Elisa Castaldo

Self-presentation:

Elisa Castaldo is a graduate in Animal Production Sciences at the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production at the University of Naples “Federico II” where she currently holds a PhD position in Veterinary Sciences. Her project is focused on parasitic diseases affecting South American Camelids, with a particular emphasis on the epidemiology, diagnosis and control of these diseases to gain deeper knowledge and to improve health and productivity of these animal species.

Project:

Helminths and protozoa infection in South American Camelids in Italy

Domestic South American Camelids (SAC) include alpacas (Vicugna pacos) and llamas (Lama glama), native to Andean countries. However, in the last decades their popularity increased also in Europe. Among health concerns, gastrointestinal parasites can result in severe clinical disorders compromising welfare and productivity. Species-specific helminths and protozoa of SAC and helminth fauna shared with ruminants have been described mainly in South America while in Europe few data are available. Therefore, the results of this PhD aim to (i) describe current husbandry practices adopted for alpacas in Italy, (ii) determine the prevalence and distribution of main helminth and protozoa infections in alpacas bred in Italy, (iii) investigate the risk factors associated with parasitic infections.

Supervisior:

Prof. Vincenzo Veneziano, DVM, PhD, Full Professor of Parasitic Diseases of Animals, Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production at the University of Naples “Federico II”.