Ticks (Acari: Ixodoidea) associated with mammals in Colombia: a historical review, molecular species confirmation, and establishment of new relationships.

Ticks are considered the second most important vectors of pathogens worldwide, after mosquitoes. This study provides a systematic review of vector-host relationships between ticks and mammals (domestic and wild) and consolidates information from studies conducted in Colombia between 1911 and 2020. Using the PRISMA method, 71 scientific articles containing records for 51 tick species (Argasidae and Ixodidae) associated with mammals are reported. The existing information on tick-mammal associations in Colombia is scarce, fragmented, or very old. Moreover, 213 specimens were assessed based on morphological and molecular analyses, which allowed confirming eight tick species associated with mammals: Amblyomma calcaratum, Amblyomma dissimile, Amblyomma mixtum, Amblyomma nodosum, Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma varium, Ixodes luciae, and Ixodes tropicalis. Several tick species are molecularly confirmed for Colombia and nine new relationships between ticks and mammals are reported. This research compiles and confirms important records of tick-mammal associations in Colombia.

Rickettsia spp. in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) from wild birds in Caldas, Colombia.

Several bacteria belonging to the genus Rickettsia are recognized as causal agents of diseases in domestic and wild animals and humans. These bacteria are considered emerging or reemerging and are transmitted by ticks, fleas, and lice vectors. In recent decades, there have been reports of rickettsias in ticks of the genus Amblyomma, Ixodes, and Haemaphysalis collected from wild birds. Accordingly, birds play a plausible role in the transport and spread of ticks infected by Rickettsia spp. In this study, we performed molecular detection of Rickettsia species in ticks collected from wild birds in the department of Caldas, Colombia. We detected and identified Rickettsia amblyommatis, 'Candidatus Rickettsia colombianensi' and a Rickettsia sp. closely related to 'Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae' and Rickettsia canadensis. This study contributes to the knowledge on infection by Rickettsia in ticks collected from wild birds in Colombia. We also provide the first reports of infection by R. amblyommatis in the genus Ixodes collected from wild birds in South America and the presence of Rickettsia at elevations above 3000 m a.s.l.

Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of wild birds in Arauca, Orinoquia region of Colombia.

Birds are important hosts for the development of the immature stages of several tick species that are vectors for disease-causing microorganisms in animals and humans. Colombia has the highest number of bird species worldwide; however, there is scarce data on the role of birds in the circulation of ticks and their associated pathogens, such as rickettsiae. The department of Arauca has a high diversity of resident and migratory (boreal and austral) birds and ticks associated with the transmission of Rickettsia. The objective of this research was to identify tick species parasitizing birds and to detect Rickettsia species in these ectoparasites. We conducted samplings in the municipalities of Arauca, Cravo Norte, and Tame between November of 2018 and August of 2019. Birds were captured using mist nets and examined for the presence of tick species. The collected ticks were morphologically and molecularly identified. Furthermore, we detected rickettsiae in ticks by amplifying fragments of the citrate synthase (gltA) and outer membrane protein (ompB) genes. We captured 606 birds belonging to 25 families and 115 species. Tick infestation rate was 3.3% (20/606) in the birds captured and eight new associations between wild birds and ticks are reported for the American continent. We identified four tick species: Amblyomma nodosum, Amblyomma longirostre, Amblyomma mixtum, and Amblyomma sp.. Moreover, we confirmed the presence of Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest in A. nodosum, a medically-relevant rickettsia due to cases of rickettsiosis in the American continent. This finding manifests the importance of wild birds as hosts and dispersal agents of ticks infected with pathogenic rickettsiae, as well as the need to monitor migratory birds in the Orinoquia and other regions of Colombia and America.

Associations between wild birds and hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Colombia.

