Artículos Científicos

URI permanente para esta colecciónhttp://10.0.96.45:4000/handle/11056/14805

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Antimicrobial-resistant genes in feces from otters (Lontra longicaudis) within the Peñas Blancas river basin, Costa Rica
(ScienceDirect, 2024-12-04) Guizado-Batista, Aurora; Porres-Camacho, Andrea; Vargas-Villalobos Seiling; Cortez-Martínez, Manuel; Umana-Castro, Rodolfo; Sancho-Blanco, Carolina; Solano-Campos, Frank; Quesada-Alvarado, Francisco; Spínola-Parallada, Manuel; Madrigal-Mora, Alexander; Jiménez-Serrano, Adonay; Vargas-Calvo, Joshua; Villalobos-Sequeira, Jenny; Brossard Stoos, Kari; Blanco-Pena, Kinndle
Antimicrobial resistance poses a growing threat to human health, yet its implications for wildlife remain a subject of ongoing research. River otters inhabiting the Pe˜nas Blancas River face exposure to various anthropogenic activities in their habitat, potentially leading to the accumulation of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) with unknown consequences for their health. This study aimed to identify specific ARGs in otter feces from this river basin, employing quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), DNA sequencing of ARGs, and phylogenetic analysis techniques. Over the period from 2019 to 2022, we collected 102 fecal samples from otters through the Peñas Blancas River watershed, spanning its upper and middle basins. We assessed the bacterial presence via the 16S rRNA gene through qPCR analysis and screened for 12 ARGs. Sequences of 16 ARG-positive samples were subsequently analyzed using Maximum-likelihood-base taxonomic placement. In total, 56 samples tested positive for the 16S rRNA gene, with 24 exhibiting at least one ARG. Notably, three samples showcased a “multi-resistance microbiome”. qPCR analyses identified seven distinct ARGs: tetB (in 26.8 % of the samples), sulI (21.4 %), sulII (21.4 %), qnrS (10.7 %), tetQ (8.9 %), tetW (7.1 %), and tetA (3.6 %). Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the taxonomic association of all detected ARGs, which were compared with The Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database. Our findings underscore the importance of comprehending the spread of ARGs in wildlife populations, with river otters serving as potential sentinels for ARG dissemination. Moreover, they highlight the potential impact of anthropogenic activities on the health of aquatic ecosystems, emphasizing the need for proactive measures to mitigate antimicrobial resistance in natural environments.
Potential Pesticide Misuse in Agriculture Farms from Two Costa Rican Provinces
(Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, 2024-11-30) Sánchez Menjivar, María Teresa; Villalobos-Sequeira, Jenny; Ramírez-Muñoz, Fernando; Blanco-Peña, Kinndle
Pesticide misuse by farmers poses hazards to human, animal, and environmental health. [Objective] This study aimed to document potential pesticide formulation misuse in agricultural farms. [Methodology] Inadequate storage practices, incorrect pesticide selection, and pesticide formulation overuse were documented through interviews and photographs on 13 agricultural farms from the Cartago and Guanacaste provinces of Costa Rica between August 2022 and April 2023. [Results] Storage room characteristics in many farms do not comply with safety standards prescribed by the Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. Different active ingredients with herbicidal, fungicidal, insecticidal, and bactericidal properties are used in crop species for which they are not recommended. These substances include those from the carbamate, pyridine, cyclohexanedione, pyrethroid, conazole, benzothiazinone, oxadiazine, and phthalimide chemical groups in Cartago province, and from the neonicotinoid and pyrethroid chemical groups in Guanacaste province. Many pesticide formulations are utilized in quantities exceeding the manufacturers’ recommendations. Among these formulations were bifenthrin, captan, oxamyl, cypermethrin, mancozeb, dimethoate, and deltamethrin in Cartago province, and imidacloprid in Guanacaste province. [Conclusions] These substances and their secondary metabolites have the potential to move across different environmental compartments such as water, soil, and air, thereby negatively affecting the health of community members rather than just the farmers applying these formulations. Well-established pesticide education programs based on on-site visits to farmers can enhance awareness about implementing good practices and ensure rational use of these substances, with positive results in non-target organisms such as humans and ecosystem service providers as well as natural and anthropogenic ecosystems.
¿Qué pensamos del agua? Percepción de la población sobre la situación actual del recurso hídrico en Costa Rica: un indicador sobre el conocimiento y la gestión del agua
(Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, 2020-01-31) Madrigal-Solís, Helga; Jimenez Cavallini, Sylvia; Pizarro-Mendez, Yanina ; López Alfaro, Nelly; Echeverría-Sáenz, Silvia; Alfaro-Chinchilla, Carolina; Centeno Morales, Jacqueline; Suárez Serrano, Andrea
El objetivo de la presente investigación fue determinar el nivel del conocimiento y la percepción de la población costarricense acerca del agua, para consumo humano, conceptos generales, el impacto de las actividades humanas, la ocurrencia de los eventos extremos, gestión y gobernanza del agua. En el 2016, se realizó un estudio cuantitativo-descriptivo de percepción de población por medio de una encuesta semiestructurada dirigida a 800 personas, a través de llamadas a teléfonos fijos. Se encontró que los costarricenses: a) percibieron que el agua es un bien público y que existe mayor disponibilidad de la que en realidad hay, b) 22 % indicó tener problemas de abastecimiento, infraestructura y/o calidad del agua, c) son conscientes de la contaminación de los cuerpos de agua y, d) percibieron afectación por inundaciones y deslizamientos y, e) 55 % coincidió en que el agua para consumo proviene de pozos y nacientes, pero solo el 12 % y el 36 % tuvo una noción general de lo que es un acuífero y el agua subterránea, respectivamente. Se concluye que los programas de educación deben incluir conceptos generales sobre agua subterránea, gestión y gobernanza del agua y que la anuencia a pagar más por el tratamiento de las aguas residuales debe tomarse en consideración por las instituciones para la mejora del saneamiento ambiental.

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Examinando Artículos Científicos por browse.metadata.procedence "Instituto Regional de Estudios en Sustancias Tóxicas"