New World camels belong to the camel family. They occur in South America in wild form (guanaco, vicuña), as well as in livestock (llama, alpaca). In recent years, llamas and alpacas have been increasingly kept as hobby and recreational animals by private owners or in larger herds on farms in Europe, including Austria.

New World camels are generally considered to be very hardy. However, if health problems occur, they can assume considerable proportions. For example, diseases affecting llamas and alpacas - when kept together with other livestock (e.g. small ruminants) - can also be transmitted to them.

In consultation with your veterinarian, our Animal Health Business Unit can assist you in clarifying health-related farm problems and offers numerous examinations for New World camels.

The range of examinations includes the following:

• Parasitological examination - combination flotation, sedimentation, emigration (feces, intestinal contents).
• Fecal examination for viral pathogens (electron microscopy)

• Section (whole carcass, organs)
• Section of abortus material
• Histological examination, also tumor and skin histology; further to dissection or as individual examination

• Salmonella sp. (from all sample materials)
• Leptospires (urine, punctates)
• medium bacteriology (from all sample materials)

• Bluetongue Ak
• IBR/IPV Ac
• Leptospires Ak
• Brucella sp. Ac, Rose Bengal test
• Chlamydia Ac, KBR

• Bluetongue disease (EDTA blood, organs)
• Malignant catarrhal fever (nasal swabs, EDTA blood, organs)
• Pestivirus/BVD (whole blood, EDTA blood, organs, abortus material)
• Schmallenberg infection: organs, abortus material, whole blood, EDTA blood
• various poxviruses (skin lesions)
• Chlamydia/Coxiellen/Neospora (abortus material)
• Toxoplasma gondii (organs, abortus material)
• Mycobacterium sp. (altered organs, lymph nodes, swabs)

Prices on request: preisauskunft_VET@ages.at

Examinations for New World camels are carried out by the Institut für veterinärmedizinische Untersuchungen Mödling.

The form for the examination request can be found here. Select there under General examination request the form General examination request Mödling.

Further information on the range of examinations can be found in the information folder under Folder Animal Health.