title: Fecal shedding of Cryptosporidium oocysts in healthy alpaca crias and their dams.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the apparent prevalence of shedding of Cryptosporidium spp in healthy alpaca crias and their dams on 14 farms in New York and 1 farm in Pennsylvania.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  110 alpaca crias and their 110 dams.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fecal samples were obtained from 220 alpacas at 14 alpaca farms in New York and 1 farm in Pennsylvania. For each animal, age, sex, and health condition were recorded. A fecal score (1 = normally formed; 2 = soft or loose; 3 = diarrhetic) was recorded for each cria. Cryptosporidium oocysts were identified in fecal samples by a direct immunofluorescence assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Apparent prevalence of fecal shedding of Cryptosporidium oocysts was 8% (95% confidence interval, 4% to 15%) in dams and was 7% (95% confidence interval, 3% to 13%) in crias. There was no significant difference in age between dams with positive fecal test results for Cryptosporidium oocysts (median age, 4 years; range, 3 to 8 years) and dams with negative results (median age, 4 years; range, 2.5 to 19 years). No significant difference was found in age between crias with positive fecal test results (median age, 20 days; range, 7 to 53 days) and those with negative results (median, 36 days; range, 2 to 111 days). No significant difference in fecal scores was found between crias with positive versus negative fecal test results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A higher than previously reported apparent prevalence of fecal shedding of Cryptosporidium oocysts in healthy alpacas was found. A zoonotic risk should be considered, especially for Cryptosporidium parvum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. ab446@uga.edu
authors.forename: Alexandra J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.forename: Daryl V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Nydam
authors.forename: Katharyn J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Dwight D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Bowman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002161:Camelids, New World; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D033661:Oocysts; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence