and 2.7%, 0.0%, 1.2%, and 1.9 % of male alpacas were suspected of being infected in Hichucollo, Huacuchani, Ucha Ucha, and Ulla Ulla, respectively. According to age, 0.8%, 2.6%, 3.8%, 2.0%, 11.8%, and 0.0% were suspected of Brucellosis in alpacas 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 years old, respectively in the Ulla Ulla district. The analysis of variance among the results does not present significant differences (p ≥ 0.05), failing to reject the given hypothesis. The final prevalence point found in the Ulla Ulla district was 11.0%. It was concluded that the prevalence of suspected cases of Brucellosis in alpacas is a consequence of the antigenic characteristics of each biotype. Furthermore, the results affirm that the poor management of livestock and livestock health lead to significant problems with alpaca health. It is therefore necessary to implement control strategies as well as disease monitoring in communities by following a detailed program of diagnostic tests for Brucellosis. Also, non-infected flocks must be protected against infection.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BGMYU2/oai:scholarsarchive.byu.edu:etd-6435 |
| Date | 01 January 2005 |
| Creators | Suxo Blanco, Macario |
| Publisher | BYU ScholarsArchive |
| Source Sets | Brigham Young University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Coverage | La Paz (Bolivia) |
| Rights | http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/ |
Page generated in 0.0018 seconds