Huila Department Research Articles

Toxicity evaluation and initial characterization of the venom of a Colombian Latrodectus sp.

The genus Latrodectus has not been studied in Colombia even though it is medically important worldwide; there are three species for the country, this study focused on a non-identified species found in the Tatacoa Desert in the Huila Department. This research is the first approximation to the extraction, composition analysis and toxicity evaluation of the venom of a species of the genus Latrodectus in Colombia; and aims to evaluate the toxicity by the initial characterization of its venom. The venom extraction was accomplished with electrostimulation and total protein concentration was determined by the Lowry method and BCA assays from crude venom; with these methods, high protein concentration of the samples was measured. Bioassays on mice were also made to evaluate the toxicity and compare the symptoms produced by this Colombian spider to the Latrodectism Syndrome. Finally, an SDS-PAGE electrophoresis was used to separate the main components of high molecular weight from the samples and compared to a control of the venom of Latrodectus mactans to determine if the venom composition is different between these two species.

Proposal of a production and management index (PMI) for tilapia farms.

Tilapia is one of the most important species in aquaculture; however, there is no available index to show the performance of a production unit. It is desirable to assess the productivity using indexes, such as the production and management index for shrimps and the European production efficacy factor for broilers. These indexes are based on data production: growth, survival, and feed conversion of a full production cycle. Taking into account these parameters, we propose a production and management index (PMI) for tilapia that is applicable for a specific period of the production cycle. For the construction and validation of the PMI we have used production data from 8,614 monthly records of 2 tilapia farms in Huila Department (Colombia), and because of the complexity of tilapia management, different anomalous situations have been detected and then defined as exceptions. As a result, 419 records were considered extreme values because 1 or more exceptions were met. The value of the PMI varies from 0 (the worst situation) to 3.55, which reflects high variability. We have constructed a PMI for tilapia as the product of 3 elements to obtain a positive value index. Instead of classic parameters, we had to calculate an adapted version of them: the relative average daily growth, the survival (as a complementary value of the estimated monthly mortality), and a feed conversion ratio index. To assess the utility of the PMI, some comparisons were performed using records from black and red tilapia. We observed significant differences depending on tilapia strain (PMI = 1.0248 vs. PMI = 1.1661; < 0.001), age (better values for small fish), and season (PMI = 1.0847 vs. PMI = 1.1011; = 0.026). According to these results, we can conclude that the PMI could be a useful tool for tilapia farmers, despite the complexity of the calculation.

Biometric relations of freshwater fishes of the Suaza River (Huila Department, Colombia)

The knowledge of freshwater fishes in remote Andean mountains is scarce and restricted to changes of occurrence distribution along a specific gradient. The high number of endemic fish species requires further studies regarding their biology and their conservation status. The present study aims to estimate the length&#8211;weight, length&#8211;length, and length&#8211;girth relations for nine native freshwater fish species representing five families (Loricariidae, Characidae, Heptapteridae, Crenuchidae, and Parodontidae): Chaetostoma thomsoni&#160;Regan, 1904; Lasiancistrus caucanus&#160;Eigenmann, 1912; Rineloricaria jubata&#160;(Boulenger, 1902); Bryconamericus huilae&#160;Rom&#225;n-Valencia, 2003; Gephyrocharax melanocheir&#160;Eigenmann, 1912; Pimelodella chagresi&#160;(Steindachner, 1876); Rhamdia guatemalensis&#160;(Quoy et Gaimard, 1824); Characidium fasciatum&#160;Reinhardt, 1867; Parodon suborbitalis&#160;Valenciennes, 1850. The fishes were collected in the Suaza River (Huila, Colombia). These are the first length&#8211;weight relations reported for all these species, mostly endemic to the Colombian Andes. The report also provides the new maximum size for four species.

