núm. 10 (2005)

The zoonotic diseases represent a constant risk for humans and animals; the epidemiology behaviour of this kind of agents that produce fatal epidemics in the whole world have been studied for years, it is important to maintain updated information that directs people about the diseases behaviour, so that they can act properly during the presentations of a zoonotic event. In Colombia a piece of work was carried out which reflects the behaviour of some zoonosis until 1997, from this date on, independent studies have been developed which notify the behaviour of some diseases, specially those that have represented an important risk for public health. Most of the facts about zoonotic cases in Colombia are compiled with this work from 1997 to 2003, where a retrospective epidemiology analysis is carried out to know the behaviour of these agents during the last years and try to predict for each one of them. There is a control over the viral diseases thanks to the vaccination programs, and the daily report from the clinics. The parasites and the fungus are opportunist invading that have been developed in a big scale, since they find a suitable environment similar to the sanitary costumes in human beings, besides they are helped by the primary agents that benefice the habitats. In the country it is important to know deeply about this kind of diseases, because they have become permanent hosts in this environment, and the clinic expression of zoonosis is the weapon to fight against these situations that involve the whole society.

The skin is one of the largest organs of the body, and it has multiple functions: metabolic, temperature regulator, sensibility, and protection. The skin is formed by three layers: epidermis, dermis and hypodermis; the annexed ones are found in the dermis: hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat glands; the nails are found in the appendix. Although the skin structure in domestic animals is similar, there are variations among species and even in a single specie related to epidermal thickness, dermal thickness, types and arrangements of hair follicles, and annexed structures. Knowing that Skin’s diseases are common in clinic practices in small animals, this article will review the normal histology structure of dog’s skin in order to know the changes in skin’s diseases in this specie.

The effect of the transport time on lost of live weight and carcass of broilers in two lines in four different farms was evaluated. 930 birds were taken to analyze the transport effect from the farm to the benefit plant over lines and sexes and its influence on mortality and economical lost. 96 trips with 163.724 broilers were analyzed to characterize the information of the variables time, line, sex, and weight, we also used descriptive statistical, correlation analysis and two regression models to determine the economic lost, and to establish the existence of differences in the reduction, we worked with one random design 4x2x2. Additionally and because of the different handling follow in each farm a random design was implemented 2x2. Difference in the lost weight among males and females was found., there were no significant differences for the carcass in the four farms, and into the ranch only were differences for sex. Males were more affected by the conditions, the quality and the transport time than the distance from the farm to the benefit plant.

In this study the effectiveness of an oral isopatic remedy was demonstrated, for the control of the Boophilus microplus tick, innocuous for the animals, environment and man, avoiding chemical residuals in the final product. The investigation was performed in a farm located in the municipality of Aguazul (Casanare); located at 05°10’23 ‘ north latitude, and 72°33’17 ‘ west longitude from Greenwich, 300 mosl. Average temperature: 27°C. Annual Precipitation: 2.441 mm. We enrolled 32 double purpose animals; with the adapted proposal by the «Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria», CORPOICA about the Integrated Handling of Plagues (IHP); a count of the ticks with a size between 4.5mm and 8mm was made one side of the animal body; animals with more than 20 ticks were taken to the investigation process, group A was administered the isopatic remedy, and group B the placebo remedy during four consecutive days. Two powers of the remedy were administered, the first one with nine centesimal (9C), which didn’t have any effect on the tick, the second power thirty centesimal (30C), with which the proposed results on the tick were obtained, a second count of ticks was made with the same tick sizes to verify the effectiveness of the second power, twenty-five days after the administration the second count of ticks was performed with the same tick sizes. We used the experimental double blind technique to obtain truthful data. The statistical study was carried out by the Operational Analysis of Variance technique -two factors with several samples for group-; the ticks counts became to the logarithmic expression: t = Log 10 (X+1), where x is the tick count between 4.5-8.0mm of longitude. A more effective answer was observed in the group A animals which were treated with the isopatic remedy.

