Tuberculosis in alpacas?
van der Kuip, E.J.
Tijdschrift Voor Diergeneeskunde 116(22): 1143-1144
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0040-7453 PMID: 1957298 Document Number: 384971
In November 1988 a minor epidemic of tuberculosis in alpacas recently imported into The Netherlands from Peru resulted in human infection. Of 14 alpacas 12 had been imported. Two animals died and at post-mortem examination tuberculosis was confirmed. With the ELISA another 7 were found to be either positive or had suspected infections, while another 3 were negative. An animal trader and his assistant proved to have pulmonary tuberculosis and were Mycobacterium tuberculosis positive; the animals were shown to be Myco. bovis positive. Transmission from animal to man was strongly suspected. Besides this outbreak in Groningen, another 3 alpacas were found to be similarly infected in Overijssel and in North Brabant (the Netherlands). In principle the treatment of animals is similar to that of humans and thus isoniazid, rifampicin, streptomycin and ethambutol are efficacious, though pyrazinamide is ineffective against Myco. bovis. Animal doses on a kilogram body weight basis are simlar to human treatment, over 9 months. Although treatment results in animals are generally good, the costs are prohibitive. In the case of the alpacas, the cost per animal amounted to about #1800.William Houston.