Infección congénita por citomegalovirus: presentación de tres casos y revisión de la literatura

La infección perinatal más frecuente es causada por citomegalovirus (CMV), en el feto y el recién nacido esta infección es la principal causa de sordera y compromiso en el desarrollo psicomotor; el tamizaje, diagnóstico y manejo no se han protocolizado en el control prenatal. El pronóstico de estos pacientes dependerá de un manejo adecuado. Se presentan tres casos con el objetivo de revisar el diagnóstico prenatal y el manejo en el neonato.Materiales y métodos: se muestran tres casos de infección congénita por citomegalovirus diagnosticados en el Hospital Universitario Hernando Moncaleano de Neiva-Huila, centro de referencia de la región suroccidental de Colombia. Se realizó una búsqueda electrónica en las bases de datos de PudMed, Embase, Medline, Lilacs, Cochrane.Resultados: se encontraron 31 artículos, dos guías basadas en evidencia, seis revisiones sistemáticas, dos consensos de la Asociación Española de Pediatría, cuatro estudios de casos y controles, cuatro estudios de cohortes, doce revisiones narrativas, un estudio analítico de decisiones y de costos.Conclusión: el tamizaje rutinario para CMV en el control prenatal no está recomendado. Se debe hacer tamizaje en mujeres gestantes de alto riesgo. El método de tamizaje son la inmunoglobulina IgM específica y el test de avidez por IgG, si esta es baja confirma infección reciente. La prueba confirmatoria es la PCR para CMV. En recién nacidos la prueba de tamizaje es la PCR y el patrón de oro es el cultivo viral. En mujeres con infección gestacional se debe aplicar inmunoglobulina específica para protección fetal.

Dengue en recién nacidos: presentación de dos casos en Neiva (Huila, Colombia) y revisión de la literatura

Introducción: el dengue es una infección viral que afecta a Colombia, especialmente a niños en el departamento del Huila. Actualmente, sigue extendiéndose en países latinoamericanos con alarma reportada por diferentes organismos de salud.Objetivo: presentar los primeros casos documentados en el Huila en embarazadas y sus recién nacidos.Metodología: presentación clínica de dos casos y revisión de la literatura sobre la presencia de dengue en embarazadas, recién nacidos y casos perinatales.Resultados: la gran mayoría de los estudios son reportes de casos. Se consultaron las Guías para Dengue de 2009 de la OMS y dos revisiones sistemáticas sobre el tema. A partir de esto, se describió la forma de presentación del dengue en el embarazo y en el recién nacido, además de los problemas asociados con éste.Conclusión: se insistió en la nueva nomenclatura: en el dengue sin signos de alarma (DSSA) o con signos de alarma (DCSA) y en el dengue severo (DS). Ante lo anterior, es claro que existe una necesidad de realizar estudios comparativos para poder definir las guías específicas sobre las gestantes con dengue. Palabras clave: dengue, embarazo, recién nacido.

Identifying critical factors for implementing good agricultural practice

This paper deals with identifying the critical factors (CFs) involved in implementing a good agricultural practice (GAP) programme for coffee and fruit farmers in the Huila department of Colombia. An exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) factorisation was used. Data matrixes were constructed from the results of applying two defined-structure assessment tools to the populations being studied: Starbucks’ coffee and farmer equity (CAFE) practices for small-scale coffee growers and coffee-producers and the EUREPGAP V2.1 Oct.2004 / checklist for fruit and vegetables, as applied to fruit-producers. This investigation led to identifying 6 CFs which must be considered when implementing a GAP programme: infrastructure, established production activities, preparing and maintaining records, environmental awareness, workers’ welfare and safety and quality control.

Three new species of Rhagovelia in the R. armata group (Heteroptera: Veliidae) from Colombia

Three new species of Rhagovelia are described from Oporapa Municipality (Huila Department, Colombia): Rhagovelia huila sp.n., Rhagovelia azulita sp.n. and Rhagovelia oporapa sp.n. These new species are compared with other previously described taxa of the genus and are assigned to the armata group of the collaris complex.

