EXPERIMENTAL INFECTIONS OF EIMERIA-ALPACAE AND EIMERIA-PUNOENSIS IN LLAMAS (LAMA-GLAMA)

Four llamas (Lama glama) ranging in age from 1.5 yr to 7 yr each were inoculated orally with 10,000 (n = 2) or 50,000 (n = 2) sporulated oocysts of Eimeria alpacae (25%) and Eimeria punoensis (75%). The prepatent period for E. alpacae was 16-18 days, and it was 10 days for E. punoensis. Patent periods for E. alpacae and E. punoensis were approximately 9 days and 24 days, respectively. Although large numbers of oocysts were present in feces, no clinical sip of coccidiosis was observed. Based on this experiment, E. alpacae and E. punoensis at the numbers given are not likely pathogenic in healthy llamas older than 1 yr.