Defensive hygienic and productivity behavior analysis in Apis mellifera for queen selection and breeding in the Nariño department*

Alejandra Reina-López¹, Luis Enríquez-Ordoñez²

¹ SENNOVA, Centro Internacional de Producción Limpia–Lope SENA Regional Nariño

² AgroSENA, Centro Internacional de Producción Limpia–Lope SENA Regional Nariño

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Recibido: 15 junio de 2019, Aprobado: 16 septiembre de 2019, actualizado: 19 diciembre de 2019

DOI: 10.17151/vetzo.2020.14.1.7

                                     ABSTRACT. Introduction: Nariño department has great potential for beekeeping activity as its diverse climate supports the growth of a wide variety of melliferous flora. Nonetheless, the beekeeping activity in this region plays a minor role in the agricultural sector. The low development of this activity can be partly explained by the lack of technology transfer, limited unionization, and lack of knowledge of bee handling, diseases, and defensive behavior. Objectives: To assess the defensive, hygienic, and productive behavior of Apis mellifera for queen selection and breeding in the Nariño department. Methods: The study was conducted in four towns located in the Nariño department. Five hives in production were selected from one apiary in each town. The variables assessed were: defensive behavior, hygienic behavior, varroa infestation in worker brood, varroa infestation in adult bees, and honey production. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated between each of these variables and the climatic factors reported by each town during the assessment period. Results: The removal of dead bees ranged between 82.6% and 90.6% in the four apiaries; hence, the hives were considered to be hygienic. A high level of varroa infestation in adult bees was observed in one of the apiaries (8.38%), and the defensive behavior was remarkably high in all the apiaries assessed. Conclusions: Honey production showed a negative correlation with precipitation (P < 0.001), suggesting the adverse effect of increased precipitation on honey production.

Keywords: defensive behavior, environmental factors, selection, honey production.

Diagnóstico sanitario y productivo de Apis mellifera para la selección y cría de reinas en el Departamento de Nariño

                                     RESUMEN. Introducción: el departamento de Nariño posee un gran potencial para la producción apícola, su diversidad climática hace posible una alta variedad de flora melífera; no obstante, la apicultura en la región tiene una baja participación en el sector agropecuario. Algunas de las razones del bajo crecimiento de dicha actividad son la falta de transferencia tecnológica, la escasa agremiación, el desconocimiento sobre su manejo, las enfermedades y la agresividad de las abejas. Objetivos: evaluar el comportamiento defensivo, higiénico y productivo de Apis mellifera del departamento de Nariño para la selección y cría de reinas. Métodos: El estudio se realizó en cuatro localidades del departamento de Nariño y en cada uno de ellas se eligió un apiario donde se seleccionaron cinco colmenas en producción. Las variables evaluadas fueron: el comportamiento defensivo, conducta higiénica, la infestación de varroa en cría de obreras, la infestación de varroa en abejas adultas y la producción de miel. Posteriormente, se realizó una correlación de Pearson de dichas variables con los factores climáticos reportados en el periodo evaluado de cada municipio. Resultados: se obtuvo un rango de variación de 82,6 % a 90,6% de remoción de crías muertas en los cuatro apiarios, considerando que las colmenas son higiénicas; en uno de los apiarios se evidenció un alto nivel de infestación de varroa en abejas adultas correspondiente al 8,38%, mientras que el comportamiento defensivo reportado fue considerablemente alto en los cuatro apiarios. Conclusiones: La variable producción de miel presentó correlación negativa con la precipitación, con un nivel de significancia de P<0,001, concluyendo que dicha producción se ve afectada cuando las lluvias aumentan.

Palabras clave: defensividad, factores ambientales, selección, producción de miel

Introduction

Rustic beekeeping prevails in Colombia since transition processes toward standardized techniques are incipient (Flórez & Ward, 2013). A large percentage of beekeepers are farmers who have acquired knowledge in a traditional way and do not work full time on beekeeping activities (Silvia, Arcos & Gómez, 2006).

Nariño department has immense potential for beekeeping and honey production due to its climate and plant diversity (Government of Nariño, 2016). However, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (2018) reported that Nariño department ranks 23rd in honey production at the national level, with an estimated production of 20 tons in 2018. The low contribution to the sector may be attributed to lack of knowledge of handling highly aggressive bees, technology transfer, and limited unionization (Gómez, Tello & Muñoz, 2007).

One of the long-term solutions to the challenges faced by the beekeeping industry is genetic selection of honey bees (Cobey, 2007), which demands the identification of the characteristics to be improved in each productive system (Lorenzo, 2010). Defensive and hygienic behaviors as well as productivity are the most relevant characteristics for the selection of queen bees.

Aggressive behavior among bees has been reported to be one of the reasons for the low increase in the number of new producers (García et al., 2017). In contrast, Pérez & Demedio (2014) and Principal et al. (2008) state that hygienic behavior is a natural resistance mechanism to diseases, and its variability and heritability turn it into a basic desirable trait in genetic selection programs. This behavior allows for the identification, removal, and cleaning of the cells housing dead, sick, or parasitized brood (Medina et al., 2014). In addition, it is important to select bees already adapted to the climate conditions of the area to obtain good for them to withstand food shortages and achieve good honey and/or pollen production.

Furthermore, Padilla et al. (2010) state that the regular replacement of queen bees can remarkably improve the honey production and disease resistance; in fact, in productive systems, it is necessary to identify progenitor hives with the abovementioned characteristics for the breeding and replacement of queen bees. This study aimed at assessing the defensive, hygienic, and productive behavior of Apis mellifera for queen brood selection in the Nariño department.

Materials and Methods

The research was conducted from February to November 2018 in four apiaries. The apiary in Centro Internacional de Producción Limpia–Lope and the one in Granja Experimental Botana at Nariño University are located in the municipality of Pasto. Pasto is situated 2527 m above sea level, with an average temperature and annual precipitation of 13.3°C and 700 mm, respectively. (Benavides & Marcillo, 2016). The third apiary is located in Finca San Juan in the municipality of Consacá, at an altitude of 1710 m above sea level with average temperature and annual precipitation of 19°C and 1700 mm, respectively (Territorial Development Plan, 2016–2019). The apiary in Finca La Primavera in the municipality of Chachagüí is situated 1650 m above sea level, with the respective average temperature and humidity values of 20°C and 76%(Territorial Development Plan, 2016–2019).

The following variables were assessed:

Defensive behavior: Analysis of defensive behavior was evaluated according to Payró, Vandame & Gómez (2010) using a five-level scale to determine defensive response, where 1 is the most aggressive and 5 the most docile.

Hygienic behavior: Hygienic behavior analysis was carried out by means of a deep puncture test which involves choosing a capped brood frame, selecting 100 cells, and piercing the pupae by deep puncture. After 24 hours, the number of uncapped cells removed by the bees was recorded (Vandame et al., 2012).

The removal percentage was determined by the following formula:

Varroa infestation in brood (VIB): the methodology proposed by Payró, Vandame & Gómez (2010) was used for this analysis. Hives were decapped and bee brood carefully removed. The body and the inside of each cell were inspected to count the total number of varroa mites found in each brood. The VIB percentage was determined by the following formula:

Varroa infestation in adult bees (VIAB): Samples of ~100 bees each was collected in jars containing 70% alcohol and subsequently shaken to dislodge the varroa mites from the bees. Next, the bees and varroa mites were separated and counted. The VIAB percentage was determined by the following formula:

Honey production: Honey was extracted according to the nectar flow in the area, and the number of frames containing honey in each hive was recorded. Subsequently, the weight of the decapped honey frame was subtracted, and the frame centrifuged in stainless steel. Finally, the empty frame was weighed, and the weight difference was recorded as the amount of honey in a frame.

Amount of honey per frame = Weight of decapped honey frame - weight of the empty frame

Climate characteristics of the assessed municipalities: Monthly data concerning precipitation, minimum temperature, and maximum temperature in 2018 and 2019 were obtained from the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies (IDEAM, for its Spanish acronym). The data were used to determine the hydrologic year of each season, as well as maximum and minimum peaks of precipitation and temperature for each location.

The student version of InfoStat software was used to analyze the obtained results. Correlation between the behavior or honey production and the climate factors in 2018 and 2019 (data provided by IDEAM) was studied by Pearson’s correlation analysis.

Results and Discussion

Defensive behavior

The bees isolated from hives in the apiaries located in Granja Experimental Botana and Finca La Primavera demonstrated the highest defensive response, with values of 1.2 and 1.8, respectively (Table 1). These values set both apiaries in the defensive response level No. 1 and indicate the highly aggressive nature of the isolated bees. Hence, the handling of such bees is difficult, and it is crucial to keep them isolated from other productive systems. By contrast, the defensive response values for the bees from apiaries in Centro Lope (Pasto) and Finca San Juan were 3.8 and 3.6 respectively, setting them in the defensive response level No. 3, which indicates that these bees are slightly more docile.

Overall, it could be stated that the level of defensive response of the bees of the hives in the studied regions is regarded as high, given that neither genetic selection has been performed nor improved biological material has been acquired.

Table 1. General characteristics of behavior and honey production

Hygienic behavior

The hygienic behavior of the bees of the assessed hives ranged from 82.60% to 90.67%. These values are lower than those reported by Contreras et al. (2016) who observed hygienic behavior values between 87.9% and 93.8%. Similarly, Espinosa et al. (20018) observed a hygienic behavior value of 88% in the studied hives when using the same deep puncture method. Lorenzo (2010) states that colonies are to be considered hygienic if ≥80 % of the dead brood are removed within 24 hours. Therefore, it can be concluded that the bees in the apiaries assessed showed good hygienic behavior.

Assessment of VIB

Throughout the assessment period, the highest level of Varroa destructor infestation in worker brood was observed in the apiaries in Finca La Primavera (40%) and in Granja Experimental Botana (23.33%). These were considerably high levels of infestation compared to those reported by Araneda et al. (2008) who observed an average infestation of 7%. Similarly, Sanabria et al. (2015) reported an average infestation of 4.89%. From our results, it can be stated that the infestation in the assessed hives need to be immediately controlled, considering that colony loss is predictable when a high proportion of bees in a hive are parasitized (Medina et al., 2011).