The aim of the environmental enrichment is to increase the captive animal welfare, by providing them with stimulus that motivate the fulfilment in the specie natural behaviour. An environmental enrichment program was tested on the jaguar´s (Panthera onca) and cougar´s (Puma concolor) population at the Zoológico Jaime Duque, the objective was to confirm if the welfare really increased, Faecal cortisol was monitored by ELISA test, for this, validating the technique for each specie was needed. The carried out test turned out to be valid for both species; however, the cortisol levels are influenced by many multiples variables, and it was not evident the reduction of the levels with environmental enrichment.

The electroencephalography has come to be a useful diagnostic aid in known or suspected cerebral disorders, the purpose of this study was to assess digital and quantitative electroencephalography in healthy dogs under propofol and tiopenthal anaesthesia, in order to determine the influence of these agents on the EEG and to obtain objective guidelines for diagnostic electroencephalographic recordings and interpretation. Thirteen dogs of different race, sex, origin, within ten months and seven years of age were used, during 23 sessions of which, eleven were with propofol, 10 with tiopenthal and 3 for testing. The analysis and interpretation of the EEG records was based on a preliminary visual examination where artifacts, normal background rhythms and transient events on sleeping dogs were assessed. When digital and spectral analysis were performed, the basic pattern found was characterized by spindles, k-complexes and vertex sharp transients. The EEG was characterized by the prevalence of slow rhythms è and low intensity á, both in amplitude spectrum analysis, while ä rhythms were poorly represented and fast â rhythms were completely absent. The statistic parametric and no parametric analysis showed that there is no evident influence of the anesthetic agents on the EEG or the evoked potentials. The present study has shown that the anesthetics used, on low doses, maintained the electroencephalographic isoelectricity. The use of digital and spectral analysis gives information on the frequency content of the bio-electrical activity, deûns the distribution of the frequency bands under a standardized anesthetic protocol and determines the plane of anesthesia and sleep stage, which is useful during surgical anesthesia monitoring.

The Mexican-American Commission for the Eradication of Screwworm, it is currently producing an average of 100 million sterile flies per week to be sent to dispersal centers in Panama, Aruba and Jamaica, expecting to eradicate the screwworm. For this reason, and thinking of the countries that in a future will require sterile flies to eradicate the screwworm, the Mexican-American Commission is in a constant search of improvements in the production process. To achieve this objective, the commission counts with a research unit in the Methods Development Department, in charge of maintaining the strain of the fly and doing the different tests, looking for the improve of massive production of sterile screwworm flies. The commission received from Purina Company four substitute powdered milk samples to be used in the screwworm diet (Nodricina 20 Nodricina Premium 20/2 Nodricina plus 20 - 20 and milk substitute for calves), they were evaluated in a complete test to determine the existence of significant differences in the development larvae in diets that include these components. Five replicas were made, with three trays containing 16 liters per treatment, with a total of 15 trays per replica. Measuring and evaluating the parameters of the Jamaica 03 screwworm strain to determine the behavior of these substitutes in the larvae diet, and to evaluate the possible use of them.

The following research describes the evaluation in the in vitro infection by Leishmania (L.) chagasi in a Lulo cell line, resulting from Lutzomyia longipalpis embryonic tissue, taking into account physicochemical and environmental variables. The medium Gracel/L-15, containing 5% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS), was used to maintain the cell strain Lulo. The infection process was performed by using Leishmania chagasi CLO44B/84 strain. The physicochemical variables of the growing medium evaluated for the experimental tests of the cell infection were: concentration of FBS (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%), presence and absence of hemolinfa, pH (5. 5.5, 6. 6.5, and 6.8) and osmolality (35 400 y 450 mOsm/kg). In addition, the temperature which the infected cells were incubated (26°C, 32°C and 37°C) was also evaluated. As substrate for the infected cells, glass cover-slips of 12 mm of diameter in 24 well plates were used. The cover-slips with attached infected cells were removed after 3, 6, and 9 days post-infection. The Experimental observations showed that the greatest percentage of infection (33.3%), was obtained at the 5% FBS level, osmolality of 320 mOsm/Kg, a pH of 6.8 and an optimum temperature of 26°C. By selecting these parameters, high levels of infection were reached and these results will certainly be of great use in future studies and applications of the interaction vector-parasite-cells, in the perspective to contribute with leishmaniasis control.