Given the predisposition of South American camelids to coccidioidomycosis, we sought to describe the disease presentation in alpacas and llamas and identify potential risk factors for these species. The records of 224 llamas and alpacas that were tested for Coccidioides infection using immunodiffusion serology at the Coccidioidomycosis Serology Laboratory of the University of California, Davis, between 1990 and 2016 were examined; of those, 46 alpacas and 42 llamas had positive test results. The remaining 99 alpacas and 37 llamas were used as control groups. We found that male llamas were at increased risk for Coccidioides infection when compared with female llamas and when compared with male alpacas. South American camelids living within California were at higher risk for infection than camelids living in other states. Alpacas were more likely than llamas to have subclinical infections. We documented five cases of abortion or neonatal mortality attributable to coccidioidomycosis in alpacas. Our study demonstrates that South American camelids are susceptible to Coccidioides infection in areas where the disease is endemic, lending support to the importance of vigilance for this disease in alpacas and llamas and suggesting a possible role for these animals as sentinel species.

中文翻译：

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加州大学戴维斯分校 (1990-2016) 诊断出美洲驼和羊驼的球孢子菌病。

鉴于南美骆驼易患球孢子菌病，我们试图描述羊驼和美洲驼的疾病表现，并确定这些物种的潜在危险因素。对1990 年至 2016 年间在加州大学戴维斯分校球孢子菌病血清学实验室使用免疫扩散血清学检测的 224 只美洲驼和羊驼的球孢子菌感染记录进行了检查；其中，46 只羊驼和 42 只美洲驼的检测结果呈阳性。剩余的 99 只羊驼和 37 只美洲驼作为对照组。我们发现雄性美洲驼患球孢子虫的风险增加与雌性美洲驼和雄性羊驼相比时感染。生活在加利福尼亚州的南美骆驼比生活在其他州的骆驼感染风险更高。羊驼比美洲驼更容易出现亚临床感染。我们记录了 5 起羊驼球孢子菌病导致的流产或新生儿死亡病例。我们的研究表明，南美骆驼科动物在疾病流行的地区容易感染球孢子虫，这支持了对羊驼和美洲驼这种疾病保持警惕的重要性，并表明这些动物可能作为哨兵物种发挥作用。