Greetings Fellow AMLA Members,

I hope you all had a fantastic summer! We had a very hot one here in Michigan, but the cooler temperatures of fall have arrived and my llamas are doing the happy dance.

Fall is a wonderful time of year on the farm. Spring crias are maturing, fall crias are arriving, the show season is wrapping up and the county fairs are completed. I hope all of you took the opportunity to participate in some kind of community event with your llamas whether it was a local parade, a school visit, a llama show or just a walk down your road where others in your community got to see your llamas out and about. I am always amazed when I have my llamas out at events and the response I get from people. They are truly intrigued with them. It is always a great pleasure of mine to introduce someone to a llama for the first time. I hope all of you enjoy this too. Spreading the word about miniature llamas happens one person at a time!

Soon the end of the year will be coming and so will the Annual AMLA Elections. This year the positions coming up for re-election are President and Secretary. These positions will be for a 2 year term lasting from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2012. Please consider running for these positions. AMLA can only be successful if members volunteer their time and talents to make this association great. We will also be looking for 2 members to volunteer to make up the Nominating Committee. These 2 people will be responsible for canvassing the membership for members who would like to run for the President and Secretary positions, e-mailing the ballots and keeping track of the votes as they come in.
If you would be interested in filling one of these 2 positions, please contact me by October 15. Thanks!

I hope each and every one of you and your llamas has a wonderful fall. Enjoy the colors, the cooler temperatures and the awesome love of your minis!

Sincerely,

Julie Sines
AMLA President

New test may help address costly parasite in sheep and camelid industry

Researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Georgia have developed an improved, more efficient method to test for the most serious of the parasitic worms in sheep, a problem that causes hundreds of millions of dollars in losses every year to the global sheep and wool industry.

This technology is now available, and will allow a faster, easier and less expensive way to test for the presence and quantity of Haemonchus contortus, or "barber pole" worms, a species that is very pathogenic to sheep, goats, alpacas and llamas. This will help sheep ranchers deal with this problem more quickly and effectively, optimize their management practices, and sometimes avoid costly therapies.

Findings about the new test were just published in Veterinary Parasitology, a professional journal.

"This particular parasite is much more pathogenic in sheep than other worms, and previous methods to detect it were very labor intensive and often not commercially practical," said Michael Kent, an OSU professor of microbiology. "Now ranchers and veterinarians can test for this problem and target their management or treatment strategies much more effectively."

This parasite causes significant production losses, and in some cases it's the limiting factor to sheep production on pasture lands. The nematodes can cause internal bleeding, which in turn can lead to anemia, poor food conversion and growth, low protein levels, reduced lamb production and wool yield, and in some cases death.

Known as the barber pole or wire worm, Haemonchus contortus is a blood-sucking parasite that pierces the lining of the sheep's stomach. It's a prolific egg producer, releasing up to 10,000 eggs per day, and often causes problems in warmer climates or during the summer. Once an infection is demonstrated, expensive treatments or complex management strategies are often needed to address it.

The new lectin staining test is based on a peanut agglutinin that binds to eggs of the parasite and can be easily visualized with a microscope using ultraviolet light. It's an improved version of previous technology developed by scientists in Australia that was slower, less effective, more expensive and required more advanced training to perform, researchers say.

The relatively inexpensive test was developed by microbiologists and veterinary doctors at OSU and UGA, and is now available through those institutions. Its use should continue to expand and become more readily available around the world, Kent said.

The test may also be of special value to ranchers interested in organic production of sheep, goats, alpacas and llamas, who try to avoid use of chemical treatments in maintaining the health of their animals.

"One of the current testing tools commonly used by sheep and goat farmers in dealing with H. contortus is the FAMACHA method, in which the farmer compares the animal's lower eyelid color to swatches on a card to determine the animal's anemia status," said Bob Storey, a UGA researcher who co-developed the lectin staining test. "This method only works in situations where H. contortus is the primary parasite in a given herd's worm population. The new lectin staining test allows for a faster and less expensive method of determining the predominance of H. contortus in a herd worm population, thereby making it easier for producers to determine if FAMACHA can be a useful tool for them. Additionally, for the veterinarian dealing with an anemic animal and a heavy parasite burden, the lectin staining test provides quick feedback as to whether the anemia is parasite-based or may be due to another cause."

The test requires only a small amount of feces, and results are available in as little as two days. Anyone interested in obtaining the test can get information on sampling, test results and fees from the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at OSU* (http://oregonstate.edu/vetmed/diagnostic or 541/752-5501), or Bob Storey (Dept. of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., 30602 or 706/542-0195). FAMACHA information can be obtained through Bob Storey or by sending an email to famacha@uga.edu.

