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Meningeal worm, or Parelaphostrongylus tenuis (P. tenuis) is a nematode parasite that can invade the nervous system of small ruminant and camelid species such as alpaca, llama, goats and sheep. Limited reports exist on the epidemiology of disease caused by the nematode in susceptible livestock. We examined archived necropsy reports from small ruminant and camelid mortalities that were submitted, post mortem, to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (MNVDL) during 2001–2019 for gross necropsy, histopathology, and pathogen screening. We estimated P. tenuis-induced mortality over time and developed temporal models to better understand patterns and drivers of P. tenuis-induced mortalities in these animals. During the period under examination, 5,617 goats, sheep, llamas and alpacas were necropsied, revealing an overall P. tenuis-induced mortality rate of 1.14% in the necropsy submission pool for these species. P. tenuis-induced mortality rates were highest in llamas (9.91%) and alpacas (5.33%) compared to sheep and goats ( |
