First record of dot-winged crake, Porzana spiloptera, durnford, 1877 (Rallidae) for the central Andes in Argentina

Porzana spiloptera, the Dot-wing Crake, has a patchy distribution in southern South America and has previously been considered as inhabiting exclusively lowland wetlands. Here we present evidence of a new population inhabiting a high-elevation site in the Central Andes of Argentina. This record suggests not only a broader distribution but greater tolerance of the species to higher elevation and lower temperatures than has previously been assumed.Fil: Zarco, Agustín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Cuervo Bustamante, Pablo Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Llambías, Paulo E.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentin

West Nile virus in Spain: Forecasting the geographical distribution of risky areas with an ecological niche modelling approach

West Nile virus (WNV), a well-known emerging vector-borne arbovirus with a zoonotic life cycle, represents a threat to both public and animal health. Transmitted by ornithophilic mosquitoes, its transmission is difficult to predict and even more difficult to prevent. The massive and unprecedented number of human cases and equid outbreaks in Spain during 2020 interpellates for new approaches. For the first time, we present an integrate analysis from a niche perspective to provide an insight to the situation of West Nile disease (WND) in Spain. Our modelling approach benefits from the combined use of global occurrence records of outbreaks of WND in equids and of its two alleged main vectors in Spain, Culex pipiens and Cx. perexiguus. Maps of the climatic suitability for the presence of the two vectors species and for the circulation of WNV are provided. The main outcome of our study is a map delineating the areas under certain climatic risk of transmission. Our analyses indicate that the climatic risk of transmission of WND is medium in areas nearby the south Atlantic coastal area of the Cadiz Gulf and the Mediterranean coast, and high in southwestern Spain. The higher risk of transmission in the basins of the rivers Guadiana and Guadalquivir cannot be attributed exclusively to the local abundance of Cx. pipiens, but could be ascribed to the presence and abundance of Cx. perexiguus. Furthermore, this integrated analysis suggests that the WNV presents an ecological niche of its own, not fully overlapping the ones of its hosts or vector, and thus requiring particular environmental conditions to succeed in its infection cycle.Fil: Cuervo Bustamante, Pablo Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Artigas, Patricio. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Mas-Coma, Santiago. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Bargues, María Dolores. Universidad de Valencia; Españ

Aplicação do conceito One Health na área hiperendêmica de fasciolíase humana do Altiplano Boliviano: biologia dos limneídeos, dinâmica populacional, microecologia e influência de fatores climáticos

Fascioliasis is a freshwater snail-borne zoonotic disease. The Northern Bolivian Altiplano is a very high altitude endemic area where the highest human prevalences and intensities have been reported. Preventive chemotherapy by treatment campaigns is yearly applied. However, liver fluke infection of cattle, sheep, pigs and donkeys assures endemicity and consequent human infection and re-infection risks. A One Health action has therefore been implemented. Activity concerns lymnaeid vectors and environment diversity. Studies included growth, egg-laying and life span in laboratory-reared lymnaeids. Different habitat types and influencing factors were assessed. All populations proved to belong to Galba truncatula by rDNA sequencing. Analyses comprised physico-chemical characteristics and monthly follow-up of water temperature, pH and quantity, and lymnaeid abundance and density. Population dynamics in the transmission foci differed. Mean environmental temperature was lower than fluke development minimum temperature threshold, but water temperature was higher, except during winter. A two generations/year pattern appeared in permanent water habitats, and one generation/year pattern in habitats drying out for months. The multidisciplinary control measures can be extended from one part of the endemic area to another. These studies, made for the first time at very high altitude, constitute a baseline useful for fascioliasis control in other countries.A fasciolíase é uma doença zoonótica transmitida para os humanos por formas evolucionárias de Fasciola hepatica oriundas de limneídeos infectados. O Altiplano Boliviano Norte é uma área endêmica de altitude muito alta, onde foram relatadas as maiores prevalências e intensidades em infecções humanas. A quimioterapia preventiva por campanhas de tratamento é aplicada anualmente. No entanto, infecção por Fasciola hepatica em bovinos, ovelhas, suínos e asininos garante endemicidade e consequentes riscos de infecção e reinfecção humana. Portanto, ações norteadas no conceito “One Health” foram implementadas. As atividades envolveram os limneídeos e a avaliação da diversidade de ambientes. Os estudos incluíram o crescimento, postura de ovos e expectativa de vida de limneídeos criados em laboratório, bem como a avaliação da influência dos diferentes hábitats. Todas as populações foram identificadas como Galba truncatula por meio do sequenciamento de rDNA. As análises incluíram características físico-químicas e acompanhamento mensal da temperatura, pH, quantidade da água, abundância e densidade de limneídeos. A dinâmica populacional nos focos de transmissão diferiu. A temperatura ambiente média foi mais baixa do que o limite mínimo de temperatura do desenvolvimento do helminto, mas a temperatura da água foi mais alta, exceto durante o inverno. Um padrão de duas gerações/ano apareceu em hábitats com água permanente, enquanto um padrão de uma geração/ano foi observado em hábitats que ficam secos durante meses. Os resultados permitem concluir que as medidas multidisciplinares de controle podem ser estendidas de uma parte da área endêmica para outra. Esses estudos, realizados pela primeira vez em altitudes muito elevadas, constituem uma base útil e extrapolável para o controle da fasciolíase.Fil: Bargues, María Dolores. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Angles, René. Universidad Mayor de San Andrés; BoliviaFil: Coello, José. No especifíca;Fil: Artigas, Patricio. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Funatsu, Ilra Renata. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Cuervo Bustamante, Pablo Fernando. Universidad de Valencia; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Buchon, Paola. Universidad Mayor de San Andrés; BoliviaFil: Mas-Coma, Santiago. Universidad de Valencia; Españ

