The occurrence and severity of grass toxicoses in Australian alpaca (Vicugna pacos) herds

<p style="text-align:justify;">A survey of 108 alpaca producers registered with the Australian Alpaca Association examined the occurrence and severity of ‘staggers’ (a colloquial term embracing various diseases of the nervous system in animals, characterised by neck tremors and head...

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Main Authors: Sampaio, N, Gishen, M, Reed, K, Brown, M, Gregory, D, Munyard, K
Format: Journal article
Published: CSIRO Publishing 2008
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author Sampaio, N
Gishen, M
Reed, K
Brown, M
Gregory, D
Munyard, K
author_facet Sampaio, N
Gishen, M
Reed, K
Brown, M
Gregory, D
Munyard, K
author_sort Sampaio, N
collection OXFORD
description <p style="text-align:justify;">A survey of 108 alpaca producers registered with the Australian Alpaca Association examined the occurrence and severity of ‘staggers’ (a colloquial term embracing various diseases of the nervous system in animals, characterised by neck tremors and head nodding in the milder alpaca cases and a lack of coordination in moving, a staggering gait and frequent falling in severe cases) in Australian alpaca and the presence of four pasture grasses, during three production seasons in 2004–2006. There have been few studies on the susceptibility of alpaca to staggers and its effect on productivity and animal welfare. The survey found that 23% of alpaca producers had observed staggering animals, with Victoria and South Australia being the most severely affected states. Clinical signs of staggers were most frequent in January–March, with a mean duration of 3 months. Some animals showed clinical signs lasting up to 12 months. A strong correlation was found between the presence of perennial ryegrass (P &lt; 0.001) and phalaris (P &lt; 0.003) and the occurrence of staggers. Based on grass presence and the timing when staggers was observed, it was concluded that perennial ryegrass toxicosis was the main cause of staggers in alpaca. About 12% and 9% of alpaca grazing pasture containing perennial ryegrass exhibited staggers in the two full seasons for which data were collected. Herds with staggering animals were correlated with those exhibiting possible subclinical effects – heat sensitivity and ill-thrift (P &lt; 0.01) and reduced fertility (P &lt; 0.05) – of perennial ryegrass endophyte toxins. Results indicate that weanlings and cria are more likely to stagger than adults. Thirteen of the 15 mixed farms with staggering alpaca did not observe staggers in other livestock, suggesting that alpaca may be more sensitive to the causal toxins than sheep and cattle.</p>
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spelling oxford-uuid:5be9fdf6-f078-47a2-896b-0ef5709ebc1f2022-03-26T17:25:00ZThe occurrence and severity of grass toxicoses in Australian alpaca (Vicugna pacos) herdsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:5be9fdf6-f078-47a2-896b-0ef5709ebc1fSymplectic Elements at OxfordCSIRO Publishing2008Sampaio, NGishen, MReed, KBrown, MGregory, DMunyard, K<p style="text-align:justify;">A survey of 108 alpaca producers registered with the Australian Alpaca Association examined the occurrence and severity of ‘staggers’ (a colloquial term embracing various diseases of the nervous system in animals, characterised by neck tremors and head nodding in the milder alpaca cases and a lack of coordination in moving, a staggering gait and frequent falling in severe cases) in Australian alpaca and the presence of four pasture grasses, during three production seasons in 2004–2006. There have been few studies on the susceptibility of alpaca to staggers and its effect on productivity and animal welfare. The survey found that 23% of alpaca producers had observed staggering animals, with Victoria and South Australia being the most severely affected states. Clinical signs of staggers were most frequent in January–March, with a mean duration of 3 months. Some animals showed clinical signs lasting up to 12 months. A strong correlation was found between the presence of perennial ryegrass (P &lt; 0.001) and phalaris (P &lt; 0.003) and the occurrence of staggers. Based on grass presence and the timing when staggers was observed, it was concluded that perennial ryegrass toxicosis was the main cause of staggers in alpaca. About 12% and 9% of alpaca grazing pasture containing perennial ryegrass exhibited staggers in the two full seasons for which data were collected. Herds with staggering animals were correlated with those exhibiting possible subclinical effects – heat sensitivity and ill-thrift (P &lt; 0.01) and reduced fertility (P &lt; 0.05) – of perennial ryegrass endophyte toxins. Results indicate that weanlings and cria are more likely to stagger than adults. Thirteen of the 15 mixed farms with staggering alpaca did not observe staggers in other livestock, suggesting that alpaca may be more sensitive to the causal toxins than sheep and cattle.</p>
spellingShingle Sampaio, N
Gishen, M
Reed, K
Brown, M
Gregory, D
Munyard, K
The occurrence and severity of grass toxicoses in Australian alpaca (Vicugna pacos) herds
title The occurrence and severity of grass toxicoses in Australian alpaca (Vicugna pacos) herds
title_full The occurrence and severity of grass toxicoses in Australian alpaca (Vicugna pacos) herds
title_fullStr The occurrence and severity of grass toxicoses in Australian alpaca (Vicugna pacos) herds
title_full_unstemmed The occurrence and severity of grass toxicoses in Australian alpaca (Vicugna pacos) herds
title_short The occurrence and severity of grass toxicoses in Australian alpaca (Vicugna pacos) herds
title_sort occurrence and severity of grass toxicoses in australian alpaca vicugna pacos herds
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