Envíos recientes

COVID-19 is an emerging disease of possible zoonotic origin caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is presumed to have originated in an animal and passed from that animal to humans, in which it has spread very successfully since it was first discovered in late 2019. However, its return from humans to other animal species and again back to humans has been demonstrated, which has involved several mutations and variants that have affected the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The possible routes of transmission and its zoonotic potential are currently under investigation worldwide; however, in Colombia, the epidemiological situation of this pathology cannot be accurately estimated due to the low notification of human and animal cases and fragmented epidemiological surveillance systems. Therefore, carrying out strategies to control zoonoses, such as emerging zoonotic disease surveillance, would benefit the region and the country with an awareness and understanding of the synergies involved under the "One Health" approach. Objective. To characterize SARS-CoV-2 infection in dogs and cats in 8 municipalities of the department of Córdoba, Colombia. Methodology. With the approval of the ethics committee of the Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas del Trópico (IIBT) No. 0410-2020 and the ethics committee of the Faculty of Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia of the Universidad de Córdoba Acta No. 005 26 (May 2021). A cross-sectional descriptive molecular and serological surveillance was carried out, where oral and rectal swabs and blood samples were taken proportionally to the estimated population of dogs and cats in the 8 municipalities of the department using the following strategies: house-to-house sampling, deworming, and vaccination campaigns with departmental partners and veterinary centers, and direct request between September 2020 and September 2021. Results. Under the one health approach, this study provided the first genomic report of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.111 lineage infection in a cat in Colombia and the first human-dog transmission event of the IOTA variant in Latin America. Four active cases and an infection rate of 11.5% were identified. Three scientific articles were generated, two presented in a Q2 and a Q1 journal in English, and one to be submitted to a Q2 journal in Spanish where the data obtained from the present investigation were presented and made public. Conclusion. The characterization of SARS-CoV-2 infection in domestic animals living in the department of Córdoba provided relevant information to motivate further research by implementing interdisciplinary and different serological, molecular, and genomic methods of epidemiological surveillance.

The angleton grass (Dichantium aristatum Benth), is a perennial grass that grows in the form of macolla develops quickly and forms bunch with height between one and two meters, and has a high leaf - stem ratio. Rest periods of 40 days should be managed in average and in dry season up to 60 days of rest. It supports an animal load of two animals per hectare. Herbaceous perennial plant, usually erect, but with high planting densities can form grass, the leaves are lanceolate, has a wide range of adaptation to climate and soil, grows very well in medium fertility soils, with a wide range of pH and texture, is considered as invasive because of the high fertility of its seed, good persistence under grazing and competes with weeds and is well associated with legumes such as Arachis, Desmodium, Pueraria and Centrosema. In tropical areas it grows from sea level up to 1400 m and with rainfall greater than 850 mm per year. It responds well to levels of high fertilization. The great challenge of producers who practice modern livestock is to increase the production of meat and milk in an accelerated and sustainable way, so as to guarantee the demand of the population and, in addition, ensure the conservation of natural resources and the environment by minimizing the purchase of chemical inputs, reducing pollution and destroying natural resources.

El rendimiento en canal es un factor o parámetro determinante para precisar la calidad genética de los animales y de su alimentación durante su estadía en los sistemas de producción (2). Por ello, es importante conocer el rendimiento en canal de los animales que se están sacrificando en la región de Urabá, para tomar correctivos al respecto. Como objetivo general se planteó analizar el rendimiento en canal de los bovinos faenados en seis municipios del Urabá-antioqueño durante el periodo de enero-junio del 2021, con el objetivo de realizar recomendaciones a los proveedores de ganado bovinos y expendedores de carne en canal. En el estudio se tomaron 8.656 datos, 5.778 hembras y 2.878 machos. La media general del rendimiento en canal fue de 52.19 ± 4.22%. Para machos el rendimiento en canal fue de 52.85 ± 4.58% y el de hembras de 51.53 ± 4.54%. Al realizar el análisis de varianza se encontró que hubo diferencias altamente significativas (P≤0.01) entre municipios. Como conclusión se sugiere realizar recomendaciones a los proveedores para mejorar este parámetro productivo, de acuerdo con los estudios previos investigados se demuestra la importancia de implementar sistemas de alimentación adecuados y manejar un genotipo que proporcione una mejora en la característica del rendimiento en canal.

