Inclusión de Hibiscus sabdariffa en alimentos experimentales para Macrobrachium tenellum: efectos en la pigmentación, crecimiento y supervivencia.

Los pigmentos en la naturaleza tienen la principal función de colorear, sin embargo, también tienen efectos sobre el estado de salud y desarrollo de los organismos.  Los compuestos sintéticos dirigidos a incrementar la coloración en organismos con importancia comercial, representan entre el 15 al 20% del costo de la dieta. Por lo anterior la investigación sobre pigmentos de origen natural (más baratos y menos tóxicos) se ha incrementado sustancialmente en los últimos años.  Hay pigmentos tales como las antocianinas que pueden ser utilizados como una alternativa para la pigmentación de organismos. El cáliz de Hibiscus sabdariffa acumula antocianina que proporcionan su característico color rojo. Langostinos Macrobrachium tenellum fueron alimentados con dietas que incluían cálices de H. sabdariffa (jamaica) bajo diversos tratamientos: i) pigmento extraído con agua, ii) pigmento extraído con etanol acidificado [0.1 M HCl (v/v)], y iii) harina de cálices. El efecto pigmentante se comparó con langostinos sometidos a una dieta control sin pigmentos añadidos y langostinos extraídos del medio silvestre. Los langostinos alimentados con la dieta de inclusión de polvo de jamaica mostraron la mayor expresión de eritróforos (color rojo) en el  exoesqueleto del pleon (abdomen) y ganancia en longitud, ganancia en peso, % de incremento en longitud y % de incremento en peso mayores a los demás tratamientos después de 60 días. Estos resultados sugieren que H. sabdariffa puede ser utilizado como alternativa natural como complemento alimenticio puesto que tiene un efecto positivo en los parámetros de crecimiento y pigmentación

<i>Litomosoides</i> sp. (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae) Infection in Frugivorous Bats (<i>Artibeus</i> spp.): Pathological Features, Molecular Evidence, and Prevalence

Bats can host pathogenic organisms such as viruses and fungi, but little is known about the pathogenicity of their parasites. Hemoparasites are frequently recorded in Neotropical bats, particularly Litomosoides (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae), but their pathogenic effect on bats is scarcely known. In this work, Litomosoides microfilariae were identified in four (8%) out of 51 sampled frugivorous bats belonging to three different species: Artibeus aztecus, Artibeus jamaicensis, and Artibeus lituratus, which are located in Yautepec, Morelos, Mexico. Two infected animals showed weakness, tachypnoea, and ecchymosis on their wings. In these animals, histopathology revealed microfilariae in the blood vessels of the lung, liver, and spleen. Both animals presented exudative pneumonia with congestion and concomitant edema, in addition to moderate arterial hypertrophy. Parasitemia was quantified in blood samples of the infected animals (&gt;3000 parasites/mL). Phylogenetic analysis placed the obtained sequence inside the Litomosoides genus, reaching over 98% identity to the related species. Due to the relevance of bats in ecosystems, any new record of their parasite repertoire offers noteworthy insights into our understanding of the ecology and impact of new parasite species in bats

Complete Genome Sequence of Lleida Bat Lyssavirus.

All lyssaviruses (family Rhabdoviridae) cause the disease rabies, an acute progressive encephalitis for which, once symptoms occur, there is no effective cure. Using next-generation sequencing, the full-genome sequence for a novel lyssavirus, Lleida bat lyssavirus (LLEBV), from the original brain of a common bent-winged bat has been confirmed

Rabies Virus Variants Detected from Cougar (Puma concolor) in Mexico 2000&ndash;2021

In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) recognized Mexico as a country free of human rabies transmitted by dogs. Nevertheless, the sylvatic cycle remains as a public health concern in the country. Although cougars (Puma concolor) are not reservoirs of any rabies virus variant (RVV), these felines could act as vectors at the top of the food chain, and their relationships with other organisms must be considered important for the regulatory effect on their prey&rsquo;s populations. In this study, genetic and antigenic characterization was performed on all cougar rabies cases diagnosed at the Rabies Laboratory Network of the Ministry of Health (RLNMH) in Mexico from 2000 to 2021. Samples from other species, a skunk, a horse (Equus caballus) (attacked by a cougar), and a gray fox (Urocyon cineroargenteus), were included as reference. Rabies cases in cougars were restricted to two Northern states of Mexico (Sonora and Chihuahua). Five out of six samples of cougars were RVV7 (Arizona gray fox RVV) and one from Sonora was RVV1. Interestingly, there is no evidence of RVV1 in dogs in the Northern states since the 1990s but skunk species now harbor this RVV1 in this region of the country