Molecular detection and characterization of Leptospira species in bats and other small wild mammals from Villeta municipality, Colombia.

Leptospira is a bacterial genus which includes several pathogenic species. Wild mammals can act as reservoir hosts, shedding bacteria in their urine. Leptospirosis is an important health problem in Villeta, but data regarding potential reservoirs hosts and natural sources of infection are still scarce.

Hyperparasitism in bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae): new records and interaction networks in the Neotropics.

Hyperparasitism is defined as the interaction where one parasite is infected by another parasite. In bat flies (Streblidae and Nycteribiidae), both hyperparasites and microparasites (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and arthropods such as mites) have been documented. Fungi belonging to the order Laboulbeniales are microscopic parasites of a wide diversity of arthropod hosts.

First isolation of Rickettsia amblyommatis from Amblyomma mixtum in Colombia.

Background: Rickettsiae are obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacteria that are the causative agent of rickettsioses and are spread to vertebrate hosts by arthropods. There are no previous reports of isolation of Rickettsia amblyommatis for Colombia.

Methods: A convenience sampling was executed in three departments in Colombia for direct collection of adult ticks on domestic animals or over vegetation.

Laboratory life cycle of Ornithodoros puertoricensis (Ixodida: Argasidae) collected in the Colombian Caribbean.

Three studies on the biology of Ornithodoros puertoricensis are available in the literature, using different hosts and incubation temperatures. In a previous study, we identified O. puertoricensis in the Colombian Caribbean.

Extension of the distribution of Amblyomma triste Koch, 1844: Morphological and molecular confirmation of Morphotype I in Colombia.

Ticks of the Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae) group are represented by three species: Amblyomma maculatum, Amblyomma tigrinum, and Amblyomma triste. This group is widely distributed throughout the Nearctic and Neotropical regions, from the United States of America (USA) to Argentina. They parasitize several vertebrates, including domestic mammals and humans.

(Ixodida: Argasidae) Associated With Domestic Fowl in Rural Dwellings From Córdoba Department, Caribbean Colombia.

Ticks of genus are nidicolous parasites associated with a wide array of vertebrates. In humans, their bites cause hypersensitivity reactions and are capable to transmit pathogens of health concern. In the department of Córdoba, Caribbean region of Colombia, the first report of an soft tick was made in 1980 by Betancourt, who described the collection of in human dwellings.

Visualization Technologies for Learning and Teaching Veterinary Acarology and Entomology.

Educational technologies are tools and resources used for improving teaching, learning, and creative inquiry. Visualization technologies (VTs) fall within this category and comprise a high diversity of strategies from simple infographics to complex forms of visual data analysis. Traditionally, parasitology has been a challenging subject in medical and veterinary degree courses due to the high number of scientific names, morphological characters, and complex life cycles, among other factors.

Amblyomma nodosum Neumann, 1889 on collared anteaters (Tamandua tetradactyla) from the Andean region of Colombia.

Amblyomma nodosum is a Neotropical tick species distributed from Mexico to Argentina, with adult individuals infesting different mammal species, including anteaters (Pilosa: Myrmecophagidae). Few reports in Colombia have recorded this species in departments such as Meta, Tolima and Valle del Cauca. In this paper we describe this species using taxonomic, morphometric and molecular methods after collecting individuals parasitizing collared anteaters (Tamandua tetradactyla) in the departments of Cundinamarca and Tolima.

Gastrointestinal and pulmonary parasites of working horses from Colombia.

Working equids are used in different countries for numerous purposes and regularly are crucial for multiple communities' income and profit. Historically, in Bogotá D.C.