Sarcoptic mange outbreaks in vicuñas (Cetartiodactyla: Camelidae): A scoping review and future prospects

Abstract

Sarcoptic mange is considered an emerging disease-causing countless epizootics and significantly affecting wild mammals worldwide. The vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) is a medium-sized South American wild camelid inhabiting Andean ecosystems, where several populations are live-sheared by Andean peasant communities as a way of providing an economic income to the people while promoting vicuña conservation.Institutions and scientists have shown concern for the impact and extent of sarcoptic mange in several vicuña populations across their range, as well as the lack of consistent knowledge about this disease in the species. Here, we perform a review about sarcoptic mange distribution throughout the vicuña's native range, evidence of effects of age and sex, the modes of transmission and the veterinary treatments employed. The review retrieved a few scientific papers, but found several reports and academic studies mostly considered as 'grey literature' . Mange was recorded across the entire native vicuña range (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru). Mange prevalence varied across vicuña studies (up to 60% prevalence in some populations) and severely affected a number of populations, being an important source of mortality. Mange was reported as more frequent in adults than in offspring. The modes of mange transmission remain unclear, although direct transmission between infected and healthy animals seems to be the most likely, including the transmission between domestic camelids and vicuñas.Regarding the treatments employed, ivermectin was the most frequently used. We further identified several gaps in knowledge and point to future research lines, which seek to promote both species conservation and the maintenance of live-shearing vicuñas under sustainable approaches in low-income Andean peasant communities.

Cabo Dos Bahías y el manejo del guanaco en la Patagonia argentina

“…Merece especial atención la aparición de animales con lesiones compatibles con sarna sarcóptica, con una alta cantidad de guanacos muertos observada en 2017 y 2018, a pesar de la alta disponibilidad de forraje (Marino, observación personal). La sarna sarcóptica, provocada por el ácaro Sarcoptes scabiei, ha mostrado ser una amenaza en las poblaciones de camélidos silvestres (Acebes et al 2022), en especial luego de provocar el colapso de las poblaciones de guanacos y vicuñas en el Parque Nacional San Guillermo, San Juan (Ferreyra et al 2022). En conjunto, la evidencia disponible sugiere que la severidad del invierno, combinada con altas cargas parasitarias, sería la explicación más probable para la mortalidad observada en el año 2000.…”

Epidemiology of sarcoptic mange in free-ranging vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna): a cross-sectional study in Andean highland communities in Peru

“…The latter has contributed to environmental degradation, particularly overgrazing, and the spread of infectious and parasitic diseases. Amongst them, ectoparasitoses such as Acariasis (mange) have become increasingly important ( Acebes et al, 2022 ). In domesticated South American camelids, a range of mite species have been reported as the agent of Acariasis, Sarcoptes scabiei , Chorioptes sp., and Demodex sp.…”

Assessing Variation in the Individual-Level Impacts of a Multihost Pathogen

“…Sarcoptes scabiei is relatively well studied with recent reviews summarising cross-species transmission and conservation threats [10,41]; immunological and pathological impacts [18]; treatment in free-living animals [47,48]; and a range of taxon and region specifc reviews [37,[49][50][51][52][53][54]. A critical gap that remains in the feld is a synthesis of the individual-level impacts it has across host species.…”