| Abstract | dc.description.abstract | The breeding of wild animals for commercial
purposes is becoming more frequent nowadays. This situation
has led to an increase in contact rates between wild and
domestic animals, with subsequent reciprocal transmission of
parasites. In this study, we characterized the gastrointestinal and
blood parasites of a group of 15 semi-captive guanacos (Lama
guanicoe). We characterized gastrointestinal parasites by
analyzing fecal samples through the sedimentation–flotation
technique and hemoparasites by using blood smears stained
with Giemsa. We found several gastrointestinal parasites
including Nematoda and protozoans. The most frequently
found parasites were Nematodirus sp. and Eimeria sp. In
contrast with previous studies, neither Cestoda nor Fasciola
were found. The only hemoparasite detected was Mycoplasma
haemolamae, a parasite already described in llamas and
alpacas. We conclude that the most frequent gastrointestinal
parasites of semi-captive guanacos were nematodes and
protozoans. Also, the hemoparasite M. haemolamae seems
to be prevalent among captive populations of South American
camelids. Finally, captive guanacos share several parasites
with the traditional livestock. Therefore, keeping captive or
semi-captive guanacos without an adequate sanitary protocol
might have adverse consequences to adjacent traditional cattle
farming and/or for wild animals. | es_CL |
