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URI permanente para esta colecciónhttp://10.0.96.45:4000/handle/11056/26464

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Canine and feline Histoplasmosis in Costa Rica: a retrospective study 2013-2025
(2025-11-28) Fernández- Fallas, Mayte; Calderón Hernández, Alejandra
Background: Histoplasmosis is a saprozoonosis caused by Histoplasma sp., which affects various mammals, including humans. Objective: To report the epidemiological, clinical, and diagnostic characteristics of histoplasmosis cases in companion animals diagnosed at the Mycology Laboratory of the Universidad Nacional of Costa Rica (LMIC-EMV-UNA) between 2013 and 2025. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using clinical cases of histoplasmosis in dogs and cats submitted to the LMIC-EMV-UNA between 2013 and 2025. Cases met at least two inclusion criteria: (1) clinical signs suggestive of histoplasmosis, (2) observation of intracellular yeasts in the clinical sample, and (3) fungal isolation. Demographic data (species, breed, sex, age, geographic origin) and clinical manifestations were considered. Data were entered and analyzed using descriptive statistics with Microsoft Excel. Results: During the study period, 330 suspected cases were analyzed, and 28 (8.5%) were diagnosed with histoplasmosis. Most (67.9%, n=19) were dogs, with animals over 7 years of age being the most affected. An average of 2.3 cases per year was detected. No sex predisposition was found, and all feline cases were domestic short hair. Digestive signs were most frequently reported in dogs, while cats presented with masses in various locations. Conclusions: Canine and feline histoplasmosis may be underdiagnosed due to its nonspecific clinical signs. It is important to continue reporting the epidemiology of this disease in both humans and animals to contribute to public health protection.
Direct immunofluorescence test for Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis in breeding bulls of Costa Rica
(Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, 2025-09-30) Navarro, Leonel; Urbina, Andrea; Chacón, Jorge
Bovine genital campylobacteriosis (BGC) is a venereal infectious disease caused by a Gram-negative bacillus Campylobacter fetus subspecies venerealis (Cfv) that impairs the reproductive efficiency in cattle herds. The clinical diagnosis of BGC is made due to low fertility in the breeding herd but must be confirmed by laboratory methods. The distribution of the disease is worldwide, especially in cattle herds where natural mating is the main breeding system. However, data from Costa Rica are lacking. This study aimed to detect the presence of Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis (Cfv) in scrapings collected from the preputial mucosa of breeding bulls allocated in the North Huetar and North Pacific regions of Costa Rica using direct immunofluorescence (DIF). No data regarding reproductive problems were available in the 157 participating farms. Scrapings of the preputial mucosa were collected using a plastic rod-type aspirator-scraper introduced into the preputial cavity and stored in formaline phosphate buffered at 1 % and subsequently analyzed by DIF. All the bulls tested yielded negative for the pathogen. The possible causes related to this result are discussed.
Haplotypes of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus larvae detected in 18 districts of Costa Rica
(Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, 2025-07) Beltre-Nuñez, Edwin; Flores-Nuñez, Sonia; Arguello Vargas, Silvia; Solorzano-Morales, Antony; Dolz, Gaby
There are approximately 3,500 species of mosquitoes distributed on all continents except Antarctica. Some of these species are important since they transmit diseases (Aguirre & Navarro, 2017). Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus belong to the Culicidae family of the Diptera order and are biological vectors of more than 26 viruses, including dengue virus, chikungunya virus and Zika virus, impacting public health and posing an economic burden on hospitals, especially in tropical and subtropical regions (Cadavid et al., 2015; McKenzie et al., 2019). Approximately two-fifths of the global population are at risk of contracting dengue fever, and an estimated 500,000 people are affected by hemorrhagic disease annually, with mortality rates exceeding 20% (Guo et al., 2016; Hemme et al., 2010). The chikungunya virus can also present as hemorrhagic disease; it also causes meningoencephalitis and myocarditis (Arredondo et al., 2016), whereas Zika causes severe joint pain, Guillain–Barré syndrome and congenital anomalies such as microcephaly (Plourde & Bloch 2016).
Potential Pesticide Misuse in Agriculture Farms from Two Costa Rican Provinces
(2023-09-25) Sánchez-Menjivar, María; Villalobos-Sequeira, Jenny; Ramírez-Muñóz, Fernando; Blanco-Peña, Kinndle
Pesticide misuse by farmers poses a human, animal, and environmental health hazard. Inadequate storage practices, incorrect pesticide selection, and pesticide formulation overuse were documented in agriculture farms from the Cartago and Guanacaste provinces in Costa Rica. Storage room characteristics in many farms do not follow safety standards for these facilities, as indicated by the Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. Different active ingredients with herbicidal, fungicidal, insecticidal, and bactericidal action are used in crop species for which they are not recommended. These included substances belonging to the carbamate, pyridine, cyclohexanedione, pyrethroid, conazole, benzothiazinone, oxadiazine, and phthalimide chemical groups in Cartago province; and to the neonicotinoid and pyrethroid chemical groups in Guanacaste province. Many pesticide formulations are used in greater amounts than those recommended by manufacturers, among them were bifenthrin, captan, oxamyl, cypermethrin, mancozeb, dimethoate, and deltamethrin in Cartago province, and imidacloprid in Guanacaste province. These substances and their secondary metabolites have the potential to move across different environmental compartments such as water, soil, and air and negatively affect the health of community members rather than just farmers applying these formulations. Well-established pesticide education programs based on on-site visits to farmers can enhance awareness in 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.

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