Estructura y composición florística de la vegetación del corredor biológico entre los parques nacionales naturales Puracé y Cueva de los Guácharos

The floristic compisitiion and structure of disturbed and non disturbed vegetation at the biological corridor located among the National Natural Parks Purace, Cueva de los Guacharos was studied based on 16 plots in three localities of the Huila Department, Colombia, between 1950 and 2450m. A total of 1.5ha was sampled.

Lutzomyia longiflocosa (Diptera: Psychodidae) posible vector en el foco de leishmaniasis cutánea del municipio de Planadas, zona cafetera del Tolima

Dueto an increase in the reports of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) cases in Planadas (Tolima), in a central Colombian coffee-growing region, a pilot-study was carried out to determine the sand flies of the genus Lutzomyia in La Aldea, La Floresta and Gaitania indigenous area. Sand flies were sampled at night using Shannon traps, CDC light traps and protected human bait. A total of 2,849 sand flies, grouped in five species were found, three of them belonging to the verrucarum group. L. longiflocosa (98.5%) was found mainly in coffee crops, peri and intradomiciliary areas. L. longiflocosa is known to be anthrophophilic and a suspected vector of CL in Huila Department, Colombia. L. nuñez tovari(0.7%), whose L. n. anglesivariety is considered possible Leishmania sp. vector in Bolivia, found in intra and peridomicialiary areas, and L. columbiana (0.1%), was registered in intra and peridomiciliary areas. L. shannoni(0.3%), was mainly present in coffee crops. Some of the collected sand flies were species of the subgenus Helcocyrtomyia (0.5%). From 379 phlebotomine dissected, none was found harbouring flagellate forms in their guts.The results pointed to L. longiflocosa as the most probable vector in this focus. However, it is necessary to carry out further studies to define the role that this species plays in the transmission of CL in the area.

A Miocene Fossil of the Amazonian Fish Arapaima (Teleostei, Arapaimidae) from the Magdalena River Region of Colombia--Biogeographic and Evolutionary Implications

A fragmentary fossil fish skull from the Miocene La Venta fauna, Villavieja Formation, in the upper Magdalena River Valley of Huila Department, Colombia, is determined to be similar and closely related to Arapaima gigas (Arapaimidae), a living species distributed east of the Andes in the large lowland rivers of the Amazon basin and the Guianas. This fossil offers an additional example of a long and conservative history for South American riverine fishes. This discovery corroborates biogeographic and geological evidence for a direct connection of the Magdalena region with the middle Tertiary Amazon watershed and its fauna. The fossil Arapaima and several other fishes from the same area suggest former aquatic communities in the Magdalena region that were once more diverse than the modern fauna. The Magdalena fish fauna was isolated as its watershed formed with Late Miocene uplift of the eastern Cordillera, and this fauna suffered local extinctions presumably as a result of tectonic activity and later Cenozoic climatic change. Older fossils belonging to the Arapaimidae indicate that the Arapaima lineage originated before the Cretaceous Afro-South American drift/vicariance event.

New remains ofProthoatherium columbianus(Litopterna, Mammalia) from the Miocene of Colombia

ABSTRACT New dental and skeletal remains of Prothoatherium colombianus, from the Miocene of Huila Department, Colombia, are described and discussed. The species, originally described as a didolodontid condylarth, is an advanced proterotheriid litoptern closely allied to Prothoatherium species from the Colhuehuapian of Patagonia. This further substantiates the primitive aspect of the La Venta Fauna, from whence the Colombian species came. Prothoatherium colombianus is of special interest because it is the smallest known advanced proterothere and because it is skeletally morphotypic to Thoatherium, a Santacrucian genus and the most completely monodactyl known mammal. In body size, skeletal adaptations, and presumed diet, P. colombianus is most similar to small, cursorially-adapted, forest-dwelling Recent ungulates and rodents. This accords with the hypothesis that the La Venta assemblage represents a forest or woodland savanna community.