Ticks of the family Ixodidae are vectors of important pathogens in human and animal health. Birds are involved in long-distance transport and dispersion of hard ticks. Tick infestations on wild birds mostly involve species within the genera Amblyomma, Ixodes, and Haemaphysalis. In Colombia, tick research is scarce and there are no studies to date about the associations between wild birds and ticks. We aimed to contribute to the knowledge of the associations between wild birds and hard ticks based on the collection of 2314 wild birds belonging to 29 families in Caldas - Colombia between 2015 and 2019. In total, we collected 133 hard ticks that were found parasitizing 78 birds representing 45 species and 14 wild bird families. We report at least seven tick species on birds confirmed by morphological and molecular methods: Amblyomma longirostre, Amblyomma varium, Amblyomma dissimile, Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma nodosum, Amblyomma calcaratum and Haemaphysalis leporispalustris. In addition, we recorded three Ixodes species, which yielded DNA sequences that did not have high identity (≤ 95 %) to any species in GenBank. Ticks were found infesting resident and migratory boreal birds. This is the first study addressing the associations between wild birds and hard ticks in Colombia. We describe new associations between birds and ticks in the Americas.

[Report on management of severe renal trauma.] / Experiencia en el manejo hospitalario del trauma renal de alto grado.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the clinical condition, the type of therapeutic approach and outcome of patients with severe renal trauma (AAST: 4 and 5) treated in a tertiary hospital. Cali, Colombia. METHODS: A descriptive observational study was conducted with patients older than 15 years treated between January 1, 2015 and January 1, 2019, with a diagnosis of renal trauma and renal vessel trauma. Demographic, clinical and trauma severity variables were collected. A univariate analysis was carried out with frequency tables, measures of central tendency, depending on type of intervention, associated lesions, use of blood products and severity indices. RESULTS: 71 medical records were analyzed, 82% male, the average age was 25 years (range: 15-55). Regarding renal traumatic grade, 69% of the patients were grade IV and 31% grade V. Penetrating injuries were seen in 87% versus 13% of injuries due to blunt (non-penetrating) mechanism. 54% of the patients weres cored with a trauma severity index >= 25 and 51% of the patients had an abdominal trauma index <= 24. Surgical management was managed in 67% vs. 32% for non-trauma management surgical. The hospital stay was 17 days on average and 16.9% had complications. CONCLUSIONS: Severe renal trauma is a frequent clinical condition in male patients between the second and third decade of life, in our environment the majority corresponds to penetrating traumas. Most cases were managed with some surgical procedure, however, with asignificant percentage of conservative management with complication rates of less than 30%, which changes the paradigm of treatment of high-grade renal trauma.

OBJETIVO: Caracterizar la condición clínica, el tipo de abordaje terapéutico y desenlaces de pacientes con trauma renal de alto grado (AAST: 4 y 5) atendidos en un hospital de tercer nivel. Cali, Colombia.MÉTODOS: Se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo con pacientes mayores de 15 años atendidos entre el 1 de enero de 2015 y el 1 enero de 2019, con diagnóstico de traumatismo renal y traumatismo de vasos renales. Se recolectaron variables demográficas, clínicas y de severidad del trauma. Se realizó un análisis univariado con tablas de frecuencia, medidas de tendencia central, dependiendo de tipo de intervención, lesiones asociadas, uso de hemoderivados e índices de severidad. RESULTADOS: Se analizaron 71 historias clínicas, 82% de sexo masculino, el promedio de edad fue 25 años (rango: 15-55). Respecto al grado trauma renal, el 69%de los pacientes fueron grado IV y el 31% grado V. Las lesiones penetrantes se vieron en un 87% vs 13% delesiones por mecanismo contuso (no penetrante). El 54% de los pacientes fueron puntuados con un Índice de Severidadde Trauma >= 25 y el 51% de los pacientes presentó un Índice de Trauma Abdominal <= 24. Se observó manejo quirúrgico en 67% vs 32% para manejo no quirúrgico. El tiempo de estancia hospitalaria fue de 17 días en promedio y el 16,9% tuvo complicaciones. CONCLUSIONES: El traumatismo renal de alto grado es una condición clínica frecuente en pacientes masculinos entre la segunda y tercera década de vida, en nuestro medio la mayoría corresponden a traumas penetrantes. La mayoría de casos fueron manejados con algún procedimiento quirúrgico, sin embargo, con un importante porcentaje de manejo conservador con tasas de complicaciones menores del 30 %, que cambia el paradigma del tratamiento del trauma renal de alto grado.