Markers of the rodent immune system in a context of stress. Its application to ecoepidemiological studies

Fil: Cuervo Bustamante, Pablo Fernando. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina.Los animales despliegan diversas estrategias para afrontar los desafíos ambientales, siendo moduladas por la respuesta de estrés. Un desenlace habitual de su acción sostenida es la inmunosupresión, suponiendo consecuencias sobre la interacción hospedador-parásito. En vista del rol de los roedores como reservorios de agentes infecciosos, se evaluaron tres hipótesis: i) los factores estresantes poseen un efecto diferencial sobre los diferentes compartimentos del sistema inmune del roedor; ii) el incremento de un compartimento específico del sistema inmune redunda en la reducción de otro, cuya magnitud depende de la exposición al estrés; iii) la inversión diferencial en los distintos compartimentos del sistema inmune, influenciada por niveles de estrés, se encuentra asociada al tipo e intensidad de agente parasitario presente. Las primeras dos hipótesis se abordaron mediante un experimento de estrés crónico con ratas de laboratorio, en el que se evidenció que la exposición prolongada a restricción alimentaria y/o conflicto social resultó en diferentes patrones de inversión somática, y en la estimulación de la inmunidad humoral innata y adquirida. La tercera hipótesis se evaluó con un ensayo con roedores de vida libre, en que se manipuló la disponibilidad de alimento. Este ensayo develó que la densidad de individuos y la disponibilidad de recursos constituirían estímulos estresores; difiriendo las estrategias de defensa según especie y sexo del hospedador, y el tipo de parásito. Estos hallazgos de ensayos con distinto grado de control y realismo, suscitan nuevos interrogantes acerca de la interrelación hospedador-parásito-ambiente, expandiendo nuestra comprensión sobre la susceptibilidad del hospedador y las dinámicas parasitarias.Animals display a series of strategies to cope with environmental challenges, which are met in light of the stress response. A frequent outcome of its sustained action is immunosuppression, which entails consequences for the host-parasite interaction. Due to the importance of rodents as reservoirs of infectious diseases, three hypotheses were evaluated: i) stressors pose a differential effect on distinct compartments of the rodent’s immune system; ii) the enhancement of a specific compartment of the immune system results in the reduction of the other, and its magnitude depends on the exposure to stress; iii) the differential investment on distinct compartments of the immune system, influenced by the levels of stress, is associated with the type and intensity of the infectious agent. The first two hypotheses were assessed with a chronic stress experiment with laboratory rats, which evidenced that the prolonged exposure to food restriction and/or social conflict resulted in different patterns of somatic investment and the increase of the humoral immunity, both innate and acquired. The third hypothesis was evaluated with a trial with free-ranging field mice, where food availability was manipulated. The later revealed that density and resource availability constitute environmental stressors. The defence strategies displayed differed according to host species and sex, but also the type of parasite. These findings from trials with a diverse degree of control and realism, elicit new questions about the host-parasite-environment interaction, expanding our understanding of host susceptibility and the dynamics of parasites.Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y TecnológicaUniversidad Nacional del Litora

Environmental variables determining the distribution of an avian parasite: the case of the Philornis torquans complex in South America

