Signs and Symptoms of Endogenous Lipid Pneumonia in Llamas

Llamas are animals native to South America and closely related to camels. These animals are very important to the daily lives of many rural societies in South America and keeping llamas disease-free is essential to the survival of these populations. Llamas can suffer from many external and internal diseases, but one in particular is very deadly - endogenous lipid pneumonia. There are several, observable signs and symptoms of the disease.

  1. Explanation of the Disease

    • Endogenous lipid pneumonia is a disease that attacks the lungs of llamas and causes respiratory failure, similar to pneumonia in humans. More specifically, the disease causes collections of lipids (fats and cholesterol) to build up in the alveoli of the animal's lungs. The disease is actually very rare in llamas, relative to other, more prevalent, diseases, such as internal parasites, including worms and botfly infections.

    Signs and Symptoms

    • A llama afflicted with endogenous lipid pneumonia will exhibit several physical symptoms. In the early onset of the disease, the animal will show subtle difficulty in breathing and energy. These symptoms will worsen as the disease progresses, until the animal shows extremely labored breathing and inability to work or move without assistance. The llama will also show a reduced body temperature and increased heart rate. Other symptoms that are not immediately visible include the presence of fatty lesions in the lungs of the animal. Once the lungs become reduced in function, the llama's other body systems begin to fail and shut down.

    Other Information

    • Though the disease is rare, it is often fatal in llamas. Due to the rareness of the disease, there is little known to science in the way of treatment, and there is no way to prevent the disease. Endogenous lipid pneumonia is also accompanied by pulmonary alveolar histiocytosis, in which the alveoli of the lungs essentially burst and deflate. According to Dr. A.N. Hamir, the disease is thought to be caused by parasite infections.