Sosa Fabiana E, Bertoni Emiliano A, Micheloud Juan F, Vallejo Diego M N Medina, Olmos Leandro H, Florin-Christensen Mónica, Romero Sandra R
Instituto para la Pequeña Agricultura Familiar NOA, Posta de Hornillos, 4618, Jujuy, Argentina.
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas (CONICET), C1425FQB, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Parasitol Res. 2022 Jun;121(6):1587-1595. doi: 10.1007/s00436-022-07506-7. Epub 2022 Apr 9.
Free-ranging vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) are handled in some areas of the Andean high plateau region following an ancestral practice known as chaku, which consists in their transient capture and shearing of their fiber for commercialization. In this study, 807 vicuñas captured during 12 chaku events that took place in 2019 in the province of Jujuy, Argentina, were examined for typical mange skin lesions. Twenty-eight of the examined vicuñas presented alopecia with erythema, exudation, hyperkeratosis, and/or bleeding scarred lesions, mostly in the chest, rear and front legs, and inguinal zone. Most of the cases (82%) appeared in Laguna Cucho at 4900 masl, where 23% of the animals presented these skin reactions. Microscopic evaluation of skin scrapings revealed the presence of a great number of 0.1- to 0.4-mm-long mites of different life cycle stages, morphologically compatible with the species Sarcoptes scabiei. This etiological agent was confirmed by PCR amplification and sequencing of a cox-1 species-specific segment. Histopathological examination of skin biopsies showed extensive infiltration of the dermis with lymphocytes, neutrophils and eosinophils, hyperplasia at different stages, epidermis degeneration, and hyperkeratosis. This is the first characterization of sarcoptic mange in free-ranging vicuñas by clinical examination, mite morphology, histopathological studies, and molecular confirmation in the region. Mange hampers the welfare of vicuñas and the economy of the local communities that organize chaku events since infested vicuñas cannot be sheared. Its long-term effects are unknown but it might affect the fitness and survival of this iconic South American camelid.
在安第斯高原地区的一些地方，人们按照一种名为“查库”的古老习俗来管理野生小羊驼（Vicugna vicugna），该习俗包括对它们进行短暂捕获并剪取毛发用于商业用途。在本研究中，对2019年在阿根廷胡胡伊省发生的12次“查库”活动中捕获的807只小羊驼进行了典型疥癣皮肤病变检查。在接受检查的小羊驼中，有28只出现了脱毛，并伴有红斑、渗出、角化过度和/或出血性瘢痕病变，主要集中在胸部、后腿、前腿和腹股沟区域。大多数病例（82%）出现在海拔4900米的库乔湖，那里23%的动物出现了这些皮肤反应。对皮肤刮片的显微镜评估显示，存在大量0.1至0.4毫米长的处于不同生命周期阶段的螨虫，其形态与疥螨属物种相符。通过对cox - 1物种特异性片段进行PCR扩增和测序，证实了这种病原体。皮肤活检的组织病理学检查显示，真皮有广泛的淋巴细胞、中性粒细胞和嗜酸性粒细胞浸润，不同阶段的增生，表皮变性和角化过度。这是该地区首次通过临床检查、螨虫形态学、组织病理学研究和分子确认对野生小羊驼疥螨病进行的特征描述。疥螨病妨碍了小羊驼的健康以及组织“查库”活动的当地社区的经济，因为感染疥螨的小羊驼无法剪毛。其长期影响尚不清楚，但可能会影响这种标志性南美骆驼科动物的健康和生存。