Experiencia en el manejo hospitalario del trauma renal de alto grado / Report on management of severe renal trauma

OBJETIVO: Caracterizar la condición clínica, el tipo de abordaje terapéutico y desenlaces de pacientes con trauma renal de alto grado (AAST: 4 y 5) atendidos en un hospital de tercer nivel. Cali, Colombia. MÉTODOS: Se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo con pacientes mayores de 15 años atendidos entre el 1 de enero de 2015 y el 1 enero de 2019, con diagnóstico de traumatismo renal y traumatismo de vasos renales. Se recolectaron variables demográficas, clínicas y de severidad del trauma. Se realizó un análisis univariado con tablas de frecuencia, medidas de tendencia central, dependiendo de tipo de intervención, lesiones asociadas, uso de hemoderivados e índices de severidad. RESULTADOS: Se analizaron 71 historias clínicas, 82% de sexo masculino, el promedio de edad fue 25 años (rango: 15-55). Respecto al grado trauma renal, el 69%de los pacientes fueron grado IV y el 31% grado V. Las lesiones penetrantes se vieron en un 87% vs 13% delesiones por mecanismo contuso (no penetrante). El 54% de los pacientes fueron puntuados con un Índice de Severidadde Trauma >= 25 y el 51% de los pacientes presentó un Índice de Trauma Abdominal <= 24. Se observó manejo quirúrgico en 67% vs 32% para manejo no quirúrgico. El tiempo de estancia hospitalaria fue de 17 días en promedio y el 16,9% tuvo complicaciones. CONCLUSIONES: El traumatismo renal de alto grado es una condición clínica frecuente en pacientes masculinos entre la segunda y tercera década de vida, en nuestro medio la mayoría corresponden a traumas penetrantes. La mayoría de casos fueron manejados con algún procedimiento quirúrgico, sin embargo, con un importante porcentaje de manejo conservador con tasas de complicaciones menores del 30 %, que cambia el paradigma del tratamiento del trauma renal de alto grado

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the clinical condition, the type of therapeutic approach and outcome of patients with severe renal trauma (AAST: 4 and 5) treated in a tertiary hospital. Cali, Colombia. METHODS: A descriptive observational study was conducted with patients older than 15 years treated between January 1, 2015 and January 1, 2019, with a diagnosis of renal trauma and renal vessel trauma. Demographic, clinical and trauma severity variables were collected. A univariate analysis was carried out with frequency tables, measures of central tendency, depending on type of intervention, associated lesions, use of blood products and severity indices. RESULTS: 71 medical records were analyzed, 82% male, the average age was 25 years (range: 15-55). Regarding renal traumatic grade, 69% of the patients were grade IV and 31% grade V. Penetrating injuries were seen in 87% versus 13% of injuries due to blunt (non-penetrating) mechanism. 54% of the patients were scored with a trauma severity index >= 25 and 51% of the patients had an abdominal trauma index <= 24. Surgical management was managed in 67% vs. 32% for non-trauma management. surgical. The hospital stay was 17 days on average and 16.9% had complications. CONCLUSIONS: Severe renal trauma is a frequent clinical condition in male patients between the second and third decade of life, in our environment the majority corresponds to penetrating traumas. Most cases were managed with some surgical procedure, however, with a significant percentage of conservative management with complication rates of less than 30%, which changes the paradigm of treatment of high-grade renal trauma

A morphological, reproductive, and molt phenology database for 379 bird species from the Colombian Tropical Andes.

