title: Genetic variation in the blood of llamas, Llama glama, and alpacas, Llama pacos.
abstract: Blood samples of llamas and alpacas were typed using haemolytic, electrophoretic and isoelectric focusing procedures to assay polymorphism at 13 loci. Blood group variation was assessed using six antibody specificities produced by allo- and heteroimmunizations. Two red cell factors (A and B) behave as autosomal, codominant alleles at a closed A locus. The other four factors (C, D, E and F) behave as autosomal, dominant traits. Biochemical variation was found for red cell enzymes catalase, phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glucose phosphate isomerase and for plasma proteins transferrin and post-albumin. No variants were found for haemoglobin, phosphoglucomutase and albumin. Estimates of probability of exclusion were 0.883 for llamas and 0.681 for alpacas, which are adequate initial levels of efficacy for purposes of parentage verification. Preliminary estimate of Nei's genetic distance measure (D) suggests that llamas and alpacas are more likely related as subspecies than as separate species.
authors.affiliation: Serology Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Penedo
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Bowling
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D001188:Artiodactyla / Q000235:genetics*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002161:Camelids, New World / Q000097:blood / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D014644:Genetic Variation; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D001789:Blood Group Antigens; D001798:Blood Proteins