Assessment of VIAB

Apiaries showing high varroa infestation in worker brood also reported the highest levels of varroa infestation in adult bees. The apiaries in Finca La Primavera and Granja Experimental Botana, exhibited infestation levels of 8.38% and 6.96% respectively (Table 1). Velásquez & Vargas (2016) found that 75.29% of the assessed hives showed low infestation levels (≤3%), while a moderate level of infestation was observed in 14.11% (3 %–5 %), and a high infestation level was observed in 11% (>5%). They further concluded that the type of handling technique used has a direct impact on the presence of mites.

The assessed hives showed very high levels of infestation, and require the immediate implementation of a plan to monitor and control varroa, since a mite population approaching 10% of that of adult bees within a colony has a negative effect on productivity (Espinosa & Guzmán, 2007).

Contreras et al. (2016) reported that the Varroa destructor population index varies seasonally, being higher during the peak of the flowering season. Therefore, to ensure that the mite population variation does not affect the hives adversely, constant monitoring should be performed throughout the year.

Honey production

Honey production amounted to 11 kg and 11.5 kg/hive/year in the towns with mild weather, i.e., Chachagüí and Consacá (Table 1). On the other hand, the two apiaries situated in Pasto, a cold weather location, produced 9 and 9.7 kg/hive/year, respectively. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (2018), in regions whose altitude ranges from 1000 and 2900 m above sea level, the average honey production is between 10 and 22 kg/hive/year. In this regard, the production values obtained from the apiaries in mild weather regions are within the reported range, whereas those from apiaries in cold weather are close to the reported range. Nonetheless, if the parameters assessed for the selection of queen brood and improved control of V. destructor mites are taken into account, honey production might increase.

Climatic factors

Figure 1 shows the precipitation levels in each location as a function of the hydrologic year. In Granja Botana, the hydrologic year is from August to July, in Chachagüí from February to January, and in Consacá from April to March. All the three locations show two maximum precipitation peaks; in December and January and in April and May.

Ramos et al. (2017) state that honey production is closely related to plant phenology, which, in turn, has a close link with climatic conditions. Hence, honey harvest from the apiaries in the municipality of Pasto was carried out in February and August, times of the year when the precipitation starts to decrease after its maximum peak. By contrast, in Chachagüí and Consacá, honey was harvested in May and November, when the precipitation begins to increase, as shown in Figure 1.

The preceding behavior can be attributed to the effect of rains on the phenology of the regional flora. In the municipality of Pasto, the nectar flow is contributed by Eucalyptus globulus and Brassica napus (Reina et al., 2019), species characterized by their slow blooming, which may extend from one to two months (Ramírez, 2017). Chachagüí and Consacá are coffee-growing towns (Lagos et al., 2019); hence, honey production in these regions is dependent on the flowering of coffee plants., They start blooming intensively immediately after the beginning of the rainy season.

Figure 1. Hydrologic year in the locations assessed

As shown in Table 2, in the correlation analysis between climatic factors and the variables assessed, the variable VIAB is positively correlated with the minimum and maximum temperatures (P > 0.01). This suggests that the presence of V. destructor in the hive tends to increase when temperature rises or falls to the extreme. Furthermore, Lorenzo (2010) states that temperature, precipitation levels, relative humidity, solar radiation, and wind are the physical factors that mostly affect the health of the hives.

Table 2. Correlation coefficients between climate factors and the variables assessed

¹ DB= Defensive behavior; HB= Hygienic behavior; VIB= Varroa infestation in brood; VIAB= Varroa infestation in adult bees; HP= Honey production;

² Pr= Precipitation; T min= Minimum temperature; T max = Maximum temperature

The variable honey production showed a negative correlation with precipitation (P < 0.001); i.e., the higher the precipitation, the lower the honey production. This behavior can be attributed to the fact that excessive precipitation may affect the regular foraging activity or wash away the nectar from the flowers (Martell et al., 2019).

In addition, there was a positive correlation between honey production and maximum temperature (P < 0.001), which implies that honey production increases when temperature rises. This behavior can be attributed to the occurrence of sunny days, a key player in the photosynthesis process carried out by the plants that produce nectar and pollen to attract bees and other insects (Cuentas, 2017). The maximum temperature reported during the assessment period was 27°C, which, according to Castellanos et al. (2016), does not affect bee behavior. They report that bees decrease their pollen and nectar foraging activity to collect water at temperatures are >32°C.

Conclusions

In conclusion, considering that no genetic selection program is currently employed in the Nariño department and the beekeeping sector uses native wild bees, the bees of the apiaries studied demonstrate acceptable hygienic and productive behavior. Similarly, the beekeepers’ lack of knowledge of the activities required to identify and control the Varroa destructor mite was observed. Environmental factors were shown to have a direct impact on the health and productivity of the hive; hence, beekeepers should take appropriate control measures optimized to handle sudden temperature and precipitation changes to manage pests. In fact, the average honey production in the region might be improved with the implementation of appropriate technical management in the apiaries, including preparation of hives during pre-flowering period, health monitoring and regular replacement of queen bees with those obtained from genetic selection programs that guarantee the beekeepers’ honey production goals.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Research, Technological Development and Innovation System (SENNOVA) for funding this project, as well as Granja Experimental Botana of the Nariño University and the beekeepers Rubiel Fernel Chingual and Arturo Leonel Gálvez for letting us conduct our research in their apiaries.

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* Funded by Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje, SENA (National Learning Service)

Como citar: Reina-López A., Enríquez-Ordoñez L. Defensive hygienic and productivity behavior analysis in Apis mellifera for queen selection and breeding in the Nariño department. Revista Veterinaria y Zootecnia. n, v. 14, n. 1, p. 00-00, 2020. http://vetzootec.ucaldas.edu.co/index.php/component/content/article?id=288. DOI: 10.17151/vetzo.2020.14.1.7

Esta obra está bajo una Licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento CC BY 

Uterine serosal inclusion cysts in a nulliparous bitch: A case report

Daniela Cortés-Beltrán¹, César A. Pinzón-Osorio¹, Harvey Lozano-Márquez¹, Jorge L. Zambrano-Varón¹, Andrea Ruíz-Cristancho¹, Claudia Jiménez-Escobar¹.

¹ Department of Animal Health, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, School of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Animal Reproduction Clinic, Reproductive Biotechnology Laboratory, Research Group on Animal Reproduction and Health of Hato, Bogotá DC–Colombia.

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Recibido: 2 agosto de 2019, Aprobado: 30 septiembre de 2019, actualizado: 18 diciembre de 2019

DOI: 10.17151/vetzo.2020.14.1.5

ABSTRACT. Introduction: Uterine serosal inclusion cysts are structures derived from mesothelial cells attached to the uterus’ antimesometrial side and are mainly present in females during the postpartum period. They are physiologically inactive and do not interfere with reproductive functioning of the affected animals. It is typically an incidental finding in laparotomy and can be considered as a differential diagnosis when there is evidence of uterine content during abdominal sonography. Although it is not regarded as a pathology that affects animal welfare, its primary therapy is ovariohysterectomy. Case report: A 12-year-old mixed-breed bitch was presented at the Animal Reproduction Clinic of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. The reason for consultation was abdominal distension, vulvar discharge, polydipsia, polyuria, and excessive vulvar licking. The diagnosis included clinical findings compatible with estrus, vaginal cytology indicative of estrus, uterine contents observed by sonography, and high serum progesterone levels. Hence, ovariohysterectomy therapy was recommended and performed. After surgery, a small amount of dark content was present in the uterine cavity along with anovulatory follicles, and as an incidental finding, several uterine serosal inclusion cysts were detected during the procedure. Conclusion: The presentation of this pathology is rare in nulliparous bitches, but it is of vital importance to consider it as a differential diagnosis in patients with signs of estrus and findings compatible with uterine content on sonography.

Keywords: uterine content, ovarian cyst, uterine cyst, sonography

Quistes de inclusión de la serosa uterina en una perra nulípara: Reporte de caso

RESUMEN. Introduccion: Los quistes de inclusión de la serosa uterina son estructuras derivadas de células mesoteliales adheridas sobre el lado antimesometrial del útero y que se presentan principalmente en hembras postparto. Son fisiológicamente inactivos y no interfieren en la función reproductiva de los animales. Usualmente es un hallazgo incidental a la laparotomía y puede ser considerado como un diagnóstico diferencial cuando hay evidencia de contenido uterino a la ultrasonografía abdominal.  El principal plan terapeutico es la ovariohisterectomía aunque no se considera una patología que afecte el bienestar del animal. Reporte de caso: Asiste a la Clínica de Reproducción Animal de la Universidad Nacional un hembra canina de 12 años de edad, mestiza cuyo motivo de consulta fue distensión abdominal, secreción vulvar, polidipsia, poliuria y lamido vulvar excesivo. Se diagnosticó hallazgos clínicos compatibles con estro, citología vaginal compatible con estro, contenido uterino por ultrasonografía y niveles elevados de progesterona sérica; se instauró como plan terapéutico ovariohisterectomía. Después de la cirugía, el útero tenía contenido oscuro en poca cantidad, se encontraron folículos anovulatorios y como hallazgo incidental durante el procedimiento se encontraron varios quistes de inclusión de la serosa uterina. Conclusión: La presentación de esta patología es poco frecuente en hembras nulíparas, pero queda demostrado que es de vital importancia listarla como diagnóstico diferencial ante pacientes con hallazgo compatibles con contenido uterino a la ultrasonografía y signología de celo.

Palabras clave: contenido uterino, quistes ováricos, quistes uterinos,  ultrasonografía

Introduction

Cystic endometrial hyperplasia, pseudo‐placentational endometrial hyperplasia, uterine polyps, adenomyosis, subinvolution of placental sites, and serosal inclusion cysts are included among the uterine diseases involving endometrial and mesometrial growth abnormalities (Schlafer & Gifford, 2008).

Uterine serosal inclusion cysts are thin-walled structures present on the serosal surface of the uterus, often forming small grape-like clusters (Saxena et al., 2006). These structures are derived from mesothelial cells (Sevimli et al., 2012), develop along linear folds on the outer uterine surface, and adhere to the mesothelial serosal covering (Sevimli et al., 2012; Sathiamoorthy & Raja, 2012). They are a result of rapid growth of the uterus and contractions of the uterus that occur during uterine involution during the postpartum period (Sevimli et al., 2012). During postpartum uterine involution, these structures become trapped due to rapid contraction of the myometrium (Sathiamoorthy et al., 2014). They are usually an incidental finding observed during exploratory laparotomy (Arnold et al., 1996).

