Sarcocystosis in Alpacas: Prevalence, Macrocyst Count, and the Effect on Carcass Performance

Alpaca farming in the high Andean regions of Peru is a family activity of social, cultural, and economic importance. Some struggles for farmers include infectious, parasitic, and nutritional diseases. Among these, sarcocystosis does not have a medium- or long-term solution, with parasite prevalence dating back 3 decades. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of sarcocystosis through visual examination and to determine the differences according to age, sex, and number of macrocysts. A visual examination of the cystic structures in different predisposing or susceptible areas, such as the cervical (neck), costal (intercostal muscles), and thigh muscles was performed to identify mac-roscopic cysts. A total of 1,361 alpacas were evaluated; of these, 410 were sarcocystosis -positive. The results revealed an overall prevalence of 30.12% and varried by age. Al-pacas with complete dentition, on average, had the highest parasitic load (192 macro-cysts) compared to those with deciduous dentition (43 macrocysts). Although the in-fection did not affect live weight, carcass weight or performance, the intercostal muscles had the highest cyst density. These findings confirm that sarcocystosis is an endemic disease in alpacas, with a heterogeneous distribution according to age groups but ho-mogeneous between sexes, and highlights the need to implement sustainable control strategies, especially in adult alpacas, where the parasitic load is critical.