Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Alpaca health · Parasites

Liver Fluke in Alpacas

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team6 peer-reviewed references
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Urgent — contact your vet today

Early treatment makes a big difference. Don't wait more than a day.

A flatworm that migrates through and lives in the liver. Camelids are highly susceptible, and heavy acute infections can kill quickly.

Category
Parasites
Urgency
Urgent
Also called
Fasciola hepatica, Fascioliasis

Signs & symptoms

  • Weight loss and poor fleece
  • Anemia (pale gums)
  • Swelling under the jaw
  • Lethargy, reduced appetite
  • Sudden death in acute heavy infections

Related symptom guides: Weight Loss, Pale Gums or Eyelids (Anemia), Swelling Under the Jaw (Bottle Jaw).

What causes it?

Fasciola hepatica needs an aquatic mud snail (Lymnaeidae) as an intermediate host. Alpacas swallow encysted larvae on wet grass near streams, ponds and boggy areas.

Risk factors

  • Wet, poorly drained pastures, ponds and springs
  • Regions with endemic fluke (UK, Ireland, Pacific Northwest, Gulf Coast, Great Lakes, Australia)
  • Late summer to winter

How vets diagnose it

Fecal sedimentation for fluke eggs, blood tests (liver enzymes, antibody ELISA) and necropsy findings.

Treatment

Flukicide drugs chosen by your vet according to the fluke stage; not all common dewormers work against fluke.

Do not wait to see if it improves. Camelids hide illness, and by the time signs are obvious the problem is often advanced. Call your veterinarian.

Prevention

  • Fence off wet areas, ponds and springs
  • Provide water in troughs rather than natural sources
  • Discuss strategic fluke treatment with your vet if you are in an endemic area

Background

Fasciola hepatica, also known as the common liver fluke or sheep liver fluke, is a parasitic trematode of the class Trematoda, phylum Platyhelminthes. It infects the livers of various mammals, including humans, and is transmitted by sheep and cattle to humans all over the world. The disease caused by the fluke is called fasciolosis or fascioliasis, which is a type of helminthiasis and has been classified as a neglected tropical disease. Fasciolosis is currently classified as a plant/food-borne trematode infection, often acquired through eating the parasite's metacercariae encysted on plants. F. hepatica, which is distributed worldwide, has been known as an important parasite of sheep and cattle for decades and causes significant economic losses in these livestock species, up to £23 million in the UK alone. Because of its relatively large size and economic importance, it has been the subject of many scientific investigations and may be the best-known of any trematode species. The closest relative of Fasciola hepatica is F. gigantica. These two flukes are sister species; they share many morphological features and can mate with each other.From Wikipedia — “Fasciola hepatica”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Research & references

PubMed lists 30 peer-reviewed papers on this topic in camelids. The most relevant include:

  1. Human and Animal Fascioliasis: Origins and Worldwide Evolving Scenario. Mas-Coma S, Valero MA, Bargues MD Clinical microbiology reviews, 2022. PubMed 36468877 · DOI · cited 66×
  2. Fasciolosis in camelids. Harwood D, Nuttall J, Bidewell C The Veterinary record, 2008. PubMed 18375994 · DOI · cited 4×
  3. Acute fasciolosis in an alpaca: a case report. Hayes CJ, O'Brien PJ, Wolfe A et al. BMC veterinary research, 2021. PubMed 34112165 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 3×
  4. Fas2-ELISA in the detection of human infection by Fasciola hepatica. Espinoza JR, Timoteo O, Herrera-Velit P Journal of helminthology, 2005. PubMed 16153317 · DOI · cited 26×
  5. Gastrointestinal and blood parasite determination in the guanaco (Lama guanicoe) under semi-captivity conditions. Correa L, Zapata B, Soto-Gamboa M Tropical animal health and production, 2012. PubMed 21643663 · DOI · cited 9×
  6. Gastric squamous cell carcinoma and fascioliasis in a llama. Cornick JL The Cornell veterinarian, 1988. PubMed 3402219 · cited 17×

Frequently asked questions

What is liver Fluke in alpacas?
A flatworm that migrates through and lives in the liver. Camelids are highly susceptible, and heavy acute infections can kill quickly.
What are the signs of liver Fluke?
Weight loss and poor fleece, anemia (pale gums), swelling under the jaw, lethargy, reduced appetite and sudden death in acute heavy infections.
How do you prevent liver Fluke?
Fence off wet areas, ponds and springs. Provide water in troughs rather than natural sources. Discuss strategic fluke treatment with your vet if you are in an endemic area.
Is liver Fluke an emergency?
Urgent — contact your vet today. Early treatment makes a big difference. Don't wait more than a day.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian who has examined your animals. Camelid medicine uses many drugs “extra-label”, so dosing must come from your vet. In an emergency, call your vet first. Read our disclaimer · How we write and review content.