Las garrapatas son artrópodos de gran impacto sobre la economía pecuaria y la salud humana debido a las pérdidas generadas en la producción, y a su capacidad de transmitir microorganismos. Pese a la evidencia de circulación de una gran diversidad de garrapatas en Colombia, no se cuenta con compilaciones actualizadas de la variedad de especies presentes, por lo cual los autores presentan una revisión de literatura sobre las garrapatas de la familia Ixodidae reportadas en Colombia incluyendo su distribución geográfica, sus hospederos y los microorganismos reportados en aquellas especies registradas en este país. En la recopilación se evidenció la presencia en Colombia de diferentes especies de garrapatas de los géneros Amblyomma, Ixodes, Haemaphysalis, Rhipicephalus y Dermacentor. El género con mayor variedad fue Amblyomma con 29 especies, seguido de Ixodes con 11 especies, y de los géneros Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis y Rhipicephalus se reportaron dos especies para cada uno. Las especies se distribuyeron en la mayoría de los departamentos de Colombia y en una amplia diversidad de hospederos entre los cuales se incluyen animales domésticos, sinantrópicos y silvestres. Adicionalmente se encontró que algunas garrapatas reportadas podrían jugar un papel como vectores potenciales de diversos microorganismos que pueden afectar a la salud pública y veterinaria. Esperamos que este trabajo sea un aporte para apoyar la investigación en garrapatas y el estudio de los agentes transmitidos por estas en Colombia.

The genus Phlebovirus is considered a medically important group of viruses due to the pathogenic behavior of some species. In the Americas, several species of this genus have been identified, most of which are found in Panamá. However, the lack of knowledge about the circulation of phleboviruses in Colombia led us to ask several questions, including the distribution of this pathogen in the Americas, especially in Caribbean coastal areas where ideal conditions for phlebovirus vectors exist. Here, we report the first detection of the genus Phlebovirus in phlebotomine sandfly communities from the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Sandflies were collected and pooled for ribonucleic acid (RNA) extraction and retrotranscription, all pools were tested for 18S ribosomal RNA and screened for phleboviruses by nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Positive products for the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) detection were sequenced. Four pools of 58 were positive for viruses belonging to the Punta Toro complex, Aguacate complex, Old-World viruses, and one related to sloth phleboviruses. This is the first evidence of phleboviruses in the Caribbean region of Colombia, especially of species related to the Punta Toro and Aguacate complex.

Colombia has the fourth largest livestock herd on the American continent. Cattle farms are expanding in Colombia, sometimes impacting traditional communities and reserves. This is especially true for the Zenú ethnic group, whose ancestral territory includes the valleys of the Sinú and San Jorge rivers, as well as the Caribbean coast around the Gulf of Morrosquillo, in the departments of Córdoba and Sucre. The present study examined the prevalence of trypanosomatids and Anaplasma spp. in zebu cattle grazing in seven Zenú communities in the Sucre department. Of the 110 cattle sampled, 56 (50.9%) tested positive for trypanosomatids. Forty 18S rRNA gene sequences generated showed >99% identity with Trypanosoma theileri, while one sequence demonstrated 99.6% identity with Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis and Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis; sequencing of the remaining 15 positive samples was unsuccessful. Regarding Anaplasma spp., 96 (87.3%) samples were positive, and the 14 msp4 gene sequences generated displayed >99% identity with Anaplasma marginale. Thus, T. theileri and A. marginale were prevalent in cattle from all Zenú communities, while Leishmania (Viannia) sp. was found in a cow from the community of La Gallera. Our findings indicate that these agents are common in zebu cattle from Zenú communities, underscoring the need for preventive measures to reduce the infection burden and potential implications for cattle production in these areas.

The aim of this study wasthe identification of Leishmaniaspecies that causescutaneous leishmaniasisin a patient from Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, on the Pacific coast of Colombia.Clinical samples were obtained from a 29 years-old male who presented a distinct ulcer with raised borders on his neck. Samples were taken for direct microscopic examination, parasite culture, and molecular identification of the infecting Leishmania species by sequencing of the cytochrome b gene. Direct examination was positive for amastigotes of Leishmaniabut the culture was negative. The infecting parasite species was identified as L. (V.) guyanensisby means of the nucleotide sequence of a 509 bp fragment of the cytochrome b gene. We report the presence of L. (V.) guyanensisin rural areas of Buenaventura in Valle del Cauca, and the expansion of the geographical distribution of this species in the Pacific region of Colombia. El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar la especie de Leishmaniacausante de la leishmaniasis cutánea en un paciente de Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, en la costa Pacífica de Colombia. Se obtuvieron muestras clínicas de un varón de 29 años de edad que presentó una úlcera distintiva con bordes levantados en el cuello. Se tomaron muestras para examen microscópico directo, cultivo de parásitos e identificación molecular de la especie infectante de Leishmaniamediante secuenciación del gen del citocromo b. El examen directo fue positivo para amastigotes de Leishmaniapero el cultivo fue negativo. La especie parasitaria infectante se identificó como L. (V.) guyanensispor medio de la secuencia de nucleótidos de un fragmento de 509 pb del gen citocromo b. Con este reporte notificamos la presencia de L. (V.) guyanensisen zona rural del municipio de Buenaventura en el Valle del Cauca y la expansión de la distribución geográfica de esta especie en la región Pacífica de Colombia. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar as espécies de Leishmania causadoras da leishmaniose cutânea em um paciente de Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, na costa do Pacífico da Colômbia. Amostras clínicas foram obtidas de um homem de 29 anos que apresentava úlcera distinta com bordas elevadas no pescoço; as amostras foram coletadas para exame microscópico direto, cultura do parasito e identificação molecular da espécie infectante de Leishmania por sequenciamento do gene Citocromo b; o exame direto foi positivo para amastigotas de Leishmania, mas a cultura foi negativa; a espécie do parasito infectante foi identificada como L (V) guyanensis por meio do analises filogenético de um fragmento de 509 pb do gene Citocromo b; confirmamos a presença de L (V) guyanensis em Valle del Cauca e a expansão da distribuição geográfica desta espécie na Colômbia