Philornis flies are the major cause of myiasis in nestlings of Neotropical birds, being of major concern in geographically-restricted and endangered bird species. Despite its relevance for the conservation of birds, there is little information about the environmental dimensions determining Philornis spp. geographical range. By using maximum entropy, we identified for the first time the macro-environmental variables constraining the abiotic niche of the P. torquans complex in South America, and provided a model map of its potential distribution based on environmental suitability. We identified the minimum temperature of the coldest month as the most relevant variable, associated with the largest decrease in habitat suitability in Brazil and northern South America. Furthermore, the mean temperature of the warmest quarter limited suitability mostly along with the Andean range. In addition, humidity and moisture are influential factors in most of Argentina, northern Chile, and coastal Peru. The geographical projection suggests that environments in most of central-eastern Argentina, and in a broad area in central Chile, are suitable for the presence of the P. torquans complex. Besides providing information about the ecology of Philornis spp., this study represents a tool for bird conservation and a reference for future work on the distribution of this genus.Fil: Cuervo Bustamante, Pablo Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Percara, Alejandro Rubén César. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Monje, Lucas Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Beldomenico, Pablo Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Quiroga, Martin Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentin

Chronic exposure to environmental stressors enhances production of natural and specific antibodies in rats

Although the immunosuppressive effect of chronic stress has been established, a stress response that downregulates the whole immune system does not make biological sense, especially if an animal has to endure difficult times in which there is also increased infection risk. At high animal densities, animals are faced simultaneously with food restriction (FR), social conflict (SC), and greater parasite–pathogen exposure. We hypothesized that the stress response to chronic stressors that covary with infection risk is not entirely immunosuppressive. Our prediction was that a chronically stressed animal would respond by enhancing innate defenses, while reducing investment in acquired immunity. In a laboratory setting, rats were exposed to prolonged FR and/or SC, and natural and specific antibody levels were repeatedly measured. Our prediction was fulfilled only partly, as FR and SC interacted to enhance natural antibodies, but rats exposed to either or both stressors also showed significantly higher levels of specific antibodies. These results suggest that, in the rat, chronic stress results in a prioritization of both innate and acquired humoral defenses, which makes biological sense provided the stressors examined usually signal an increased infection risk.Fil: Cuervo Bustamante, Pablo Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Beldomenico, Pablo Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Sanchez, Amorina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Pietrobon, Elisa Olivia. Laboratorio de Reproduccion y Lactancia, Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Valdez, Susana Ruth. Laboratorio de Reproduccion y Lactancia, Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Racca, Andrea Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentin

Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine expression in wild Akodon azarae: individual variability due to host factors, seasonality and parasite infections

The variability of intrinsic and extrinsic factors to which wild populations are exposed may have consequences for the immune response, and hence, the host’s susceptibility to parasite infection may be affected. The present study aimed at evaluating the relationship between markers of anti- and pro-inflammatory immune responses and individual characteristics (age, sex, body condition), parasite parameters and seasonality in the mouse Akodon azarae (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae). Expression levels of anti-inflammatory (IL-10 and TGF-β) and pro-inflammatory (TNF-α) cytokines in wild rodents were determined using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The associations of each anti-inflammatory cytokine with endo- and ectoparasites depended on individual variables and seasonality. TGF-β was associated with endoparasites and body condition, while IL-10 was associated with ectoparasites. TNF-α showed a positive association with ectoparasites, which tended to be reversed when endoparasite abundance was high. In addition, levels of this cytokine tended to decrease with ectoparasite richness in autumn. Overall, we found that the association between ectoparasites and pro-inflammatory markers depended on season and endoparasite abundance, while its association with anti-inflammatory responses depended on both age and season. For each cytokine evaluated, there may be different factors that influence the results of mice-parasite interaction, such as co-infections, seasonality and host factors (e.g., age, sex, body condition). The information generated by this study is relevant to better understand infection dynamics and host-parasite interactions in wild rodents of this group.Fil: Palavecino, Cintia Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Fantozzi, María Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad de Valencia; España. Instituto de Salud Carlos III; EspañaFil: Cuervo Bustamante, Pablo Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad de Valencia; España. Instituto de Salud Carlos III; EspañaFil: Antoniazzi, Leandro Raúl. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; ArgentinaFil: Beldomenico, Pablo Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Racca, Andrea Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentin

Towards a workflow for operational mapping of Aedes aegypti at urban scale based on remote sensing