In buffalo calves, as in calves, colostrum provides immune protection during the first weeks of life, due to the immunoglobulins present in it, which reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality. In Colombia there is no information available on the quality of colostrum in buffaloes, or on passive immunity in buffalo calves. The objective was to evaluate in the field the quality of buffalo colostrum and the transfer of passive immunity in buffalo calves in the lower colombian tropics. Through a descriptive study and a non-probabilistic sampling in 4 buffalo companies located in Córdoba (Colombia), colostrum samples were collected from the first, second, third and fourth milking of 64 buffaloes and a blood sample from their calves, for the determination of colostral quality by colostrometer and refractometer; and passive immunity transfer by refractometer. The variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Of a total of 64 colostrum samples evaluated by colostrometer, 64.06% were of good quality, 28.13% of medium quality and 7.81% of poor quality; and by the refractometer, 39.06% were of good quality, 20.31% of medium quality and 40.63% of poor quality. The correlation between the colostrum readings made by the colostrometer and refractometer were highly significant (P≤0.01). There was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) between the quality of colostrum obtained from first calving buffaloes and multiparous buffaloes. A highly significant difference (P≤0.01) was found between the number of milkings (4) performed over time and the colostral quality measured by colostrometer and refractometer. There was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in the colostral quality obtained by colostrometer and refractometer from the different buffalo companies. There was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) between the colostral quality measured in each race of the study. 92.19% of the buffalo calves did not show failures in the transfer of passive immunity. No significant correlation (P>0.05) was found between colostrum readings by colostrometer and serum by refractometer. The correlation between the readings of colostrum and serum by the refractometer were statistically significant (P≤0.05). Passive immunity transfer did not vary (P>0.05) between buffalo calves of different sex, nor did it differ (P>0.05) in calves born to buffaloes of 1 or more calving. The intake of colostrum is the best and cheapest tool to improve the breeding processes in buffalo calves, helping to reduce mortality and conditions such as diarrhea, colic, dehydration, pneumonia, among others. The use of colostrometers and refractometers in buffaloes have not been described as evaluators of colostral quality, nor has PIT in buffalo calves in America and their adoption depends on economic criteria and the training of personnel. The reading of the PST by means of the refractometer is affected by neonatal diseases. The colostrometer or refractometer can be used as instruments for the management of colostrum in the different buffalo companies.

Bocachico Prochilodus magdalenae es una especie considerada alternativa para la piscicultura, en particular para la seguridad alimentaria en Colombia por las ventajas que representa su régimen alimentario detritívoro. Usualmente su cultivo se desarrolla a bajas densidades de siembra, menores de 1 pez/m2, con poco control de la calidad del agua; sin embargo, los esfuerzos por tecnificar su cultivo son escasos. Una de las alternativas de intensificación que se está desarrollando en el país es la tecnología de cultivo biofloc (biofloc technology o BFT); la cual consiste en el desarrollo de flóculos, con poco o nulo recambio de agua, aireación constante y oxígeno disuelto acordes al sistema y a los requerimientos de la especie. Al considerar el hábito detritívoro del bocachico es importante conocer la dinámica alimentaria de esta especie cultivada en el sistema BFT; por tanto, el objetivo del estudio fue evaluar los contenidos del tracto gastrointestinal (TGI) de P. magdalenae cultivado con tecnología biofloc a tres densidades de siembra 5,10 y 20 peces/m3. Estos fueron analizados mediante gravimetría, frecuencia de ocurrencia, frecuencia numérica. Los contenidos del TGI se separaron en tres grupos: fitoplancton, flóculos y materia orgánica (MO). La cuantificación del fitoplancton en el TGI se realizó con cámara Neubauer además de fotografías para la identificación de los organismos. Los resultados del estudio muestran que bocachico consume floc y materia orgánica del sistema, además de un amplio grupo de microalgas principalmente de las familias Chlorophyceas, Bacillariophyceas y Cyanophyceas. Estos resultados permiten concluir que bocachico cultivado con BFT consume macro agregados del floc, así como algunos microorganismos planctónicos adheridos en las paredes o en el fondo de los tanques; sin encontrarse diferencias en las densidades de siembras evaluadas.

Objective To determine simultaneous circulation of DENV serotypes and ZIKV in Córdoba, Colombia, during 2015 and 2016. Material and methods A total of 294 samples from patients with clinical diagnosis of febrile syndrome compatible with dengue were collected between June 2015 and December 2016. All samples were tested for DENV and ZIKV by RT-PCR using C6/36 cells culture supernatant. Results Thirty-three percent of the samples were positive (97/294); from these, 61.8% were positive for DENV and 31% were positive for Zika. The predominant serotype was DENV-2 (70.1%), followed by DENV-3 (8.9%), DENV-4 (6%), and DENV-1 (3%). DENV/ZIKV coinfection was identified in 7.2% of the cases associated with DENV-2 and DENV-4 serotypes. The confirmed cases of dengue, Zika, and DENV/ZIKV coinfections were clinically mild and self-limited. Conclusions We reported the co-circulation of all four DENV serotypes, with a higher frequency of DENV-2. ZIKV introduction in Córdoba department-Colombia in August 2015 favored the appearance of DENV/ZIKV coinfections.

