title: MRI evaluation of spontaneous intervertebral disc degeneration in the alpaca cervical spine.
abstract: Animal models have historically provided an appropriate benchmark for understanding human pathology, treatment, and healing, but few animals are known to naturally develop intervertebral disc degeneration. The study of degenerative disc disease and its treatment would greatly benefit from a more comprehensive, and comparable animal model. Alpacas have recently been presented as a potential large animal model of intervertebral disc degeneration due to similarities in spinal posture, disc size, biomechanical flexibility, and natural disc pathology. This research further investigated alpacas by determining the prevalence of intervertebral disc degeneration among an aging alpaca population. Twenty healthy female alpacas comprised two age subgroups (5 young: 2-6 years; and 15 older: 10+ years) and were rated according to the Pfirrmann-grade for degeneration of the cervical intervertebral discs. Incidence rates of degeneration showed strong correlations with age and spinal level: younger alpacas were nearly immune to developing disc degeneration, and in older animals, disc degeneration had an increased incidence rate and severity at lower cervical levels. Advanced disc degeneration was present in at least one of the cervical intervertebral discs of 47% of the older alpacas, and it was most common at the two lowest cervical intervertebral discs. The prevalence of intervertebral disc degeneration encourages further investigation and application of the lower cervical spine of alpacas and similar camelids as a large animal model of intervertebral disc degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Dean K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Stolworthy
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Anton E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Bowden
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Beverly L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Roeder
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Todd F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Jacob G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: S Loyd
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Amanda M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Beatty
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Laura C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Bridgewater
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Dennis L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Eggett
authors.affiliation: Diversified Radiology, Denver, Colorado.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Wendel
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.
authors.forename: Susanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Stieger-Vanegas
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
authors.forename: Meredith D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002161:Camelids, New World; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000473:pathology*; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging
keywords: alpaca; animal model; intervertebral disc degeneration; spine