Background: Recently, it was proposed the name of Sarcocystis masoni n. sp. for the Sarcocystis that causes microcyst in skeletal muscle of South American camelids. However, there are no ultrastructural reports of microcysts of Sarcocystis in cardiac muscle of alpacas. This study reports ultrastructural features of microcysts of Sarcocystis sp. from cardiac muscle of naturally infected alpacas. Methods: Thirty alpacas (age range: three to five years) from the province of Junin, Peruvian Central Andes, were included in this study in January 2015. Cardiac muscle samples were evaluated by histology and transmission electron microscopy. Results: Bradyzoites in cysts had typical characteristics of Apicomplexa including organelles, a large nucleus, micronemes, dense bodies, and polysaccharide granules. Moreover, cysts had a thin wall with numerous, short, finger-like shapes with rounded tip protrusions (0.51 x 0.17 µm). Conclusion: Sarcocystis sp. from the heart and S. masoni n. sp. from the skeletal muscle have similar ultrastructural characteristics.

We report cystic echinococcosis (CE) prevalence in Huancayo Province, Peru, and the associated economic effect of bovine organ condemnation. CE prevalence during the 16-month study period was 42.8% and caused $14,595 in economic losses. CE threatens food security in the region by reducing farmers’ income and viscera supply in markets.

El pH de la carne de cobayo (Cavia porcellus) procedente del manejo deficiente del bienestar animal durante el sacrificio en la sierra central del Perú. Lucas SUMMARY. The pH of guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) meat from the welfare-deficient slaughtering in the Peruvian central Andes. In Andean region of Peru is common to slaughter Guinea pig without lairage and stunning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pH of meat of Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) from the unsuitable welfare practices during slaughtering in the Peruvian central Andes. The pH of 60 guinea pig carcasses were analyzed at 0, 1, 6, 12 and 24 hours after the end of the slaughter process. The pH was 6.79 ± 0.3, 6.74 ± 0.34, 6.59 ± 0.28, 6.45 ± 0.35 and 5.96 ± 0.11 for 0, 1, 6, 12 y 24 h post slaughtering. The equation that graphs pH evolution was Y=6.7765-0.0231X-0.0005X 2 (R 2 =0.996). Palabras clave: cobayo, matadero, pHKey words: guinea pig, slaughterhouse, pH IntroducciónEl Perú es el país con la mayor población de cobayos o cuyes (Cavia porcellus) en el mundo, donde el consumo anual de este animal es de 116.500 toneladas de carne proveniente del sacrificio de aproximadamente 65 millones de cobayos. El cuy es un animal que por su capacidad de adaptación está distribuido en todo el Perú, aunque es especialmente importante en los andes donde se encuentra en mayor cantidad y es una fuente proteica muy popular, especialmente en zonas muy pobres (Chauca, 1997; Lammers, 2009; FAO, 2014).El pH del músculo es de 7.0-7.6. Después del sacrificio, durante su transformación en carne, el músculo obtiene ATP para su relajación a través de la vía anaeróbica de la glicólisis. Esto resulta en la acumulación de lactato e ion H+, disminuyendo el pH en la carne (Forrest et al., 1979;Brown et al., 1990;Benito, 2006). El descenso del pH inhibe la velocidad de crecimiento de los microorganismos patógenos y los que alteran la carne, pues estos crecen óptimos alrededor de pH 7 o ligeramente alcalino (Benito, 2006).El estrés durante el sacrificio influye sobre los procesos metabólicos que transforman el músculo en carne, principalmente en el grado y la proporción de la glicolisis post mortem y, por tanto, en el descenso del pH. Un manejo inadecuado del animal durante la matanza influye negativamente sobre el descenso del pH en la

Journal of the Selva Andina Animal Science (JSAAS) remains neutral with respect to jurisdictional claims published on maps and institutional affiliations.

Journal of the Selva Andina Animal Science (JSAAS) remains neutral with respect to jurisdictional claims published on maps and institutional affiliations.