Four of 11 llamas (Lama guanicoe) from a ranch near Houston, Texas developed clinical signs of a neurologic disease. Tissues from 2 of the 4 llamas were submitted for microscopic examination. Lesions in the central nervous system of both llamas appeared to have been caused by a migrating parasite. An adult nematode having morphologic features of the meningeal worm (Parelap hostrongylus tenuis) was found in the brain of one llama. The findings suggest that the neurologic disease in the llamas were caused by P. tenuis.
Author notes
Present Address: National Animal Disease Center, Science and Education Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa 50010, USA.
Present Address: Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.