This case report describes the clinical signs and macroscopic features of uterine serosal inclusion cysts in a nulliparous bitch.

Case report

A 12-year-old, golden, mixed-breed, reproductively sound, nulliparous bitch with up-to-date deworming and vaccination was presented at the Animal Reproduction Clinic of Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Its medical record included a history of pseudopregnancy and mastitis.  The owners reported abdominal distension, vulvar discharge in the form of drops, excessive vulvar licking, polydipsia, polyuria, frequent bowel movements (up to 4 times a day), occasional tenesmus, and vulvar edema for 5 days. The owners also reported that the last heat occurred more than a year ago, the duration and commencement of which were unknown.

Clinical examination revealed an alert, docile, and clinically stable patient with a body condition 3/5, weight 10.23 kg, pink mucous membranes, 2-second capillary refill, heart rate 110 bpm, respiratory rate 21 rpm, and temperature 38.7°C. As an abnormal finding, mild abdominal distension was evident, without the presence of specific abnormal structures on abdominal palpation. Upon examination of the reproductive organs, tail flagging, positive vaginal reflex, moderate vulvar edema, and non-developed mammary gland without secretion could be observed. The list of clinical findings proposed included mild abdominal distension, historical vaginal discharge, excessive vulvar licking, polydipsia, polyuria, frequent bowel movements with occasional tenesmus, and vulvar edema. The following differential diagnoses were considered: cystic endometrial hyperplasia-pyometra complex, urinary tract infection, estrus, and vaginitis.

Diagnosis was performed by vaginal cytology using Wright’s stain, which was subsequently observed under a conventional light microscope (40× magnification), revealing a dirty background and high cellularity with a predominance of superficial cells, of which 90% and 10% were keratinized and non-keratinized, respectively, suggestive of estrus. No inflammatory changes were observed. (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Vaginal cytology using Wright’s stain (400× magnification). High cellularity with predominance of superficial cells, of which 90% and 10% were keratinized and non-keratinized, respectively.

Additionally, sonography was performed (SonoScape AV5, mode B, 6.5 MHz Micro Convex transducer), which revealed multiple non-echogenic cavities cranial to the urinary bladder, which were compatible with uterine contents (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Abdominal B-mode sonography using Micro Convex probe and 6.5 MHz. Urinary bladder (right side) and two non-echogenic areas compatible with uterine content (asterisks on the left side).

Based on the conducted diagnostic procedures, it was possible to determine that the vaginal cytology results were compatible with estrus and that the abdominal sonography findings suggested uterine content. Based on these findings, uterine content was added to the list of symptoms and polycystic ovaries to the differential diagnoses. Ovariohysterectomy was recommended, along with a new control visit for follow-up and paraclinical examination. During the 3 days after consultation, the owners observed an increase in abdominal distension, in addition to persistent excessive vulvar licking, polydipsia, –polyuria, and occasional tenesmus. General clinical examination did not reveal any additional abnormalities, although reproductive organ examination showed absence of tail flagging. A new vaginal cytology was performed, which revealed a dirty background and high cellularity with a predominance of keratinized (80%) and non-keratinized (20%) superficial cells. Vaginoscopy revealed pale and rough vaginal mucosa. Additionally, there was no evidence of abnormal structural findings. A new sonography was performed wherein it was still possible to identify multiple non-echogenic cavities cranial to the bladder, compatible with uterine contents. Blood samples were collected to perform blood counts, which were within the normal range.

On the 10^th day of progress, the patient was taken for a follow-up visit where the owners reported deterioration of the patient’s state, with presentation of hyporexia accompanying polydipsia and marked polyuria. Similarly, they noticed an increase in abdominal distension and persistent excessive vulvar licking. Clinical examination revealed physiological constants within normal ranges and an enlargement of the submandibular lymph nodes and the popliteal lymph nodes of the right hind limb. The abdominal distension remained mild. A new vaginal cytology and vaginoscopy were performed, which revealed a pattern similar to the findings of the previous tests. Additionally, digital examination was performed, which showed no evidence of masses at the vaginal vestibule level. Abdominal sonography determined the presence of multiple cavitary and non-echogenic structures, measuring approximately 21.2 mm in diameter and 42.4 mm in length, toward the caudal pole of the left kidney (Figure 3), compatible with uterine content and anovulatory follicles. Lastly, a blood sample was taken for measuring progesterone levels, which were 52 ng/ml.

Figure 3. Abdominal B-mode sonography using Micro Convex probe and 6.5 MHz. Left kidney and evidence of a non-echogenic area caudal to it (asterisk on the left side) compatible with anovulatory follicles.

Treatment

An ovariohysterectomy was performed after a 12 hour-fasting and under inhaled anesthesia. Subsequently, after antiseptic treatment of the medial abdomen, a laparotomy was performed, which exposed both uterine horns and revealed the presence of multiple cystic structures, ranging between 0.4 and 0.8 cm, attached to the uterine serosa with translucent yellowish fluid in its interior (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Multiple cystic structures on the uterus observed during laparotomy.

After extraction of the reproductive tract, a macroscopic evaluation was performed, confirming the presence of multiple cysts attached to the uterine serosa, which was consistent with uterine serosal inclusion cysts (Figure 5.a). Considering this, a longitudinal cut was made on both uterine horns, revealing bloody discharge and septa over the endometrium (Figure 5.b). Upon evaluation of the ovaries, the left ovary showed multiple bulging structures containing serous fluid, which was consistent with follicular cysts (Figure 5.c), whereas the right ovary showed presence of corpora lutea. The uterine content was then analyzed by cytology, revealing countless red blood cells and absence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Figure 5. Macroscopic evaluation of the reproductive tract. 5.a. Presence of uterine serosal inclusion cysts. 4.c Ovarian bursa. Polycystic right ovary.

Lastly, the recovery and clinical evolution of the patient was favorable after treatment, with complete resolution of the symptoms presented at the time of consultation at the Animal Reproduction Clinic.

Discussion

Uterine serosal inclusion cysts are thin-walled cystic structures containing non-viscous fluid, which are located on the serous surface of the uterus (Schlafer & Gifford, 2008). The cysts are generally multiple, united by a thin stem of variable size of the serous membrane, and are located on the antimesometrial side of the uterus (Sathiamoorthy & Raja, 2012; McEntee, 1990). These structures are predominantly found in older multiparous females, and their location is generally focal (Arnold et al., 1996; Schlafer & Gifford, 2008). There are reports on cases of multifocal distribution, which are distributed into groups on the peritoneal covering of the horns and uterine body (Schlafer & Gifford, 2008; Sevimli et al., 2012). These structures are typically observed in postpartum females during uterine involution (Maggie et al., 2015), where the rapid contraction of the myometrium produces folds in portions of the mesothelium, which ultimately become uterine serosal inclusion cysts (McEntee, 1990; Sathiamoorthy & Raja, 2012). Their presentation can also be related to laparotomies or C-section surgery wherein the uterus has been extensively manipulated (Schlafer & Gifford, 2008). In the present case, the patient had no history of deliveries and a mammary gland evaluation did not reveal development; therefore, these structures were considered to have a different origin than that reported in the literature. The cystic structures found were randomly distributed over both uterine horns, mainly on the right horn. As stated in the literature, it is possible that the inclusion cysts observed in the patient had developed from the peritoneum covering the surface of the uterus, starting as mild peritoneal reactivity areas and progressing into trapping of small serosa pieces (Schlafer & Gifford, 2008).

These cysts are considered to be clinically benign and physiologically inactive, with no ability to interfere with the reproductive function (McEntee, 1990); however, the presentation of these cysts may be associated with hormonal dysfunction and, occasionally, pyometry (Schlafer & Miller, 2007). In this case, another cause for the origin of these structures may be hormonal dysfunction, because, according to the findings in vaginal cytology, estrogenemia was indicated, which may be related to the finding of polycystic ovaries, possibly due to a partial failure of ovulation. According to Knauf et al. (2014), estrogens increase uterine and myometrium contractions, generating folds in different areas of the mesothelium and consequently generating uterine serosal inclusion cysts, a phenomenon that has been reported in female buffaloes (Saxena et al., 2006; Sevimli et al., 2012).

Based on the clinical findings, cystic endometrial hyperplasia-pyometra complex was proposed as a differential diagnosis, as the patient presented mild abdominal distension due to the presence of uterine content and a history of vulvar discharge. Additionally, sonograms of the abdominal cavity were suggestive of uterine content, a common finding in animals presenting this pathology (Sathiamoorthy & Raja, 2012). Urinary tract infection and vaginitis were included in the list of differential diagnoses given the history of vulvar discharge and constant vulvar licking, commonly caused by an ascending bacterial infection of the normal vaginal microbiota (Soderberg, 1986). Finally, polycystic ovaries were added to the list of differential diagnoses, since bitches with this pathology secrete high amounts of estrogens, causing irregularities of the estrus (Maggie et al., 2015). This would explain the behavioral, physical, and cytological changes observed in the patient, such as tail flagging, positive vaginal reflex, vulvar edema, vaginal cytology with high cellularity and a predominant keratinized superficial cells, and vaginoscopy with pale and rough vaginal mucosa.

Conversely, the influence of progesterone secreted from the corpora lutea found in the right ovary, which is a predisposing factor for hyperplasia of the endometrium and endometrial glands, decreases myometrial contractions and inhibits the local response of leukocytes to infection, allowing bacterial proliferation within the uterine lumen (Schlafer & Gifford, 2008; Maggie et al., 2015). In this case, it was observed that a heat had not occurred for more than a year, as indicated by the owners, because corpora lutea were found during the macroscopic evaluation of the reproductive tract, in addition to high levels of progesterone (52 ng/ml).