With the purpose of establishing the metabolic profile in hair sheep in the department of Córdoba. 10 sheep were chosen between males and females of different productive stages, in optimal health conditions from 32 farms distributed in the department of Córdoba, blood samples were collected in order to determine by spectrophotometry serum concentrations of total proteins, albumin, globulins, urea, urea nitrogen (BUN), glucose, total cholesterol and HDL, β-hydroxybutyrate, triglycerides, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. The results of arithmetic means found were total proteins 6.16 ± 1.56 g / dL, albumin 3.41 ± 0.82 g / dL, globulins 2.77 ± 1.57 g / dL, urea 47.37 ± 12, 48 mg / dL, urea nitrogen 22.26 ± 5.87 mg / dL with respect to the protein metabolic profile; glucose 46.49 ± 26.16 mg / dL, cholesterol 66.56 ± 21.34 mg / L, triglycerides 52.74 ± 16.59 mg / dL, HDL cholesterol 36.14 ± 16.87 mg / dL, β - hydroxybutyrate 1.29 ± 0.78 mmol / Lt according to the energy metabolic profile and for the mineral metabolic profile calcium 3.49 ± 2.51 mg / dL, magnesium 1.80 ± 35mg / dL and phosphorus 10.14 ± 2.40 mg / dL. For each profile, significant differences were found between municipalities, productive stage and sex. It concludes by highlighting the importance of having reference concentration values, which globally evaluate the productive behavior of hair sheep in favor of strengthening the sheep-goat sector of the department and the country.

In order to promote knowledge in conservation and sustainable use of globally threatened mollusks, juveniles are being obtained in the laboratory for restocking and aquaculture production. P. arctata has a high potential for aquaculture because they feed on primary productivity, have early maturity, external fertilization, hermaphroditism and the possibility of finding mature organisms all year round. Despite these characteristics, in 2002 this species was included in the list of endangered species in Colombia in the vulnerable category (Ardila et al., 2002). This research seeks to expand the knowledge of P. arctata in terms of its reproductive biology and induced reproduction, evaluating the efficiency of different stimuli to induce spawning of the estuarine clam Polymesoda arctata in laboratory conditions, sexually mature. For this purpose, between December 2020 and March 2021, monthly collections of 100 adult specimens (greater than 35 mm in length) were made in the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta (10°43'-11°00' N and 74°16'- 74°38' W) and transported to the laboratory of Molluscs and Microalgae of the Universidad del Magdalena, Taganga, Santa Marta (11°16' N, 74°11' W), where they were acclimatized to laboratory conditions. A representation of fully mature or stage IV females was found between 7 and 57%, except in the month of February, when no females were found (Figure 1). In contrast, only fully mature males (between 33 and 80%) were found for the months of March and May. In spite of this, spawning specimens were obtained in all months of the study, except for females in February. Males had an average shell length of 35.5 ± 0.8 mm, while females had an average shell length of 39.0 ± 0.8 mm, and females were larger than males (gl = 1, F = 8.09, p = 0.0057). The effectiveness of all the methods applied was tested, finding spawning in P. arctata, demonstrating that serotonin at a concentration of 20 µM and KCL (only spawning in males), were the methods with positive results. As for spawning, the average percentage of clams spawned ranged from 0 to 16%. With the injection of serotonin placed in the foot at a low concentration of 20 µM, spawning was obtained in both sexes. In contrast, with KCl injection, only males spawned, while no spawning was obtained with the stimuli supplied to the water (UV-irradiated water flow, temperature and salinity changes). Higher percentages of spawned animals were found in those treated with serotonin at low concentration compared to the other 12 treatments (gl =9, F = 5.71, p < 0.0001). Among the methods, the time of onset of the spawning response after serotonin stimulation was between 22 and 37 minutes, with males responding faster than females in serotonin-stimulated organisms (gl =1, F = 18.43, p = 0.0002). Post-stimulation mortality of spawning-induced specimens ranged from 4 to 51%, being higher when a high serotonin concentration was used, either by piercing the shell or without piercing, compared to that obtained for the remaining treatments (gl = 4, F = 3.83, p = 0.0388). the best spawning percentage, response time and survival was obtained with 20 µM serotonin.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 60 sheep production systems distributed in the 30 municipalities of the department of Córdoba. 595 stool samples were collected, the samples were analyzed using the McMaster and Corticelli techniques to establish prevalence and parasite loads by counting eggs per gram and the nematode genera, respectively. For the analysis of the association of epidemiological factors and the degree of parasitic infestation, means, medians and confidence intervals were compared.; The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied with a 5% of significance level; the statistical program EpiInfo, version 7.2.2.2, was used. Finally, an analysis was carried out on the georeferenced data and epidemiological maps were constructed with the distribution of prevalence and parasite loads. The areas with the highest concentration of parasite loads were identified by means of the Kernel density estimator; A bandwidth of 25 km was used and the QGIS program, version 3.4. The overall prevalence showed that 95.1% of the animals were positive for one or more groups of parasites. At a global level, an association was found between the degree of parasitic infection and the variables: anthelmintic used, sex, productive status, age and breed. The degree of infection by Trichostrongylidae was associated with the body condition of the sheep, the heart rate, the hematocrit and the Famacha® result. Regarding the association of the region and municipality variables with the degree of parasitic infection, the significance was found at a global level. In the studied farms, a prevalence of 100% was identified for the Trichostrongylidae family, 78.3% for Strongyloides spp., 76.7% for Haemonchus spp., 53.3% for Oesophagostomum spp., 10% for Bunostomum spp. and 1.7% for Cooperia spp. It is recommended to carry out studies on the state of parasitic resistance and to implement prevention, management and sanitary control strategies at the different sheep productions of the department.

