Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) in Alpacas

Coccidioidomycosis, often called Valley fever, is a fungal infection caused by Coccidioides species that live in dry, shallow soil. Alpacas become infected by breathing in airborne spores, not by contact with another animal. That means an affected alpaca is not considered contagious to herdmates or people.

In many animal species, exposure may cause little or no illness. Alpacas are different. Available veterinary and public health sources describe alpacas and llamas as highly susceptible, with a tendency toward severe, disseminated disease. The lungs are usually infected first, but the fungus can spread to lymph nodes, skin, bones, joints, and other organs.

For pet parents, the challenge is that early signs can look vague at first. An alpaca may seem quieter, lose weight, eat less, or develop a mild cough before more serious problems appear. Because this disease can worsen quickly in camelids, it is worth involving your vet early if your alpaca lives in, or has traveled through, an endemic dusty region.

Valley fever is caused by inhaling microscopic fungal spores from dust and disturbed soil. The fungus is most associated with the southwestern United States, including Arizona and parts of California, and it has also been identified in other dry regions of the Americas. Wind, dust storms, digging, construction, dry lots, and transport through endemic areas can all increase exposure risk.

This is not a disease alpacas catch from each other. If one alpaca in a herd becomes sick, the concern is usually shared environmental exposure, not direct spread. Your vet may ask about where the alpaca lives, whether the herd has traveled, recent weather, and how dusty the housing or turnout areas are.

Not every exposed alpaca gets sick, and not every sick alpaca shows the same pattern. Some animals may have mainly lung disease at first, while others develop disseminated infection involving bones, joints, skin, or internal organs. Why alpacas appear especially vulnerable is not fully defined, but current veterinary sources consistently describe camelids as unusually sensitive compared with many other livestock species.

Diagnosis usually starts with a full physical exam, travel and location history, and baseline testing such as a CBC and chemistry panel. Because Valley fever can mimic bacterial pneumonia, abscesses, weight-loss disorders, or even cancer-like masses, your vet often needs more than one test to sort it out.

Common next steps include Valley fever serology (also called a Cocci titer), chest radiographs, and sometimes ultrasound or imaging of painful limbs or swollen areas. One important detail: early serology can be falsely negative, so a suspicious case may need repeat testing in about 3 to 4 weeks if the first result does not match the clinical picture.

If disease appears disseminated, your vet may recommend aspirates, biopsy, fluid sampling, or advanced imaging to look for fungal organisms and assess how far the infection has spread. In alpacas, diagnosis can be challenging, so treatment decisions are often based on the combination of history, exam findings, imaging, and laboratory results rather than a single test alone.

There is no routine vaccine available for Valley fever in alpacas, so prevention focuses on reducing dust exposure in endemic areas. That can include avoiding turnout or transport during dust storms, limiting access to heavily disturbed dry lots, dampening high-traffic dusty areas when practical, and reducing activities that stir up soil around feeding and resting spaces.

If your herd lives in or travels through the Southwest, talk with your vet about local risk. Prevention may also mean paying close attention after windy weather, construction, excavation, or long-distance hauling. Early recognition matters because alpacas can become very sick before the problem is obvious.

It is also helpful to remember what prevention does not require. Since Valley fever is acquired from the environment rather than from another alpaca, routine isolation is not the main protective step. Instead, focus on environmental management, prompt veterinary evaluation of suspicious signs, and a lower threshold for testing in animals with cough, weight loss, or unexplained lameness.