As promised here is the reply from Chris Cebra of OSU:



Infection by BVD virus has been known for many years to occur in

camelids (or alpacas). Most infections appear to be mild and transient

or even non-clinical, resulting in nothing more than antibody

production. However, over the years some case of mild oral and nasal

irritation and also some abortions and stillbirths in camelids have

been linked to and possibly caused by BVD infection. Recent cases

suggest that problems may be more widespread. Generally it is believed

that the infection crosses to alpacas from cattle. The major sources

of infection in cattle are PERSISTENTLY INFECTED (PI) cattle, who are

infected in utero at a time when their immune systems are immature and

thus are unable to fight off the infection. The coexistence of PI

calves with pregnant dams produces the next generation of PI animals,

as well as increasing risk for pregnancy loss, poor-doing offspring,

and birth defects. Although a previous research trial failed to

demonstrate that camelids can become persistently infected, evidence

from a recent clinical case suggests that PI crias may occur. As PI

calves are often poor-doers, suffer from chronic infections, and act

as a source of infection for the healthy animals around them, if

further evidence for the PI state in alpacas accrues, BVD infection

will have to be considered as an important rule-out for those sorts of

syndromes in alpacas. Testing for BVD can be achieved in different

ways. Checking blood for antibodies shows if an alpaca has been

exposed. To cause a high antibody tighter, this exposure usually has

to have occurred at least ten days or as much as years earlier.

Persistently infected animals usually do not have an antibody titer as

they have a defective immune response. The more recently developed PCR

test is designed to detect the virus itself

-- a true positive PCR signifies that the alpaca is currently

infected, and true positive tests more than 2 weeks apart suggest that

the alpaca may be persistently infected. Currently more data are

needed to establish the accuracy of the PCR test in camelids and the

significance of one or more positive tests in alpacas. For the time

being, we should consider that BVD infection is a possible cause of

embryonic death, abortion, and low birth weight in crias, as well as

possibly poor growth and recurrent infections such as respiratory

disease and diarrhea. BVD infections also cause mild, transient

disease in adults. The highest risk appears to be in alpacas exposed

to cattle, however the risk of PI alpacas suggests that testing all

suspect alpacas, or even all healthy alpacas in a herd that has

identified a BVD problem, may be indicated.

End of Reply

I have also discovered that Oregon State has only ever had one case of a PI cria... so as I said at the start of this, I hoped to seperate rumur from fact and put the record straight. The facts are that there is no evidence to support the idea that Oregon is a BVD "hot spot" as far as alpacas are concerned..

By Adrian Stewart