Prevalence of pathologies at the epididymal level with congenital and acquired problems in alpacas

In a study carried out at the Pathology Laboratory of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics of the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano, located at 3,825 m.a.s.l. in the Puno region, histopathological lesions of the epididymis were investigated in male alpacas from the La Raya CIP. Out of a total of 128 animals, 40 animals with a positive clinical diagnosis were selected. The prevalence and characteristics of the epididymal lesions were determined using the Tru-Cut biopsy, paraffin and hematoxylin and eosin staining techniques. The results showed an overall prevalence of 31.25%, with a higher incidence in adult alpacas (21.88%) compared to young alpacas (9.37%), differences which were statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05). Among the most frequent histopathological lesions, tubular and peritubular fibrosis (25%), hypoplasia (22.5%), atrophy (12.5%), cysts (10%), chronic non-specific epididymitis (7.5%), granulomas (5%), chronic non-suppurative epididymitis (4.69%) and aplasia (2.5%) were identified. Congenital alterations included hypoplasia and aplasia, while acquired alterations included tubular and peritubular fibrosis, cysts, chronic epididymitis (specific and non-specific) and atrophy, with tubular and peritubular fibrosis being the most frequent lesion in the study. These findings provide a better understanding of epididymal pathologies in alpacas, highlighting the importance of early detection and management to improve the reproductive health of this species.