Prevalence and Parasite Load of Helminths in Reintroduced Vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) in High-Andean Communities, Huancavelica, Peru

Rojas, Erick and Najarro, Alberto and Machuca, Gumercindo and Bezada, Sandra (2025) Prevalence and Parasite Load of Helminths in Reintroduced Vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) in High-Andean Communities, Huancavelica, Peru. World's Veterinary Journal. 968 - 977. ISSN 2322-456

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Abstract

Gastrointestinal helminth infections represent a major threat to the health and conservation of vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) in the Peruvian Andes, while epidemiological information on repopulated populations under community-based management remains limited. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and parasite load of gastrointestinal helminths in reintroduced vicuñas from the high-Andean communities of Huancavelica, Peru. In the present study, 102 vicuñas from the communities of Atuna and Allarpo (Huancavelica), Peru, were evaluated during the 2023 chaccu, a traditional Andean practice in which wild vicuñas are collectively herded, captured, and shorn for fiber under community supervision. The sample consisted of 66 females and 36 males, of which 80 were classified as adults (>3 years old) and 22 as juveniles (1-3 years old). Rectal fecal samples were collected and analyzed to detect and quantify gastrointestinal helminth eggs, including strongyle-type eggs, Nematodirus, Trichuris, and Fasciola hepatica (F. hepatica). Samples were analyzed using flotation, modified McMaster, and sedimentation techniques to detect and quantify helminth eggs. Overall prevalence, including by community, sex, age, and parasite load (eggs per gram, EFG) as a geometric mean, was determined. The overall prevalence was 75.5, with F. hepatica as the most frequent parasite, 79.2 in Allarpo and 60.9 in Atuna, followed by Trichuris spp. (11.6) and Nematodirus spp. (10.2), and Strongyle-type eggs 42.0 in Allarpo and 17.45 in Atuna. Juveniles had a higher prevalence of F. hepatica infection (90.9) compared to adults (71.3). The mean F. hepatica egg count was higher in Allarpo (34.4 EPG) than in Atuna (11.7 EPG), and this difference was statistically significant. When analyzed by sex, females indicated a higher mean egg count (24.6 EPG; 95 CI: 16.9-35.7) than males (17.4 EPG; 95 CI: 9.8-30.7). Regarding age, adults presented a higher mean EPG (23.6; 95 CI: 16.0-34.8) compared to juveniles (16.5; 95 CI: 8.8-31.1), although mentioned differences were not statistically significant. The findings of the present study indicated that helminth infections, particularly fascioliasis, are widespread, with higher risk in juveniles and environmentally favorable areas, highlighting the need for locally adapted monitoring and control strategies in reintroduced vicuña populations. © The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article�s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article�s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Fasciola hepatica; Gastrointestinal helminth; Prevalence; Vicugna vicugna
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions:	World's Veterinary Journal (WVJ)
Page Range:	968 - 977
Journal or Publication Title:	World's Veterinary Journal
Journal Index:	Scopus
Volume:	15
Number:	4
Publisher:	Scienceline Publication
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.54203/scil.2025.wvj98
ISSN:	2322-456
Depositing User:	Dr. Alireza Sadeghi
URI:	https://eprints.science-line.com/id/eprint/1658

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