Ovariohysterectomy we performed where, when exposing both uterine horns, it was possible to identify multiple cystic structures with features reported in the literature, such as translucent yellowish non-viscous liquid within thin walls forming small grape-like clusters of varying sizes (Schlafer, 2012; Schlafer & Gifford, 2008). This finding is generally observed during ovariohysterectomy in bitches (Arnold et al., 1996; Kennedy & Miller, 1993; Schlafer & Gifford, 2008; Vural et al., 2004), female cats (Godfrey & Silkstone, 1998), and female buffaloes in processing plants (Saxena et al., 2006; Sevimli et al., 2012), all of which are incidental findings. The macroscopic inspection revealed the presence of abundant blood content inside both uterine horns like sacculations, as reported in a German shepherd bitch with uterine serosal inclusion cysts with abnormal vaginal discharge for several weeks. The authors report that uterine serosal inclusion cysts are not always physiologically inactive and may sometimes be associated with the development of pyometra or some other uterine condition (Arnold et al., 1996; Sathiamoorthy et al., 2014).

The analysis of uterine content by cytology evidenced countless red blood cells, similar to that reported in a case report of a 4-year old bullmastiff bitch. In accordance with the cases reported, the authors evidenced this same finding, which was related to conditions associated with follicular functional cysts, such as iatrogenic hyperestrogenism or hyperestrogenism (Sánchez, 2015). Likewise, other authors have reported that endocrine activity of ovarian cysts can be a predisposing factor for cystic endometrial hyperplasia-pyometra in bitches, because of a reported correlation between the cysts and the presentation of this uterine pathology, as they usually cause hyperestrogenism, which is associated with prolonged progestagenic stimulation predisposed to cystic endometrial hyperplasia-pyometra (Knauf et al., 2014; Sánchez, 2015).

The prevalence of this disease is still unclear; however, it appears to be low, given that some studies on reproductive pathologies of stray bitches report a 5% prevalence of uterine serosal inclusion cysts in the studied females (Ortega-Pacheco et al., 2006).

Conclusion

The occurrence of uterine serosal inclusion cysts in a nulliparous bitch is a very unusual phenomenon. However, considering the clinical findings of this report, it can be concluded that high levels of estrogens, which also caused changes in vaginal cytology and patient behavior, could be an important factor for the occurrence of uterine serosal inclusion cysts without delivery. Hence, it is recommended to consider this pathology as a differential diagnosis, in the presence of sonography findings consistent with cystic endometrial hyperplasia-pyometra complex and persistent ovarian follicles.

References

Arnold, S. et al. Uterine serosal inclusion cysts in a bitch. J Small Anim Pract, v. 37, p. 235-237, 1996.

Godfrey, D. L; Silkstone, M. A. Uterine serosal inclusion cysts in a cat. Vet. Res, v. 142, p. 673, 1998.

Knauf, Y. et al. Gross Pathology and Endocrinology of Ovarian Cysts in Bitches. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, v. 49, n. 3, p. 463–468, 2014.

Kennedy, P. C; Miller, R. The female genital system. In: Jubb, K. V. F; Kennedy, P. C; Palmer, A. C. (Ed). Pathology of Domestic Animals. 4th Ed. London: Academic Press, 1993. p. 349.

Maggie, F. T. et al. Pathological Study on Female Reproductive Affections in Dogs and Cats at Alexandria Province, Egypt. Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Sciences, v. 46, p. 74-82, 2015.

McEntee K. The Uterus: Degenerative and inflammatory lesions. In: McEntee, K. (Ed). Reproductive Pathology of Domestic Animals. San Diego: Academic press, 1990, p. 158.

Ortega-Pacheco, A. et al. Reproductive patterns and reporductive pathologies of spray bitches in the tropics. Theriogenology, v.67, p.382-390, 2006.

Sathiamoorthy, T; Raja, S. Uterine Serosal Inclusion Cysts in a Bitch. Indian Vet. J, v. 89, n. 12, p. 89-90, 2012.

Sathiamoorthy, T. et al. Uterine serosal inclusion cysts coupled with pyometra in a bitch. Indian Vet. J, v. 35, n. 1, p. 61-62, 2014.

Sánchez, R. A. Hematometra e Hiperplasia Endometrial Quística en una Perra: Descripción de un Caso. Revista de Investigaciones Veterinarias Del Perú, v. 26, n. 1, p. 146, 2015.

Saxena, G. et al. Pathological conditions in genital tract of female buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). Pakistan Vet J, v. 26, p. 91-93, 2006.

Sevimli, A; Ozenc, E; Acar, D. B. Oviduct cyst observed together with a uterine serosal inclusion cyst in the Anatolian water buffalo–a case report. Acta Veterinaria Brno, v. 81, n. 3, p. 235–237, 2012.

Schlafer, D. H. Diseases of the Canine Uterus. Reprod Dom Anim, v. 47, n. 6, p. 318-322, 2012.

Schlafer, D. H; Gifford, A. T. Cystic endometrial hyperplasia, pseudo-placentational endometrial hyperplasia, and other cystic conditions of the canine and feline uterus. Theriogenology, v. 70, n. 3, p. 349-358, 2008.

Schlafer, D. H; Miller, R. B. Female genital system. In: Jubb, K. V. F; Kennedy, P. C; Palmer, A. C. (Ed). Pathology of Domestic Animals, 4th Ed. London: Academic Press, 2007, p. 429–564.

Soderberg, S. F. Vaginal Disorders. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, v. 16, n. 3, p. 543–559, 1986.

Vural, S. A; Haligur, M; Ozenc, E. Uterine serosal inclusion cysts in dogs: Pathomorphological and immunohistochemical findings (in German). Kleintierpraxis, v. 49, p. 375-377, 2004.

Como citar: Cortés-Beltrán D., Pinzón-Osorio1 C.A., Lozano-Márquez H., Zambrano-Varón J.L., Ruíz-Cristancho A., Jiménez-Escobar C. Uterine serosal inclusion cysts in a nulliparous bitch: A case report. Revista Veterinaria y Zootecnia. n, v. 14, n. 1, p. 00-00, 2020. http://vetzootec.ucaldas.edu.co/index.php/component/content/article?id=286. DOI: 10.17151/vetzo.2020.14.1.5

Esta obra está bajo una Licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento CC BY 

Strengthening rural education through the implementation of educational, associative, and rural development initiatives in the Dokabú and Kemberde  communities¹

Claudia Marcela Mejía-Hernández^*

^* Master’s Degree in Environment and Sustainable Development, Universidad de Manizales

School of Agriculture and Livestock Sciences, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Recibido: 13 julio de 2019, Aprobado: 24 noviembre de 2019, actualizado: 18 diciembre de 2019

DOI: 10.17151/vetzo.2020.14.1.6

                                    ABSTRACT. Introduction: Education in Colombia has been established as a fundamental constitutional right guaranteed by the state. Education and its implementation are a shared responsibility in which regional and municipal governments, as well as educational institutions and grassroots social organizations participate to contribute from their field of action to the quality of schooling in their municipalities and rural areas. Aims: To identify the different processes of rural development and associativity implemented to strengthen public education in the indigenous community of Ébera Katio of Santa Teresa’s village and the tri-ethnic community of the city of Santa Cecilia in Pueblo Rico, Risaralda. Methodology: The study is descriptive and cross-sectional, and it was conducted using a qualitative approach. Four study variables, including education–pedagogy, assistance–technical support, actors–allies, and participation spaces, were established to understand executed actions and the aspects to be improved in the development strategies of rural areas. Results: Among the most important findings, we were able to establish the vitality of promoting theoretical and practical knowledge processes in rural areas through the implementation of participative methodologies designed to invigorate the resources of the territory and to facilitate the participation of the Dokabú and Kemberde communities in a municipality in Pueblo Rico, Risaralda. Conclusions: By encouraging theoretical and practical knowledge processes in rural areas, it was possible to complement the required strategies to strengthen education and rural development in the region.

Keywords: associativity, communities, rural development, education, pedagogy, participation

Fortalecimiento de la educación rural por medio de la implementación de iniciativas educativas, asociativas y de desarrollo rural en las comunidades de dokabú y kemberde

                                    RESUMEN. Introducción: La educación en Colombia ha sido consagrada como un derecho fundamental y constitucional, garantizado por el estado. La educación y su implementación es una responsabilidad compartida en la que los gobiernos regionales, municipales, así como las instituciones educativas y organizaciones sociales de base, participan en aras de aportar desde su campo de acción a la calidad escolar de sus municipios y zonas rurales. Objetivos: conocer los diferentes procesos de desarrollo rural y asociatividad empleados para el fortalecimiento de la educación pública en la comunidad indígena de ébera katio de la aldea de Santa Teresa y la comunidad triétnica de la ciudad de Santa Cecilia en Pueblo Rico, Risaralda. Metodos: Se realizó una investigación descriptiva y cruzada con enfoque cualitativo. Se establecieron cuatro variables de estudio educación - pedagogía, asistencia - soporte técnico, actores – aliados y espacios de participación para conocer las acciones ejecutadas y los aspectos a mejorar en las estrategias de desarrollo de las zonas rurales. Resultados: Entre los hallazgos más importantes se pudo establecer la vitalidad de promover procesos de conocimiento teórico y práctico en el área rural, a través de la implementación de metodologías participativas diseñadas para dinamizar los recursos del territorio, así como para facilitar la participación de las comunidades dokabú y kemberde, municipio en Pueblo Rico, Risaralda. Conclusiones: al incentivar procesos de conocimiento teórico y práctico en lo rural, se logró complementar las estrategias requeridas para el fortalecimiento de la educación y el desarrollo rural en la región.

Palabras claves: asociatividad, comunidades, desarrollo rural, educación, pedagogía, participación

Introduction

In Colombia, education is a fundamental constitutional right that is guaranteed by the state. Article 67 of the Political Constitution of Colombia says that education is an individual’s right and a public service that has a social function. With education, the access to knowledge, science, technology, and other goods and values of culture are sought. Although the state must guarantee education in each Colombian region, this responsibility goes beyond being guaranteed by a single national actor to being shared by different actors in each territory. Thus, education and its implementation is a responsibility shared by regional and municipal governments, educational institutions, and grassroots social organizations, to contribute from their field of action to the quality of schools in their municipalities and in rural areas.