The Colombian Tropical Andes are one of the regions with highest bird diversity on Earth. However, information on bird morphology, reproductive phenology, and molt is particularly scarce in this region. Also, this region is heavily impacted by deforestation, and it is vulnerable to climate change. Hence, providing baseline information on life history and morphological traits will be essential to support future research on functional diversity, climate change effects, conservation, evolution, and phenology. To fill this gap, we have compiled information on bird distribution, morphology, molt, and reproductive phenology at 52 localities of the Department of Caldas, covering an elevation range between 148 and 3845 m. This compilation comprises a wide range of habitats, including native forests, forestry plantations, croplands, and paramo. Our database presents information for 3,398 records belonging to 379 bird species (representing 23 orders, 53 families, and 258 genera). From those records, 2,843 correspond to information collected in the field between 2008 and 2019, and the remaining 555 records correspond to specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum of the Caldas University, collected between 1969 and 2014. We measured nine morphological traits from all specimens: total culmen, gape, bill width, bill depth, tarsus, wing length, tail length, total length, and mass. We also have reproductive condition information for 257 species and molt information available for 378 species. The information contained in this data set represents ~20% of the Colombian avifauna and ~11% of the bird species richness in South America. This data set is released for non-commercial use only. Credits should be given to this paper (i.e., proper citation), and the products generated with this database should be shared under the same license terms (CC BY-NC-SA).

Incidencia de lesiones vasculares intracraneales posteriores a trauma craneoencefálico / Incidence of Intracranial Vascular Lesions after Head Injury

Objetivo: Evaluar la incidencia de lesiones vasculares intracraneales traumáticas y determinar las formas más frecuentes de su presentación. Metodología: Mediante un estudio observacional descriptivo de corte transversal se seleccionaron los pacientes identificados con trauma craneoencefálico que requirieron estudio angiográfico en el Hospital Universitario del Valle. Resultados: Entre abril de 2012 y diciembre de 2013 se registraron 52 pacientes que requirieron angiografía en el contexto de trauma craneoencefálico; de ellos, 36,53 % presentaron algún hallazgo positivo para lesión vascular intracraneal traumática. El tipo de lesión más prevalente fue la trombosis de senos venosos (52,6 %); la fistula arteriovenosa se presentó en el 26,31 % de los pacientes; en el 13,8 % se documentaron disecciones arteriales; el 10,5 % presentó pseudoaneurismas; y en solo un caso se describió una compresión extrínseca. Conclusiones: Las lesiones vasculares intracraneales postraumáticas son frecuentes en nuestra población. La trombosis de seno venoso tenía la mayor incidencia, contrario a la literatura revisada referente al tema, donde la fistula arteriovenosa es habitualmente la lesión más frecuente. Además de brindarnos un panorama de la incidencia de determinadas lesiones, este estudio nos demuestra la necesidad de contar con datos obtenidos en instituciones colombianas, porque es evidente la divergencia con estudios publicados en otros países.

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of traumatic intracranial vascular lesions, as well as to determine the most frequent forms of their presentation. Methodology: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study identified patients with cranioencephalic trauma who required angiographic study at the Hospital Universitario del Valle. Results: Between April 2012 and December 2013, there were identified 52 patients requiring angiography in the context of a traumatic brain injury; 36.53 % of them had a positive finding for traumatic intracranial vascular injury. The most prevalent type of lesion was venous sinus thrombosis (52.6 %); arteriovenous fistula was present in 26.31 % of the patients; 13.8 % had arterial dissections; 10.5 % had pseudoaneurysms, and extrinsic compression (5.3 %) was described in only one case. Of the patients evaluated 2 cases of concomitant lesions. Conclusions: Posttraumatic intracranial vascular lesions are common in our population. Venous sinus thrombosis had the highest incidence, contrary to the literature on the subject, where arteriovenous fistula is usually the most frequent lesion. Besides providing an overview of the incidence of certain injuries, this study demonstrates the need for data from Colombian institutions, due to the evident divergence from studies published in other countries.

