Research Results - (PDF, 101 mb) - USAID

laboratories and deterioration of the animal
research facilities,' has led to concentrated efforts
to built minimal facilities that will make it
possible to fulfill the objectives of the SR-CRSP
and IVITA.
In addition, the post-DVM program was
a missing link in the improvement of badly
needed transfer of technology. The Director and
the Advisory Committee of the post graduate
unit, all trained by the SR-CRSP, have created a
Master's program for veterinary sciences that
will be initiated shortly. The main objective of
this program is to develop new leaders in
veterinary sciences. The graduate students will
be an excellent pool of researchers that will
contribute to generation of new information that
will be used to improve animal production and
productivity.
Through our findings on research of the
alpaca species, we are contributing to the fund
of knowledge on some aspects of animal health,
specifically on cause of death in crias, one of the
main constraints in raising alpacas in Peru.
According to the bacteriological results we now
know better the causal agents of infectious
diseases in crias. Through the parasitological
studies, we understand better the true role of
coccidial infection in alpacas, which was not
considered previously as an important cause of
alpaca death. The histopathological studies are
of importance because there are few studies of
this kind in alpaca. These findings will contribute
to a better understanding of the control of
disease in this species.
Clostridiumperfringenstype A
enterotoxemia has been documented as a leading
cause of neonatal mortality in alpacas and
llamas. Recently, it has also been described as
the cause of significant morbidity and mortality
in pigs, calves, dogs and lambs. We are at the
threshold of implementing a diagnostic test to
detect enterotoxin in intestinal and other body
fluids of anim,-!s with enterotoxemia. These
applications will develop clinical diagnoses and,
in species other than camelids, should help
define causes of death which previously were
undefined. We believe that we will be able to
protect neonatal camelids from enterotoxemia
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by vaccination of the dams. We also have made
moderate progress in colibacillosis research. To
date, it appears that the E.coli which cause
colibacillosis in camelids are quite unique and
are not related, as far as enterotoxins or pilus
antigens are concerned, to other mammalian
enterotoxigenic E.coli. We have made progress
in defining pilus antigens common to camelid E.
coli. We will continue to define this aspect of
neonatal diarrhea in camelids.
Linkages and Networking
The work at CSU and in Peru on
retrovirus diseases of sheep and goats has led to
linkages with researchers working in the this
field at the Moredun Institute, Edinburgh,
Scotland; Washington State University; the U.S.
National Cancer Institute; and the US National
Sheep Station, Dubois, Idaho. A veterinary
pathologist from Colombia spent a sabbatical
leave engaged in sheep retrovirus research at
CSU during 1988-89. Support for collaborative
research linkages between CSU and Peruvian
institutions has been provided by the World
Bank, USAID Mission in Peru, USAID Title XII
Strengthening Grant to CSU, and the Council for
the International Exchange of Scholars
(Fulbright grant).
Linkages, especially for the exchange of
faculty working on retroviruses o. small ruminants
at CSU, have been funded by the governments
of Colombia, United Kingdom, and the
U.S. With USAID (non-CRSP) funding, a linkage
has been established between iITA and Tel
Aviv University to investigate CAE virus in
goats in Peru. Additional linkages have been
developed between Peruvian investigators and
the Agropastoral Colombian Institute (Colombia),
International Center of Tropical Agriculture
(Costa Rica), and the Heifer Project International.
Thus collaborative linkages have been
fostered within the U.S. as well as worldwide.
Within Peru, linkages have been established
with the following organizations and
national institutions: Yanapay group, Regional
Institute of Andean Technology, Coordinating
Commission of Andean Technology, Center of
Rural Studies Bartolome de las Casas, Andean