Because public rural education faces endless structural and contextual challenges, teaching must be transformed into a process that is more dynamic and adaptable, pursuant to students’ needs and the needs of the teachers who assist them in knowledge qualification at all times. Further, it must take into account the development processes and rural associativity that might arise. In the Colombian rural territories, training processes and associativity are focused on rural development. Actions that improve the living conditions of the local population are implemented through four dimensions: economic, sociocultural, political–administrative, and environmental (Redex, 2016). Consequently, rural lifestyle is positively influenced, answering to the basic needs identified in the rural territory, such as the promotion of agriculture, the protection of natural resources, and the wellbeing of rural communities. Despite the imminent and identified needs to promote processes and policies that strengthen education and rural development in Colombia, close to one-third of the Colombian population (32.7% in the year 2012) is still poor. Furthermore, Colombia is one among the countries with the highest inequality levels in Latin America (Delgado, 2014; OECD, 2013). Institutional weaknesses; availability of teachers for rural areas; and non-availability of cultural spaces, libraries, or sports fields go hand in hand with poor access conditions and land transportation to many of the rural areas in Colombia. These are also reasons why education and rural development in Colombia are quite a challenge.

Therefore, this article aims to identify different participation, associativity, and rural development processes to answer some of the identified issues. It is worth highlighting that the social, economic, and political interactions facilitated throughout this process were key factors for the consolidation of efficient and sustainable educational processes. Thus, the following research question is raised: How can rural development strategies be generated to improve education quality and to strengthen entrepreneurship?

Another goal is to discuss the experience resulting from the agreement implemented jointly with the Ministry of National Education, the government of Risaralda, and Caldas University, which aimed at joining efforts to strengthen formal education of above-age youngsters through pedagogical and flexible strategies that fostered school attendance through pedagogical productive projects as a rural entrepreneurship strategy related to the farming production circuits in the municipality of Pueblo Rico, Risalda.

Materials and methodology

A descriptive and cross-sectional approach was adopted and a qualitative methodology was used, with the aim to know the different rural development and associativity processes implemented to strengthen public education in the indigenous community of Ếbẽra Katio from the Vereda of Santa Teresa and the tri-ethnic community from the corregimiento of Santa Cecilia, in the municipality of Pueblo Rico, Risaralda, Colombia, by selecting and reviewing primary and secondary sources.

In addition, the research process was developed in two stages to facilitate analysis and subsequent discussion and conclusions. The first stage involved the socialization of study variables, which were oriented toward the agreement components and answer each of the actions developed alongside the implementation phase. These were divided into a. Training and pedagogy; b. Assistance and technical support; c. Actors and allies; and d. Participation spaces. The second stage involved the identification of needs following the socialized information. These were revealed through the different actors to recognize the aspects to be improved in the implementation of future experiences of rural development and associativity. Once the information was socialized and identified, it was later organized according to how each piece of information was presented for its subsequent qualitative analysis to finally share the results. Likewise, it was shown how these aspects can have an impact on the rural public policy guideline construction.

Results and discussion

Through the components developed in the agreement, the results obtained in the study variables have been presented. Table 1 shows the classification of each of the variables, socializing each variable to know their scope in the joint implementation of educational and associative initiatives for rural development.

Table 1. Classification of the agreement’s variables

Source: Prepared by the authors, 2020. Note: Adapted from January 10, 2020.

The study commenced with the different training and pedagogy processes facilitated with students and teachers from Dokabú’s intercultural educational institution and the Kemberde community’s Centro Educativo en Bachillerato en Bienestar Rural, Santa Teresa headquarters. The objective of each activity was training honest citizens who can contribute to solving problems in their environment. By using different training and practical workshops, community knowledge was strengthened, and in this manner, the challenges that each community faces in different areas such as farming and economic and social development could be addressed within their territories.

Training workshops focused on basic and citizen skills. In workshop development, the methodology used was participation–action, taking into consideration community situations, experiences, and real challenges. In addition, three basic components of this type of citizen skills were considered: knowledge (to know), skills (know-how), and attitudes (know how to be)². The main aim was to strengthen the basic and citizen skills in two institutions. Dokabú’s intercultural educational institution included teachers and 71 youngsters in the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades. The Kemberde community’s Centro Educativo en Bachillerato en Bienestar Rural, Santa Teresa headquarters included parents; leaders; teachers; and 152 students in the sixth, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades.

From this training process, it was possible to highlight that students established a direct relationship with the acquired knowledge of the experience gained from their parents, relatives, teachers, and cultural context. Heritage and culture as topics of interest also transcend to other areas of participants’ social lives. Ancient knowledge and wisdom (e.g., shamans, midwives, and medicinal plants) are included in the knowledge that provides sense and identity to their culture. Further, sports were identified as the starting point to execute social projects for personal development. In the same manner, the environment is incorporated as a fundamental factor to identify the type of relations and activities that human beings execute in the natural physical environment to satisfy their needs. The different training and pedagogy processes that were facilitated show the importance of developing flexible pedagogical models. It is key to note that the National Ministry of Education (2010) has established some criteria for the development of such flexible models, setting the grounds for rural education, with special emphasis on farming, livestock, fishing, forestry, and agro-industrial activities, to comply with the necessary criteria for developing training cycles in farming and rural education. Table 2 relates each of the topics and subtopics of the training workshops in basic and citizen skills. An unfocused learning process was an issue that was observed in the group of students of Centro Educativo en Bachillerato en Bienestar Rural; thus, it is necessary to have constant feedback regarding the training process. Moreover, the availability of translators from the Emberá language to Spanish would ease the learning processes in this community because many of the students did not understand some of the Spanish terms. The lack of active participation by the students was highlighted, as well as the nonattendance of some students to the workshops by not showing up at school. Motivating creative reading is necessary so that students reinforce their orthographic skills. In societies where people need to reconcile equity with multiculturalism and identities need to be differentiated, education must incorporate a model where equality coexists with attention to differences (Hopenhayn, 2003). Culture in this learning context determines the social dynamics that students, teachers, and community leaders assume at the time of participating in these pedagogical and productive scenarios. Furthermore, workshops with teachers of the Dokabú’s intercultural educational institution were carried out in topics such as orange economics. Through this, the importance of training teachers in topics of formulation and project management was identified. Likewise, the need to rescue the gastronomic value in their communities, which has been vanishing through time with the new generations, was also identified.

Table 2. Activities, topics, and subtopics of training and pedagogy in basic and citizen skills

Source: Focused training proposal, 2019. Note: Adapted from October 20, 2019.

Training workshops focused on socio-emotional skills. The methodology developed was participation–action, which seeks to understand and solve aggression and discrimination in the educational environment, proposing specific pedagogical strategies to prevent aggression and discrimination in schools and promote peaceful coexistence. Therefore, the main aim was to strengthen socio-emotional skills and to implement participative management actions to contribute to improving the school environment in the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades, with a total of 70 students of Dokabú’s intercultural educational institution. While carrying out this type of workshop, three problematic factors were observed inside the educational institution. The first factor was school bullying based on physical looks, school performance, way of speaking, or not being able to complete class exercises on time. The second factor corresponds to conflicts generated because of bullying or intolerance from the parties. In many cases, school bullying is associated with a value loss within the family, and it is recognized as a social phenomenon that already existed a long time ago (Pena & Lamela, 2013). This is related to the third factor identified, which leaves room for physical and verbal aggression, and finally, the family context of the students has a strong impact on the way they relate to their classmates. Table 3 points out each of the topics and subtopics of the training workshop in socio-emotional skills. With regard to the identified needs, it was observed that it is important to promote campaigns that raise awareness among students about the negative psychological impacts that school bullying has on schoolmates who are a direct target of these events.

Table 3. Activities, topics, and subtopics of training and pedagogy in socio-emotional skills

Source: Focused training proposal, 2019. Note: Adapted from October 20, 2019.

Training cycle for a 24-hour territory. During the mentioned training cycle, the implemented methodology was carrying out through personal meetings in which theoretical knowledge was combined with practical knowledge. In consequence, the knowledge and experience of farming producers were integrated; thus, students were able to prove their knowledge in experimental workshops in the natural environment. The main aim was to train parents, students, and teachers in topics of solidary entrepreneurship, associative entrepreneurship, leadership, productive innovation marketing, and units of solidary economy. Between students, teachers, and parents, approximately 72 persons participated in Dokabú’s intercultural institution, and 115 persons from the Centro Educativo Bachillerato en Bienestar Rural, Santa Teresa headquarters.

One of the positive aspects identified was the commitment that the group of parents that participated in the training showed to learn about entrepreneurship and leadership. In the same manner, they have incorporated the concept of teamwork and the importance of consensus, thanks to which the productive association of parents, teachers, and students—ASOPADE from Dokabú’s intercultural institution—was created. It is worth mentioning that from the exercises done, business ideas to be developed within their project related to their corregimiento arose in topics such as gastronomy, culture, dance, music, sports, and farming. Each person, each rural producer, builds their own reality, through their perceptive capacity, which must be motivated by the intentional transmission processes implemented by the leaders and agencies involved in rural development processes (Chiriboga, 2003). Table 4 presents the topics developed throughout the training cycle.

Table 4: Activities, topics, and subtopics of training and pedagogy in training cycles

Source: Training cycle for a 24-hour territory. Note: Adapted from December 02, 2019

Given the identified needs, it is necessary to follow-up training processes regarding legalization and the judicial framework. Parents as participant actors recognize that some of the weaknesses that need improvement are lack of punctuality and the lack of trust in themselves or surrounding institutions. Because of bad life experiences, it was hard for them to trust the new processes of institutional management and rural development. Based on the students, it is necessary to give more training in entrepreneurial projects and marketing strategies. They identified that the entrepreneurial motivations are few, so when launching their products, these can be overshadowed by the lack of sponsorship and better training. Likewise, other strategic alliances are required in public institutions and private companies that facilitate training scenarios for parents, teachers, and students. This highlights the importance of strengthening communication processes for development, which is based on the premise that sustainable development and social change cannot be reached without the conscious and active participation of actors in all the stages of a development process (FAO, 2016). Dialog between different rural actors is essential so that various initiatives for rural development foster a direct impact on the territory and its communities.

Institutional educational project (IEP). Article 14 of the 1860 executive decree of 1994 establishes the guidelines for the IEP formulation and thus mentions that every educational establishment must create and implement, with the participation of the educational community, an IEP that expresses how education goals defined by the law will be reached, taking into account the social, economic, and cultural conditions of their environment (Article 14 of the 1860 executive decree of 1994).