Remote sensing (RS) applications for vector borne diseases are a field of high social impact increasingly relevant in the context of a higher frequency of Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika outbreaks at global scale and especially in Latin America. The operative use of RS technologies is however still rare. Therefore, the objective of this work is to generate and analyze multitemporal Aedes aegypti's suitability maps and to share the open source tools used towards the building of an operative workflow. As a proof of concept, we implemented a process chain to obtain maps for Ae. aegypti activity within the 2017–2018 mosquito breeding season based on ovitraps records and RS data within the framework of ecological niche modeling. The workflow was carefully thought as to consider possible biases in training data, model calibration to attain the best hyper-parameter combination, model selection, variable selection and validation with independent data. The predictive maps showed high suitability for Ae. aegypti within the city, except in large vegetated areas and the commercial downtown consistently with previous studies and our own observations. Relevant variables included distance to built-up surfaces, distance to vegetated areas and correlation, a texture measure reflecting surface heterogeneity. Validation results suggested that the spatial distribution of ovitraps should be re-examined. All the steps in the proposed workflow were implemented using freely available and open source software, which warrants reproducibility and allows for re-use and modifications in terms of methods and RS or mosquito data available.Fil: Andreo, Verónica Carolina. Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales. Instituto de Altos Estudios Espaciales "Mario Gulich"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Cuervo Bustamante, Pablo Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Porcasi Gomez, Ximena. Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales. Instituto de Altos Estudios Espaciales "Mario Gulich"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lopez, Laura. No especifíca;Fil: Guzman, Claudio. No especifíca;Fil: Scavuzzo, Carlos Matias. Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales. Instituto de Altos Estudios Espaciales "Mario Gulich"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Lonomia envenomation in Brazil: an epidemiological overview for the period 2007-2018

Background: Among the Lepidoptera with medical importance in Brazil, larvae of Lonomia moth (Saturniidae: Hemileucinae) stand out by being the etiological agent of the lonomism, a form of erucism in which the most troubling symptoms include systemic hemorrhage that can lead to death. Methods: This study provides an epidemiological overview of accident notifications with Lonomia registered by the Brazilian Reportable Disease Information System (SINAN) between 2007 and 2018. The categories of sociodemographic aspects of the victim, accident characteristics, and clinical data (6,636 records) were analysed by the chi-square test for goodness of fit (α=0.05). By the same test, accident frequencies by month, year, and state were also compared. To explore the spatial distribution of notifications and to identify significant space-time and purely spatial clusters, a spatial scan statistic (SaTScan) was used. Results: The epidemiological profile of most of the victims had at least one of the following characteristics: male, >50 y of age, ethnically classified as white, and with a low level of education. Accidents in urban areas were as frequent as in rural areas. A higher frequency of non-work-related accidents was detected. Victims were mostly stung on the upper limbs. Most victims received medical care within the first 3 h after the accident. Most cases were classified as mild, although 12 deaths were reported. The south states of Brazil concentrate the highest frequencies of notifications. Summer was the season with the greatest number of cases, and the majority of the notifications occurred between 2017 and 2018. Conclusion: These results provide an overall and current situation assessment of the lonomism in Brazil, and they should enable health authorities to improve the management of this envenomation in states/regions that share the high epidemiological risk of exposure to Lonomia.Fil: Melo Favalesso, Marília. Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná; Brasil. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán". Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Cuervo Bustamante, Pablo Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Casafús, Milena Gisela. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán". Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Bittencourt Guimaraes, Ana Tereza. Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná; BrasilFil: Peichoto, María Elisa. Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán". Instituto Nacional de Medicina Tropical; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentin

Effects of physical restraint and endogenous adrenocorticotropin challenges on corticosterone levels and immunological indexes in the Broad-snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris)

In the wild, vertebrates face numerous unpredictable and harmful stressors such as storms, fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, and others. A typical physiological response to a perceived stressor is the increased secretion of glucocorticoids. Such a response is adaptive in the short term and could modulate the cellular immune response. Our purpose in this study was to examine the effect of stimulation with adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) injection and physical restraint (PR) on plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels, and total and differential white blood cell counts in the Broad-snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris (Daudin, 1802)). Individuals under PR increased CORT levels over time. Otherwise, no differences were observed in the CORT concentration between individuals injected with ACTH and those injected with saline solution. High CORT concentrations in the PR caimans produced a biphasic profile on total white blood cell counts, as well as the lymphocyte and heterophil counts. This response to PR may represent a stress response with an increase in immune surveillance in organs.Fil: Moleón Bersani, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); ArgentinaFil: Cuervo Bustamante, Pablo Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad de Valencia; EspañaFil: Parachu Marco, Maria Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); ArgentinaFil: Pietrobon, Elisa Olivia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo; ArgentinaFil: Jahn, Graciela Alma. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo; ArgentinaFil: Siroski, Pablo Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales. Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada: Anexo Vertebrados (FHUC-UNL/MASPyMA); Argentin