Publicación: Características epidemiológicas asociadas a la infección por agentes hemotrópicos de los géneros Anaplasma, Babesia, Theileria y Trypanosoma, en equinos del departamento de Santander.
Portada
Citas bibliográficas
Código QR
Director
Autor corporativo
Recolector de datos
Otros/Desconocido
Director audiovisual
Editor/Compilador
Editores
Tipo de Material
Fecha
Cita bibliográfica
Título de serie/ reporte/ volumen/ colección
Es Parte de
Resumen
Hemotropic agents are a complex of organisms that have an affinity for the blood tissue of horses, which significantly affect the health of these hosts, being associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Among the diseases caused by these infectious agents, anaplasmosis, trypanosomiasis and equine piroplasmosis stand out. The first is caused by the species Anaplasma phagocytophilum; the second by species of the genus Trypanosoma, among which the species T. evansi and T. vivax stand out; meanwhile, piroplasmosis caused by the species Babesia caballi and Theileria equi. These diseases are characterized by developing clinical signs of fever, anemia, hemoglobinuria, multiple organ failure and neurological signs that can lead to death, considering that the lack of studies in relation to these hemotropic agents in Colombia is a priority. The objective of this study is to describe the epidemiological characteristics associated with infection by hemotropic agents of the genera Anaplasma, Babesia, Theileria and Trypanosoma, in horses in the department of Santander. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in the municipalities of Piedecuesta, Floridablanca, Lebrija, La Paz, Vélez, Cimitarra, Oiba, Socorro, San Gil, Barrancabermeja and Sabana de Torres. The animals were sampled for convenience, once the informed consent of the owners had been completed. For each animal, two blood samples were taken, which were collected to perform the parasitological diagnosis (blood smear) of the aforementioned genera. At the same time, during the sampling procedure, a clinical examination of each animal and an epidemiological survey were carried out, in order to determine the clinical signs and epidemiological variables associated with the infection. A total of 120 animals were analyzed, of which 1.66% (2/120) were positive for Anaplasma spp.; no positive animals were found for the other analyzed genera. Among the paraclinical characteristics associated with animals positive for Anaplasma spp., neutropenia was found in both animals. Additionally, one of them presented an increase in the percentage of monocytes and eosinophils. Regarding the clinical epidemiological characteristics, one animal came from the municipality of Piedecuesta and the other from Cimitarra, without adequate control of hemoparasites and ectoparasites. None of the animals showed obvious alterations on clinical examination. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated a low prevalence of hemotropic agents in horses from the department of Santander, through the blood smear technique. Thus, the results obtained show that Anaplasma spp., is one of the most prevalent hemotropic agents in the department, associated with neutropenia, which puts the health of these animals at risk. Additionally, other variables such as the lack of adequate control of ectoparasites and hemoparasites were associated with this infection. The results of this research are of great importance when establishing prevention and control measures for these infections in horses in Santander, and will contribute to reducing the level of economic losses in this productive line of the livestock sector.