Therefore, a follow-up was carried out on the IEP, in the educational institutions of the indigenous communities of Ebẽra Katio in Santa Teresa and the tri-ethnic community from the corregimiento of Santa Cecilia. With regard to the structure and approach of the IEP, alongside the implementation of the agreement, the development of the productive pedagogical projects (PPP) was proposed as a goal to be executed in one of the intended actions for the IEP. Therefore, the executed actions in the PPP are socialized under the IEP’s structure and formulation of each one of the educational institutions and their communities.

Productive pedagogical projects. The PPP are educational strategies that the school develops with the community, taking into consideration entrepreneurship and environmental resource utilization by promoting learning and social development (Cifuentes & Rico, 2016). Four PPPs were established, including two farming production projects, one fish farming production project, and one agro-industrial production project. The first two projects were oriented toward optimizing farming productive systems of subsistence crops (e.g., onions, string beans, yucca, bananas, beans, red tomatoes, and carrots) in Dokabú’s intercultural educational institution and Kemberde’s Centro Educativo Bachillerato en Bienestar Rural, Santa Teresa headquarters. The third project focused on fish farming production with high protein content and of good quality in the Centro Educativo Bachillerato en Bienestar Rural, Educational Headquarters, Kemberde. Finally, the fourth project sought to strengthen the bakery productive project developed with the educational community of Dokabú’s intercultural educational institution. It is worth highlighting that the pedagogical productive projects mentioned are producing and selling by means of the two associations that were created from the agreement³. From PPP’s formulation, it was observed that communities need to focus on the future and to strengthen their entrepreneurial, leadership, marketing, and associativity skills in favor of the PPP. Among the difficulties found are those related to the disparity of calendars for the project’s formulation in each of the communities, along with the unsafe conditions and closure of the Quibdó–Medellín’s road, resulting from the statement of armed strike at the west war front of the National Liberation Army (ELN, in Spanish).        

a.       Technical assistance and rural extension

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2016) of the United Nations defines technical assistance and rural extension as important instruments to strengthen family farmers, improving their productive performance, nutritional quality, income, and ultimately, their quality of life. In the case of the alliances generated between the National Education Ministry, Caldas University, and Department of Risaralda, technical assistance was provided to the communities of Dokabú and Kemberde to formalize the leader community organizations of the previously identified productive processes. With that, the development of the different productive activities was guaranteed with the implementation of a legal and judicial framework. Once the qualified processes were identified through seed certification, good production practices, the creation of product improvement plans, and productive chains in the educational institutions linked to the territory, it was possible to give better orientation to organic farming processes and sustainable fish farming.

Associativity. Associativity may be understood as a series of cooperation agreements or mutual contributions among a group, used as a strategy to benefit a business (Esquivia, 2013; López, Pineda & Vanegas, 2008). For this reason, community leaders through their organizations gave a step forward to create as a group, agreements for the development of productive activities. Thus, the process to formalize the association of productive parents, teachers, and students was followed up, as seen in ASOPADE of the Vereda of Agüita of the corregimiento of Santa Cecilia and the productive association of Ebẽra Katio of the Vereda’s community of Santa Teresa, educational headquarters in Kemberde, municipality of Pueblo Rico. Both organizations aimed to meet the food need of the educational community, guaranteeing the production and commercialization of farming and livestock products. Therefore, they currently produce and sell through the pedagogical productive projects mentioned above.

Productive units. Productive Colombia (2017) defines productive units as a company, business, association, producer, or group of persons that perform activities for a profit and who are registered in the Commercial Registry (or tourism national registry) or a legally organized producers organization. Throughout the follow-up generated and from the design of the pedagogical productive projects and associativity processes, the operation of productive units was formalized. The first one corresponded to the productive unit that emphasized on agriculture. Its objective was to promote food safety through the use of two productive systems of subsistence crops (e.g., onions, string beans, yucca, bananas, beans, red tomatoes, and carrots) in the intercultural educational establishment of Dokabú and Kemberde’s Centro Educativo Bachillerato en Bienestar Rural, Santa Teresa headquarters. The unit of fish farming was developed, in which it was created and was launched in the municipality of Pueblo Rico, aimed at the ethnic communities of Kemberde’s educational establishment. In the fourth place, the agro-industrial productive unit (bakery) was developed in agreement with the educational community of Dokabú’s intercultural educational institution. Because of the institution’s limited physical space to accommodate another productive unit, it was decided that the bakery productive project that was already running should be strengthened. Each of these productive units had as their final purpose the commercialization of their products in the School Food Plan (PAE, in Spanish). It is worth mentioning that the methodology implemented for this productive units was that of field schools (ECA, in Spanish), which are a type of non-formal education, where sample families and technical groups of facilitators exchange knowledge, taking experience and experimentation as the starting point (Escobar, Rodríguez, Ramírez & Salinas, 2011) in order to develop the required actions to establish productive units.

b.      Actors identification

As previously mentioned, after the development of the agreement, different territorial actors participated, which gave life to each one of the exploited associative and rural development processes; therefore, through the actors’ mapping, it was identified how these relate to each other. It is worth noting that this tool facilitates creating a quick reference of the actors involved in a topic or conflict. Thus, it was possible to go beyond the simple identification or listing of such actors and investigate, for example, their capacities, interests, and incentives (Ortiz, Matamoro & Psathakis, 2016). Consequently, the map of actors and allies was created for the Vereda of Agüita in the corregimiento of Santa Cecilia, as well as the community of Santa Teresa, Kemberde’s educational headquarters, in the municipality of Pueblo Rico, Risaralda in Colombia.

Map of actors. A big part of the inhabitants of the municipality of Pueblo Rico are of ethnic origin, and various indigenous settlements of Emberá Katio, Emberá Chami, and Afro are found. On the one hand, there is the tri-ethnic⁴  community of Santa Cecilia’s corregimiento, the place where Dokabú’s intercultural educational institution is located. While in Santa Teresa’s Vereda, the indigenous community Ếbẽra Katio represents the Centro Educativo Bachillerato en Bienestar Rural of the Kemberde community. According to the map of actors created, the majority shows a favorable position toward the agreement. The levels of influence vary among high and medium levels, which means that there are leaderships with skills of convening power, managing and legitimacy skills, as well as many with visible political incidence⁵. Regarding the leaderships identified, it was observed that community leadership is a process that operates at least in two levels of the social aggregate, which is similar to the empowerment concept (Rojas, 2013; Silva & Martínez, 2004). Thus, it is observed that leadership can be analyzed at an individual level and at a community level. The former is represented by leaders that seek a social change and the latter by the use of community leadership skills for the collective good.

Map of allies. The initial purpose was the identification of actors to generate the cross-sectional board, fostering public and private alliances, having as the ultimate goal the strengthening of different rural development processes built alongside the agreement. Thus, it was possible to identify four types of actors that responded by offering financing, associativity, and rural outline training meeting different needs. Therefore, among the previously mentioned, a university network was identified, as well as the SENA, Caldas University, Agriculture Ministry, Ministry of Labor, UMATAS, Chamber of Commerce, Indigenous Reservations, Action Community Boards, ICBF, Entrepreneurial Network, Coffee Committee, Department and Municipal Secretariats, among others. Thus, one of the employed mechanisms to achieve such integration was implementing political instruments that favor the development of public–private alliances (PPA)—in particular, alliances that foster integration between small producers and agro-businesses (Argüello, 2013).

c.       Participation spaces

To conclude, it was possible to identify community and cross-sectional participation spaces to develop the agreement. This agreement had a complete follow-up prioritizing the needs established within the School Food Plan (PAE, in Spanish) in the indigenous, African, and mestizo communities. In the same manner, in the community meetings, people socialized the advancement of the agreement sign between the National Education Ministry, the Department of Risaralda, and the Caldas University. All this socioeconomic structure that some authors call social capital and community cultural capital in other cases includes the informal institutions of the rural community and is also an exchange network for goods and information that turns out to be of vital importance to promote participation (Torres, 2007). Facilitating these spaces results in the collective construction of knowledge, as well as socioeconomic and cultural actions that prevail in the Andean region.

Conclusion

The results exhibited in the development of the article provide an answer to the present challenges in the implementation of rural development and associativity strategies by identifying the processes that need strengthening and contributing to the construction of a rural public policy that is coherent and honest with the needs of communities, the territory, and the environment. Based on this, by fostering theoretical and practical rural knowledge processes, the required strategies were implemented to strengthen education and rural development in the region. This was done by promoting and implementing flexible pedagogical models, rural associativity processes, productive pedagogical projects, technical assistance, rural extension; and productive units headed by the different institutional, social, and community actors from the community of Dokabú and Kemberde, municipality of Pueblo Rico, Risaralda in Colombia.

Acknowledgments

Special acknowledgment to the communities of Kemberde and Dokabú, as well as to the Public Institutions and Civil Society Organizations that participated in each one of the created rural development processes, which were essential for this article.

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¹ Financed by the inter-administrative agreement No. 129, signed between the Ministry of National Education, the Department of Risaralda, and Caldas University.

² Specific plan of formation in socioemotional competences

³ ASOPADE and productive association of the Vereda of Santa Teresa, educational headquarters of Kemberde

⁴ Made by communities Embera Chami, Embera Katio, and Afro

⁵ Map of actors

Como citar: Mejía-Hernández C.M. Strengthening rural education through the implementation of educational, associative, and rural development initiatives in the Dokabú and Kemberde  communities. Revista Veterinaria y Zootecnia. n, v. 14, n. 1, p. 00-00, 2020. http://vetzootec.ucaldas.edu.co/index.php/component/content/article?id=287. DOI: 10.17151/vetzo.2020.14.1.6

Esta obra está bajo una Licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento CC BY 

Seroprevalence of Brucella canis and Leptospira spp. in canines in the city of Medellín, Colombia*

Laura López-Diez¹, Luisa Ortiz-Román¹; Raúl Sanchez-Nodarse²; William Sanabria-Gonzalez³; Enrique Henao-Correa³; Martha Olivera-Angel¹.