Endovascular approach of tibial peroneal trunk pseudo-aneurysm / Reparación endovascular de pseudo-aneurisma del tronco tibioperoneo

This is a case report of a patient with tibioperoneal trunk pseudoaneurysm secondary to firearm injury. Through endovascular intervention, two covered stents were placed on the lesion, with exclusion of the pseudoaneurysm and preservation of the vessel of origin. Arterial Doppler follow up 20 days after intervention revealed adequate stent permeability. In cases of complex extremity trauma with osteo-musculo-vascular involvement, endoluminal repair seems to be a useful tool in distal vessels.

Se informa el caso de un paciente con pseudo-aneurisma del tronco tibioperoneo secundario a herida por arma de fuego. Mediante un método endovascular se colocaron dos stents cubiertos en el sitio de la lesión, con exclusión del pseudo-aneurisma y preservación del vaso de origen. En el control con doppler arterial a los 20 días de la intervención se evidenció adecuada permeabilidad del stent. En casos complejos de trauma de los miembros, con compromiso ósteo-músculo-vascular, la reparación endovascular parece ser una herramienta útil en los vasos distales.

A nonopioid analgesic acts upon the PAG-RVM axis to reverse inflammatory hyperalgesia.

Metamizol (dipyrone) and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) induce antinociception by acting upon peripheral tissues and upon central nervous system structures, notably the periaqueductal grey matter (PAG) and the spinal cord. Inflammation-induced hyperalgesia is prevented by spinal application of NSAIDs before the inflammation, but once central sensitization is established the spinal effect of NSAIDs is uncertain. The present study examines whether the action upon the PAG contributes to the attenuation of inflammation-induced spinal hyperalgesia by NSAIDs. In deeply anaesthetized rats, responses of spinal multireceptive neurons to mechanical stimulation of the ipsilateral paw and leg were recorded. An inflammation in the paw was induced with carrageenan. Fifty minutes later, neuronal responses to innocuous and noxious stimulation had, respectively, increased to 206 and 304% for paw, and 160 and 190% for leg. When metamizol (150 microg in 0.5 microL) was microinjected into PAG before the inflammation, neuronal hyperexcitability was delayed for approximately 60 min and was much reduced by 215 min. More interestingly, microinjection of metamizol into PAG when hyperexcitability was fully developed depressed neuronal responses down to baseline for approximately 1 h. The effect of PAG metamizol was reversed by microinjection of a GABA(A) agonist into the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), which indicates that RVM relays the metamizol effect from PAG onto the spinal cord. These results suggest that, upon clinical administration of NSAIDs, a joint action upon PAG and spinal cord contributes to preventing the development of hyperalgesia but it is mainly the action upon PAG which contributes to reducing fully established hyperalgesia.

Antinociception induced by intravenous dipyrone (metamizol) upon dorsal horn neurons: involvement of endogenous opioids at the periaqueductal gray matter, the nucleus raphe magnus, and the spinal cord in rats.

Microinjection of dipyrone (metamizol) into the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) in rats causes antinociception. This is mediated by endogenous opioidergic circuits located in the PAG itself, in the nucleus raphe magnus and adjacent structures, and in the spinal cord. The clinical relevance of these findings, however, is unclear. Therefore, in the present study, dipyrone was administered intravenously, and the involvement of endogenous opioidergic circuits in the so-induced antinociception was investigated. In rats, responses of dorsal spinal wide-dynamic range neurons to mechanical noxious stimulation of a hindpaw were strongly inhibited by intravenous dipyrone (200 mg/kg). This effect was abolished by microinjection of naloxone (0.5 microg/0.5 microl) into the ventrolateral and lateral PAG or into the nucleus raphe magnus or by direct application of naloxone (50 microg/50 microl) onto the spinal cord surface above the recorded neuron. These results show that dipyrone, a non-opioid analgesic with widespread use in Europe and Latin America, when administered in a clinically relevant fashion causes antinociception by activating endogenous opioidergic circuits along the descending pain control system.