The serological evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 is an alternative that allows knowing the prevalence and dynamics of this infection in populations. Aim. To determine the clinical and socio-demographic dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a region of the Colombian Caribbean. Methods. Between July and November 2020, a cross-sectional observational study was carried out. The work was carried out in Córdoba, located in the northeast of Colombia in the Caribbean area. Eight municipalities with the largest population were chosen, and 2,564 blood samples were taken. The commercial ELISA was used with the recombinant protein antigen N of SARS-CoV-2. The people included in the study were asked for sociodemographic and clinical data related to pulmonary and extra-pulmonary manifestation of this disease, which were analyzed by statistical methods. Results. A seroposivity of 40.8% was obtained for SARS-CoV-2 in the Cordoba region of the Colombian Caribbean. In the bivariate analysis, no differences were observed in seropositivity against SARS-CoV-2 about gender or age range (P> 0.05). Higher seropositivity was found in low socioeconomic status and symptomatic patients (P <0.0001). 30.7% of the asymptomatic patients were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2, which would be linked to the spread of this infection. In the multivariate analysis, seroconversion was related to poverty and clinical manifestations such as anosmia and ageusia (P <0.05). Conclusions. The high seropositivity in the department of Córdoba would be related to a possible community immunity. Seropositivity would be related to clinical manifestations such as anosmia and ageusia. In addition, the association between seropositivity and socioeconomic level suggests an appropriate context for the transmission of the virus, this being determined by informal economic activities in low-income groups.

Las producciones lecheras del país, tanto de trópico alto (especializada) como trópico bajo (doble propósito) experimentan constantemente un reto cuando se habla de eficiencia productiva y reproductiva en sus hatos, ya que esta depende en gran medida del buen manejo e interacción de un sistema eficiente suelo-planta-animal. De esta forma se sabe que la mayoría de los forrajes disponibles no alcanzan a satisfacer completamente las necesidades de minerales en los animales, esto como consecuencia de las limitaciones climáticas y del suelo que impone restricciones nutricionales a los pastos Entonces la escasa disponibilidad de minerales en el suelo afecta a los forrajes restando la concentración de los elementos deficientes en sus tejidos y contribuyendo con el bajo crecimiento de la planta. Las vacas en producción generalmente tienen exigencias nutricionales muy altas con el fin de logar expresar todo su potencial genético lechero, es por esto que la gran demanda productiva a la que se somete a los animales hace que las raciones deban estar adecuadamente formuladas para evitar desequilibrios que podrían repercutir sobre la reproducción principalmente en el periodo de transición después del parto. Ya que es en este periodo donde hay grandes cambios hormonales, como los que suceden durante la formación del cuerpo lúteo y subsecuente secreción de progesterona. Entonces, la función reproductiva se ve afectada e involucra tanto factores hormonales, proteicos, ciertos componentes metabólicos y/o bioquímicos presentes en la sangre además del aporte de cada uno de los minerales. Por tanto, debe considerarse que un buen manejo de la nutrición mineral que consiste en aportar la cantidad necesaria según los requerimientos de la vaca, garantizando así estándares reproductivos normales y mantener los niveles productivos.

