Wagener Matthias Gerhard, Punsmann Teresa Maria, Kleinschmidt Sven, Surholt Ralf, Neubert Saskia, Marahrens Hannah, Großmann Thekla, Ganter Martin
Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30173, Hannover, Germany.
Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, Food and Veterinary Institute Braunschweig/Hannover, 30173, Hannover, Germany.
Ir Vet J. 2023 Sep 9;76(1):22. doi: 10.1186/s13620-023-00251-y.
Anaemia is a common condition in alpacas and attributable to a variety of causes. Severe anaemia with a packed cell volume (PCV) less than 10% is frequently diagnosed, usually due to blood loss resulting from haemonchosis. Many South American camelids (SACs) also suffer from gastric ulcers, which are often associated with anaemia in other species. However, in alpacas and llamas, gastric ulcers usually do not lead to anaemia due to blood loss according to the current literature. There are no detailed clinical and laboratory data on this condition in the scientific literature so far.
We report on the case of a nine-year-old male alpaca that was presented to the clinic with suspected forestomach acidosis. The animal showed clinical signs of colic, hypothermia, tachypnea, tachycardia, pale mucous membranes, and died shortly after admission to the clinic. Laboratory diagnosis revealed a markedly decreased haematocrit (0.13 l/l), leucopaenia with band neutrophils, azotaemia, hypocalcaemia, hyperphosphataemia and vitamin D deficiency. Post-mortem examination revealed multiple ulcers in the first and third compartment with perforation of one ulcer in the first compartment, resulting in intraluminal blood loss and purulent peritonitis.
To the authors' knowledge, this is the first detailed description of clinical and laboratory data of severe anaemia due to a perforated gastric ulcer in a SAC. Although the current literature suggests that severe blood loss due to gastric ulcers does not occur in SACs, this condition should be considered as a possible differential diagnosis in anaemic animals. Clinical indicators can be colic and pale mucous membranes.
贫血是羊驼常见的病症，可归因于多种原因。常诊断出严重贫血，其红细胞压积（PCV）低于10%，通常是由于血矛线虫病导致失血。许多南美骆驼科动物（SACs）也患有胃溃疡，在其他物种中，胃溃疡常与贫血有关。然而，根据目前的文献，在羊驼和美洲驼中，胃溃疡通常不会因失血导致贫血。到目前为止，科学文献中尚无关于这种情况的详细临床和实验室数据。
我们报告一例9岁雄性羊驼的病例，该羊驼因疑似前胃酸中毒被送至诊所。该动物表现出腹痛、体温过低、呼吸急促、心动过速、黏膜苍白等临床症状，并在入院后不久死亡。实验室诊断显示血细胞比容显著降低（0.13升/升）、伴有杆状核中性粒细胞的白细胞减少、氮血症、低钙血症、高磷血症和维生素D缺乏。尸检发现第一胃和第三胃有多处溃疡，其中一个第一胃的溃疡穿孔，导致腔内失血和化脓性腹膜炎。
据作者所知，这是首例对南美骆驼科动物因胃溃疡穿孔导致严重贫血的临床和实验室数据进行的详细描述。尽管目前文献表明南美骆驼科动物不会因胃溃疡导致严重失血，但在贫血动物中应将这种情况视为可能的鉴别诊断之一。临床指标可能是腹痛和黏膜苍白。
