Parasites in Camelids
The first part of a two-part article focuses on the gastrointestinal parasites that commonly affect camelids, including clinical signs of infection and life cycle features that can be used for detection. Treatment and control strategies are discussed in Part 2.
The article was written by Dr. Stacy Bowers, an Associate Professor of Livestock Medicine, at Colorado State University. Dr. Bowers has conducted research with llamas and alpacas.
Camelids can be infected with many different parasites and these include gastrointestinal (GI) and external (ticks, mites, etc.). All farms should assume to have coccidia, Nematodirus, and some version of strongyles. Most of the time GI parasite problems are seen in juvenile camelids.