La demanda alimentaria mundial ha aumentado proporcionalmente al crecimiento poblacional, por lo que cada día se busca implementar mejores actividades zootécnicas (FAO, 2016). Como una actividad productiva, la acuicultura está enfocada en incrementar la producción alimentaria mundial, que garantice que sus productos sean de excelente calidad, minimizando el impacto ambiental, mediante la implementación de diversas estrategias tecnológicas. Esta investigación se llevó a cabo con el objetivo de evaluar la eficiencia de producto en el cultivo de tilapia roja (Orechromis sp.). En la finca Inversiones Jaibu S.A.S, mediante un diseño experimental en DBCA, usando dos réplicas, durante un ciclo de producción se verificó el efecto PC (Probiótico Comercial) (T1 sin probiótico y T2 con probiótico) sobre variables de calidad del agua (físicas, químicas y nutrientes) y variables biológicas (ganancia de peso diario, TCA y biomasa) en 4 estanques de cultivo con un área aproximada de 10.000 m2. Los aislados y la identificación microbiana se realizaron mediante métodos microbiológicos clásicos y por enzimología. Se obtuvieron en total 117 aislados provenientes de suelo y agua, de los cuales se identificaron Bacillus subtilis, B. cereus, Pseudomonas sp., Aeromonas sp., Vibrio sp., Acinetobacter calcoaceticus y colifirmes Shigella sp. Mediante análisis estadístico no paramétrico se estableció que temperatura, oxígeno disuelto, pH, conductividad, dureza, amonio total no presentaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre T1 y T2 (p<0,05); de otra parte, transparencia, alcalinidad, NO2, PO4 resultaron presentar diferencias significativas entre T1 y T2: la transparencia presentó valores 18,62 ± 9,99 cm para T1 y 9,12±3,94cm en el tratamiento T2. La alcalinidad registró 123,56 ± 29,24 mg.L-1 CaCO3 en T1, y 191,69 ± 70,80 mg.L-1 CaCO3 en T2. El nitrito presentó valores 0,02 ± 0,02 mg.L-1 y 0,56 ± 0,77 mg.L-1, en T1 y T2, respectivamente. El fosfato presentó varió entre 0,63 ± 0,35 mg.L-1 (T1) y 1,23 ± 1,28 mg.L-1 (T2), siendo más estable en el tratamiento sin PC. Adicionalmente se realizó el Análisis de Componentes Principales (ACP) para observar la correlación entre los parámetros fisicoquímicos de calidad de agua y los parámetros zootécnicos de la especie, en donde el (PO4, NO2, amonios NH3-NH4, dureza, alcalinidad, pH y transparencia) se correlacionan con la biomasa, mientras las variables de temperatura y el OD se correlacionan con la TCA y ganancia de peso diario. En relación a los parámetros biológicos, no se observó diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p<0,05) entre tratamientos. El uso de probióticos en la acuicultura si se suministra en las cantidades adecuadas puede contribuir a mejorar la calidad del agua, con la subsecuente reducción de los metabolitos no deseados en el agua; sin embargo, en relación a las variables biológicas en este estudio no se observó una mejora significativa sobre los parámetros biológicos de crecimiento y desarrollo.

Los bacteriófagos son considerados agentes biológicos naturales que controlan las poblaciones de bacterias existentes en casi todos los ecosistemas del planeta, estos han sido estudiados por su potencial bactericida como alternativa antimicrobiana para combatir la resistencia bacteriana a los antibióticos en humanos y en el sector agropecuario, ya que esta es cada vez más elevada en los países de altos ingresos como los de bajos ingresos. Los rangos de resistencia a los antibióticos más utilizados estudiado en 22 países por la OMS van desde 0% al 82%, en el caso de las penicilinas el rango de resistencia oscila 0 a 51% y en la ciprofloxacina de 8 a 65%. El uso de la fagoterapia apunta a ser una de las alternativas más viables para el control de agentes bacterianos resistentes a antibióticos alcanzando una efectividad al tratamiento hasta de un 75% y que puede llegar 100% en comparación con otras alternativas. En el ámbito de las ciencias veterinarias los fagos estudiados han demostrado ser efectivos en las industrias avícola, acuícola y ganadera.