¹ Biogenesis Research Group. Department of Agrarian Sciences, Universidad de Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia

² Department of Agrarian Sciences, Universidad de Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia

³ Technical Area for the Prevention and Control of Zoonoses, Medellín, Colombia

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Recibido: 9 septiembre de 2019, Aprobado: 30 noviembre de 2019, actualizado: 17 diciembre de 2019

DOI: 10.17151/vetzo.2020.14.1.4

                                 ABSTRACT. Introduction: The agents that cause diseases of zoonotic importance in canines, such as Canine brucellosis and Leptospirosis, have gained importance in human clinical practice. Objective: To discover the prevalence and behavior of both diseases in the canine population in the city of Medellín to develop measures of prevention and control in this area. Methods: A total of 1,300 canines were sampled to test for Brucella canis and Leptospira spp. using the PARP-2ME and MAT techniques, respectively, to establish the statistical significance of the different variables analyzed (P ≤ 0.05; OR ≥ 1; 95% CI). Results: Seroprevalence was determined to be 7.32% for B. canis and 9.08%, for Leptospira spp. with a 0.77% co-infection rate of both diseases.  The most prevalent serovars for Leptospira spp.  were Canicola (3.38%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (2.62%), and Pomona (0.92%). A statistical association was reported for B. canis with the commune variable (San Javier P = 0.002; OR = 2.724 / Guayabal P = 0.000; OR = 3.862 / Belén P = 0.002; OR = 2.953), and for Leptospira spp. with the commune variable (Buenos Aires P = 0.011; OR = 2.220) and age (37-48 months P = 0.005; OR = 4.272). Conclusions: This study shows that both agents are in circulation among the canine population in the city and in all the communes analyzed, representing a possible risk of infection to owners and other animals entering into contact with them.

Key words: brucellosis; leptospirosis; dogs; prevalence; zoonosis.

Seroprevalencia de Brucella canis y Leptospira spp. en caninos de la ciudad de Medellín, Colombia

RESUMEN. Introducción: los agentes causantes de enfermedades de importancia zoonótica en caninos como la Brucelosis canina y la Leptospirosis han cobrado importancia en la clínica humana. Objetivo: conocer la prevalencia y comportamiento de ambas enfermedades en la población canina de la ciudad de Medellín, para promover el desarrollo de medidas preventivas y de control en esta. Métodos: 1300 caninos fueron muestreados para el análisis de Brucella canis y Leptospira spp. por medio de las técnicas PARP-2ME y MAT, respectivamente; siendo establecida la significancia estadística con las diferentes variables analizadas (P≤0,05; OR≥1; IC 95%). Resultados: se evidenció una seroprevalencia para B. canis del 7,32% y para Leptospira spp. del 9,08%, con una coinfección entre ambas enfermedades del 0,77%. Los serovares más prevalentes para Leptospira spp. fueron Canicola (3,38%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (2,62%) y Pomona (0,92%). Se halló asociación estadística para B. canis con la variable comuna (San Javier P=0,002; OR=2,724 / Guayabal P=0,000; OR=3,862 / Belén P=0,002; OR=2,953); para Leptospira spp. con la variable comuna (Buenos Aires P=0,011; OR=2,220) y edad (37-48 meses P=0,005; OR=4,272). Conclusiones: el estudio demuestra la circulación de ambos agentes en la población canina de la ciudad y en todas las comunas analizadas, lo cual representaría un posible riesgo de infección para los propietarios y otros animales que entren en contacto con estos.

Palabras claves: brucelosis, leptospirosis, perros, prevalencia, zoonosis.

Introduction

Currently, Medellín has no regulations that prevent or control brucellosis and leptospirosis among companion animals (Echeverri et al., 2017; Olivera & Di-Lorenzo, 2009). This problem indicates that stray dogs, semi-domestic dogs, kennels, and canine shelters with no regulations, continue to be a risk factor for infection for the humans and animals that come into contact with positive individuals (Castrillón et al., 2013; Ruíz et al., 2010). Note that both diseases have been reported in humans and canines in the city, indicating that investigating the behavior of these diseases is essential if an approach to preventive measures is to be achieved.

Canine brucellosis is the most important reproductive disease in dogs, caused by a gram-negative intracellular bacterium called Brucella canis. It can be asymptomatic in humans or it can cause nonspecific symptoms including fever, fatigue, arthritis, lymphadenopathy, malaise, cough, myalgia, eye lesions, anemia, orchitis, epididymitis, nephritis, and neurological symptoms (Sánchez et al., 2013; Souza et al., 2018). A 5% mortality rate has been reported in humans from serious conditions such as endocarditis and meningitis (Lucero et al., 2010; Manias et al., 2013). In canines, the disease may manifest as miscarriage, orchitis, epididymitis or  prostatitis, infertility, small or weak litters, or litters that die soon after birth, arthritis, discoespondylitis, osteomyelitis, fever, lymphadenopathy, and eye decay and infection (Ardoino et al., 2017; Souza et al., 2018). The most vulnerable human population includes veterinarians, veterinary laboratory personnel, kennels, and pet owners who are positive. The disease can spread to them through contact with vaginal, preputial, seminal, placental, or fetal secretions during delivery or abortion, or the saliva, urine, feces, and milk of infected animals. Canines can become infected with these same secretions through the genital, oronasal, and conjunctival mucosa (Giraldo et al., 2009). Puppies from positive mothers also represent a source of dissemination of the bacterium (Souza et al., 2018). Among canines, a prevalence in Latin America of between 3.3% and 30.5% has been evidenced in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Mexico (Agudelo et al., 2012; Castrillón et al., 2013). In Colombia, it ranges from 1.4 to 20.3% among the pet population, kennels, and shelters. In Medellín, seroprevalences of 8.9%–15% in canines have been reported in kennels, 11% in samples sent to veterinary laboratories, 15% in samples from veterinary clinics, 6.8% in shelters and, for the Aburrá Valley, from 17.2% to 27.7% overall (Castrillón et al., 2013; Olivera et al., 2011; Sánchez et al., 2013).

Leptospirosis is attributed to a spirochete of the species Leptospira interrogans comprising pathogenic serovars that develop severe clinical symptoms in 10%-20% of humans, with a reported mortality in Colombia of between 1.5% and 5% (Echeverri et al., 2017). In humans, the symptoms are non-specific such as fever, diarrhea, headaches, jaundice, myalgia, meningitis, lymphadenopathy, vomiting, hepatosplenomegaly, kidney and liver failure, pulmonary involvement, and Weil’s syndrome. In canines, the disease manifests itself with anorexia, polydipsia, vomiting, myalgia, fever, kidney failure, jaundice, bleeding, ulcers, halitosis, abdominal pain, and respiratory disorders (Álvarez et al., 2011; Echeverri et al., 2017). Symptoms can vary as per the serovar that affects the host. It has also been considered an occupational disease for the agricultural sector and is related to climate and environmental change, poor living conditions, and  urban expansion (Carreño et al., 2017; Miotto et al., 2018). Animals and humans can be infected by contact with water, ground, soil, or food that has been contaminated with urine, blood, and infected tissues, through oral, nasal, conjunctival, and genital mucosa, or skin lesions. At a global level, an incidence of 0.1-1 per 100,000 inhabitants is stipulated in temperate climates and 10 for every 100,000 inhabitants in tropical climates. In Colombia, there is evidence of underreporting in the Public Health Surveillance System (Sivigila), which interferes with the actual estimate of the prevalence of this disease in Colombia. A prevalence of 6%–67.9% in humans has been identified and 12%–67.2% in canines, with the most reported serovares being Icterohaemorrhagiae, Grippotyphosa, and Canicola (Carreño et al., 2017; Echeverri et al., 2017; Pulido et al., 2014). In the Department of Antioquia, a prevalence of between 12.5% and 62.1% has been reported in humans, making it one of the highest in the country (Carreño et al., 2017; Pulido et al., 2014).

No seroprevalences have been identified for canines in the department or city under study. Both diseases show that underdiagnosis, nonspecific symptoms, direct and indirect transmission, and inefficient therapy enables healthy carriers to constantly spread the agent and represent a risk to owners and animals (Ardoino et al., 2017; Echeverri et al., 2017). The aim of this study was to discover the seroprevalence of both diseases to help begin an epidemiological surveillance program that would enable strategies to be developed to mitigate the risk of human–animal companion transmission.

Materials and Methods

Population and area of study

A cross-sectional study was performed, with a sample of 1,300 apparently healthy canines that were taken to the Sterilization Conference at Medellín’s City Hall from 2016 to 2018. The number of animals was distributed among fifteen of the sixteen communes that make up Medellín; commune 12 (La América) and the surrounding townships were not included in the sample. The number of samples and the communes to be analyzed were determined by convenience; 100 samples were collected from communes 1, 2, 3, 8, and 13; however, in the others, 80 samples were taken per commune.

Sample collection

Whole blood samples were collected in MiniCollet® tubes with a red lid after canalizing the cephalic vein during sterilization. The samples were later taken to the laboratory and centrifuged at 1,361 g for 5 min to separate the serum, which was stored in 1.5 ml Eppendorf tubes at -20°C until due processing.

Diagnosis

The Rapid Plate Agglutination Technique was applied to all samples with 2 β -Mercaptoethanol (PARP-2ME), using the Microagglutination (MAT) Technique, for the diagnosis of Brucella canis and Leptospira interrogans spp., respectively. A description is provided in the study by Castrillón et al, 2019 (Castrillón et al., 2019) The serovars of Leptospira spp. included in the analysis were Canicola, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Grippotyphosa, Pomona, Ballum, Autumnalis, Bratislava, and Tarassovi. Positive individuals were those who showed an agglutination similar to that of the positive control in the B. canis test; for Leptospira spp.; it included individuals who obtained titers ≥1: 100. In commune 3, three samples for B. canis diagnosis were discarded because of hemolysis, leaving in total only 97 samples for this commune.

Statistical analysis

SPSS® version 25 was used for the analysis. Initially, a descriptive analysis was performed to identify the number of dogs that tested positive for Brucella canis or Leptospira spp. according to commune, stratum, age, and gender. Subsequently, a binary logistic regression analysis was performed using a 95% confidence interval to determine which ones behaved as a risk factor or a protective factor among independent variables (gender, age, commune, and stratum) and dependent variables (positive or negative). To facilitate the analysis, ages were grouped into the ranges of 1-6 months, 7-12 months, 13-24  months, 25-36 months, 37-48 months, and ≥49 months.