As with any animal health concerns, results should be reviewed with a veterinarian so that proper treatment programs can be put in place, researchers said.

About Oregon State University: OSU is one of only two U.S. universities designated a land-, sea-, space- and sun-grant institution. OSU is also Oregon's only university designated in the Carnegie Foundation's top tier for research institutions, garnering more than 60 percent of the total federal and private research funding in the Oregon University System. Its more than 20,300 students come from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. OSU programs touch every county within Oregon, and its faculty teach and conduct research on issues of national and global importance.

About the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine: The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, to conducting research related to animal diseases, and to providing veterinary services for animals and their owners. Research efforts are aimed at enhancing the quality of life for animals and people, improving the productivity of poultry and livestock, and preserving a healthy interface between wildlife and people in the environment they share. The current Teaching Hospital, built in 1979, serves more than 18,000 patients per year in one of the smallest teaching hospitals in the United States. The college is currently working to raise $15 million toward building a new Veterinary Medical Learning Center, which will include a new teaching hospital as well as classrooms and laboratories that will allow for the education of more veterinarians. More veterinarians are needed to promote food safety and protect public health and to provide veterinary services for farm and companion animals owned by a rapidly growing regional population. The college enrolls 102 students each fall out of more than 550 who apply. The goal is to increase enrollment to 150 when the Veterinary Medical Learning Center is built. For more information, see http://www.vet.uga.edu/.

*From the Oregon State University Diagnostic Laboratory web site (January 2010):

Haemonchus contortus Identification
Test Name: Haemonchus contortus ID Diagnostic Section: Bacteriology Fee: $10.00*

Species: Camelid, Caprine, Ovine Set up days: M, Tu, W, Th, F
Turn Around Time: 2 days

Specimen Requirements:
Fresh feces - 5 grams, samples older than 5 days should be rejected as embryonation and loss of ova may have occurred.

Collection Protocol:
Fresh feces, collected directly from the animal's rectum or from very fresh droppings to eliminate extraneous soil organisms. *Concurrent sugar centrifugation required, additional charge applies.

Shipping Requirements:
Refrigerated, leak proof container. Do not submit in latex gloves or OB sleeves. Overnight or 2-day shipping is recommended.

Additional Information:
This technique is used primarily for camelid, caprine and ovine species but can be used for other species as well.

Reprinted by permission from Oregon State University; further reprinting is allowed.

Board Members
Julie Sines, President
Pam Fink, Vice President
Darlene Awarski, Secretary
Pat Behrens, Treasurer
Sue Morgan, Registrar

Membership
AMLA membership dues must be sent to ILR. ILR is responsible for maintaining our membership list. Dues are $25 per farm and membership runs the calendar year.

Registration
Individual llama registrations must be sent to ILR. You will receive a combined ILR-AMLA registration paper for each mini llama you register or upgraded.

Fees for AMLA registration are:
Initial Registration: $10
Immature to Mature Status$6 Checks should be made payable to AMLA and sent to PO Box 8, Kalispell, Mt 59903. If you have any questions email ILRA at amla@lamaregistry.com

Annual Web site Ads
All breeder ads, both photos and copy, should be emailed to Pam Fink and the appropriate fee should be made payable to ALMA and mailed to Pat Behrens, 1076 Harrods Creek Rd, Paris, Kentucky 40361
The cost is: $50 a year.

Annual Newsletter Ad
All newsletter business card ads should be emailed to Pam Fink and the appropriate fee should be made payable to ALMA and mailed to Pat Behrens, 1076 Harrods Creek Rd, Paris, Kentucky 40361
Business Card $40



Julie & Derek Sines
1132 W, Woodrow Rd.
Shelby, MI 49455
231-742-0931


Darlene & Ken Awarski
5265 Norris Run Rd.
Blacksburg, VA
540-808-8664

Pete & Joyce Barber
506 Jones Rd.
Mill Springs, NC 28756
828-625-4132


Sue & George Morgan
33693 Hibernia St.
Frontenac, MN 55026
651-380-2236


Tami & Merle Mann
2605 Luminary Lane
Oskaloosa, IA 52577
641-673-7740



Pam & Jerry Fink
65 Windy Valley Lane
Blue Ridge, GA 30513
706-258-2432

AMLA's Newsletter editor and Web Master is Pam Fink.
Comments on how to improve both are encouraged. Please feel free to send comments, suggestions corrections etc.
to Pam anytime.

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