Results and Discussion

A total of 580 females and 720 males were sampled, of which 62.45% were within an age range of 7-24 months. A seroprevalence of 7.32% was evidenced for B. canis and of 9.08% for Leptospira spp., with  0.77% coinfection of both diseases. The seroprevalence reported for B. canis (7,32%) was similar to what was previously reported in the city, in Colombia, and in countries such as Argentina (7.3%–30.5%) and Peru (3.3%–28%). However, it is below what was reported for Mexico (11%–28%) and Brazil (14.2%) (Agudelo et al., 2012; Castrillón et al., 2013; Castrillón et al., 2019). Moreover, for Leptospira spp. (9.08%), the seroprevalence reported was lower than what was reported in previous studies for Colombia and other countries such as Brazil and Nicaragua (Langoni et al., 2015; Miotto et al., 2018). However, the values remain similar to a preliminary study performed in five communes in Medellín (Carreño et al., 2017; Castrillón et al., 2019). The low availability of recent studies of this nature in Colombia and in other countries makes it complex to actually determine the degree of divergence of seroprevalence in other canine populations throughout the world. Furthermore, variations in prevalence may be attributed to the canine population studied or to the Diagnostic Techniques used in the other studies.

Figure 1 shows the distribution of seroprevalence for both agents by commune. The communes with the highest seroprevalence for B. canis and Leptospira spp., corresponded to Guayabal and Buenos Aires, respectively. The canines who were reported to be seropositive to both agents in all sampled communes reflects that there is a permanent circulation of these agents among the population, which could represent a possible source of infection in susceptible humans and animals within the city. Previously, the ownership of canines infected by B. canis promoted the transmission of the infectious agent to its owners (Giraldo et al., 2009; Olivera & Di-Lorenzo, 2009). Furthermore, the latest INS epidemiological report indicated that 50.5% of individuals positive for leptospirosis had prior contact with dogs and 59.3% with rodents (Salas, 2018); Similarly, dog ownership has been identified as a risk factor for Leptospira spp. in humans in countries such as Germany, Barbados, and Nicaragua (Delaude et al., 2017). Although it is not possible to precisely determine that contact with this species is one of the main sources of infection for brucellosis and leptospirosis in humans, it is recognized that the capacity of these agents to generate subclinical conditions with consequent intermittent bacterial shedding would be a possible risk factor associated with the presentation of human cases (Flores et al., 2017; Miotto et al., 2018; Souza et al., 2018).

Haga clic sobre la imagen para ampliarla

Figure 1. Seroprevalence for B. canis and Leptospira interrogans spp. by commune among canines in the city of Medellín.

As shown in Table 1, positivity was evidenced in all the serovars of Leptospira interrogans spp. analyzed with the most prevalent being Canicola (3.38%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (2.62%), and Pomona (0.92%). Four of the individuals studied exhibited seropositivity to more than one serovar and reported the following combinations: Canicola-Icterohaemorrhagiae (Commune 9); Canicola-Ballum (Commune 6); Ballum-Pomona (Commune 1); Grippotyphosa-Bratislava (Commune 2). The above reflects that canines are possible carriers and disseminators of different serovars of Leptospira spp., which can seriously affect human beings. 

Antibody detection through MAT is not related to spirochete clearance in urine either because of a low immune response associated with its location or because of the possible interference from vaccine antibodies. However, it has been determined that it is possible to identify canines that, despite having low or null antibody titers, present bacterial elimination that promotes the contamination of the environment and a contagion risk for susceptible humans and animals (Flores et al., 2017; Miotto et al., 2018). In this study, it was not possible to exclude possible post-vaccine antibody interference because of this information not being included; however, some researchers report that there is low interference from vaccination because the titers generated by them are lower than those detected with this technique or because they decrease rapidly over a period of 3-6 months (Miotto et al., 2018).

Table 1. Seroprevalence against the serovars of Leptospira interrogans spp.

*0.29% of the individuals were positive to more than one serovar.

The most prevalent serovars in canines (L. canicola and L. icterohaemorrhagiae) coincided with what was previously reported by other authors, with Icterohaemorrhagiae being considered as the most pathogenic for humans, because it has been associated with greater renal and hepatic involvement. This does not rule out the clinical significance of L. canicola which includes previous reports of disease in humans (Álvarez et al., 2011; Carreño et al., 2017; Flores et al., 2017; Langoni et al., 2015). Both serovars have been considered to be the most prevalent in humans (Carreño et al., 2017; Castrillón et al., 2019). As rodents are reservoirs of serovar L. icterohaemorrhagiae, it could be supposed that there is a direct or indirect transmission from them to canines with the latter acting as disseminators among the different populations (Castrillón et al., 2019). The serovar L. pomona, the third most prevalent in this study, has been reported as having the highest record in humans in the center of the department of Antioquia, and L. grippotyphosa has been reported mostly in its coastal region (Echeverri et al., 2017; Flores et al., 2017).

In a study performed in the department of Tolima, L. Pomona is the most prevalent serovar in humans and the second most prevalent in canines (Carreño et al., 2017). The serovars L. pomona and L. grippotyphosa are specific to pigs and cattle, which makes the presence of antibodies in the canines studied questionable. As they are in an urban location, there would be no direct contact with the mentioned species, which may represent  possible anthropozoonosis for the canines. Because they are susceptible to all  Leptospira spp. serovars, they may behave as carriers and disseminators (Álvarez et al., 2011; Castrillón et al., 2019; Flores et al., 2017).

The logistic regression analysis failed to show a statistical association between gender or socioeconomic stratum with positivity to any of the agents studied. However, the “commune” variable was reported to be a risk factor, indicating that canines from the San Javier, Belén, and Guayabal communes are between 2.7 and 3.8 times more at risk of being infected with B. canis in comparison with dogs from the other communes studied. Similarly, canines in the Buenos Aires commune have 2.2 times higher risk of infection with Leptospira spp. than those who live in the other communes (Table 2).

Table 2. Association between the dependent and independent variables for Brucella canis and Leptospira spp.

In the study carried out by Agudelo et al. (2012), a higher prevalence was evidenced for B. canis in the communes of Buenos Aires (6.9%) and Villa Hermosa (5.7%), this being different with lower prevalences than those found in this study. However, the communes found to have the highest prevalence (San Javier, Belén, and Guayabal), were not sampled or had ranges lower than 2.8% in the aforementioned study. These variations in seroprevalence could relate to the diagnostic techniques used, where the methodology developed by Agudelo et al. (2012), was performed using a test based on solid phase chromatographic immunoassay with the “Antigen Rapid C Brucella Ab Test Kit”. This test can present false negatives or positives because of cross-reaction with other varieties of Brucella spp. (Sánchez et al., 2014), compared to the PARP-2ME test that was developed in this study, which detects specific antibodies for B. canis with a high sensitivity (Castrillón et al., 2019). San Javier continues to be the most prevalent commune for B. canis in relation to the preliminary study previously performed (Castrillón et al., 2019).

As previously reflected, the Buenos Aires commune, in addition to being found to be at greatest risk for canine Leptospirosis infection in this study, was determined as being the one with the highest seroprevalence for B. canis in 2012 (Agudelo et al., 2012). Castrillón et al. (2019) demonstrated that there is greater  susceptibility to L. canicola and L. grippothyphosa in the communes of Villa Hermosa and Santa Cruz, a fact that could not be supported in this study. However, both communes presented one of the highest seroprevalences for this agent, with 12% and 11%, respectively (Figure 1).

The geographical location of the three communes with the largest prevalence of B. canis  is to the south west of the city and to the east of the city are the two  communes with the greatest finding for Leptospira spp. (see figure 1). This suggests that they could be the factors  contributing to a greater circulation of said agents in these areas. This could be addressed in future research to enable the development of prevention and control measures by commune for this type of zoonosis.

Although the highest percentage of canines positive for B. canis were reported to be distributed within the age range of 13-36 months, it was not possible to find an age-related risk factor for this agent. Other studies have evidenced that dogs older than 4 years are more susceptible to Leptospira spp. than those aged one year (Meeyam et al., 2006; Ward et al., 2004). This could be related to what was reported in this study where canines  37-48 months (3-4 years) of age had 4.2 times the risk of being affected by this agent (see Table 2). This could be because adult dogs could come into greater contact with contaminated environments or animals, thus allowing for reinfection over the years and maintaining a high level of antibodies over time.

There is evidence of few studies performed on both zoonotic risk diseases, which reflects insufficient global interest in the behavior of these agents among canine populations and their relationship with the condition of people who enter into close contact with positive individuals. This further highlights the importance of prevalence studies that help understand the epidemiologic behavior of these types of agents and the development of preventive measures. Moreover, it is advisable to perform strict testing of both agents in canine populations in kennels, shelters, and foster homes, because of overcrowding and the arrival of stray animals that could be infected, thus facilitating their continuity and posing a greater transmission risk to possible adopters (Castrillón et al., 2013; Flores et al., 2017; Langoni et al., 2015; Miotto et al., 2018; Ruíz et al., 2010).

Conclusion

Canines positive for Brucellosis and Leptospirosis  were found in all the sampled communes of Medellín, which shows a permanent  circulation of these agents in the city and a possible contagion risk for humans who  come into contact with positive canines or their contaminated dispersal areas, such as parks and water sources. Moreover, there was evidence of communes where there is a greater risk of infection of both diseases, this being a warning for the prompt application of preventive measures in the most affected communes.

Acknowledgements

We thank the Biogenesis Research Group of the University of Antioquia and to the Municipality of Medellín’ s Ministry of Health for the development and financing of this project.

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* The project was financed by the Municipality of Medellin’s Department of Health through contracts 4600064258 and 4600070399.

Como citar: López-Diez L., Ortiz-Román L., Sanchez-Nodarse R., Sanabria-Gonzalez W., Henao-Correa E., Olivera-Angel M. Seroprevalence of Brucella canis and Leptospira spp. in canines in the city of Medellín, Colombia. Revista Veterinaria y Zootecnia. n, v. 14, n. 1, p. 00-00, 2020. http://vetzootec.ucaldas.edu.co/index.php/component/content/article?id=285. DOI: 10.17151/vetzo.2020.14.1.4

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