Ticks are arthropod vectors that transmit pathogens important to human and animal health. The objective of this work was to identify Uukuvirus lihanense in the metatranscriptome of hard ticks. Between October 2022 and June 2023, ticks were collected from rural areas of the Colombian Caribbean area of the departments of Córdoba and Cesar. High-throughput sequencing (next-generation sequencing) was performed using MGI’s DNBSEQ-G50RS. Bioinformatics analyses were performed in Galaxy, diamond and IQ-TREE2. A total of 766 ticks were collected; 87.33% (669/766) were Rhipicephalus microplus, 5.4% (42/766) Dermacentor nitens, 4.2% (32/766) Rhipicephalus sanguineus and 3.0% (23/766) Amblyomma dissimile. Complete and partial L and S segments of Uukuvirus lihanense (LITV) were detected in the metatranscriptome of A. dissimile, D. nitens and R. microplus. The LITV sequences found are phylogenetically related to those detected in R. sanguineus and A. variegatum from the French Antilles, in R. microplus from Trinidad and Tobago and R. microplus from Brazil. LITV was identified in D. nitens and R. microplus; the first report was in A. dissimile. Although LITV is not considered necessary in public health, the virus belongs to the Phenuiviridae family, which includes viruses of public health importance, such as Dabie banda-virus and Bandavirus heartlandense.

Ticks are the most important group of ectoparasites in the transmission of pathogens to domestic animals and humans. Detection of those pathogens is usually performed by PCR-based methods and therefore requires the extraction of nucleic acids for the selective amplification of molecular targets. The aim of the present investigation was to compare the performance of three DNA extraction methods (salts, columns and guanidine thiocyanate) from ticks for studies of pathogen detection and molecular systematics of ticks. DNA extraction performance was measured by multiple comparisons on 30 tick samples and assessment of quality of the DNA extract through PCR amplification of 16S mitochondrial ticks gene. The presence of Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma and Babesia were also evaluated. The guanidine thiocyanate was the method with highest performance (mdnR= 160ng/uL), then columns (mdnR= 4.7ng/uL) and finally salting out method (mdnR= 1.6ng/uL). Although there were statistical differences of performance among DNA extraction protocols, there were no differences regarding the success of PCR amplification according to the extraction method (p = 0.1173). No rickettsial pathogens or piroplasms were detected in any of the DNA extracts evaluated. Considering the cost/benefit ratio of the three methods, the use of the salting out method can facilitate the massification of studies on tick-borne pathogen in low-budget laboratories. Las garrapatas son el grupo de ectoparásitos de mayor relevancia en la transmisión de patógenos a los animales domésticos y a humanos. La detección de estos agentes, normalmente, se realiza por métodos basados en PCR y, por ello, se requiere de la obtención de ácidos nucleicos, para la amplificación selectiva de dianas moleculares. El objetivo de la presente investigación fue comparar el desempeño de tres métodos de extracción de ADN, sales, columnas y tiocianato de guanidina, a partir de garrapatas, para estudios de detección de patógenos y sistemática molecular de garrapatas. Se realizaron comparaciones múltiples del desempeño de extracción sobre 30 muestras de garrapatas y se valoró la calidad del extracto de ADN, mediante la amplificación de un fragmento del gen mitocondrial 16S de garrapatas, con la utilización de la técnica de PCR. Además, se evaluó la presencia de patógenos de los géneros Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma y Babesia. El método con mayor desempeño en la extracción de ADN fue el basado en tiocianato de guanidina (mdnR=160ng/uL), seguido por columnas (mdnR=4,7ng/uL) y luego sales (mdnR=1,6ng/uL). Se presentaron diferencias estadísticas en el rendimiento de la extracción; no obstante, no existieron diferencias respecto al éxito de amplificación, mediante PCR, de acuerdo con el método de extracción (p=0,1173). No se detectaron patógenos rickettsiales o piroplasmas en ninguno de los extractos de ADN de garrapatas evaluados. Considerando el costo/beneficio de los métodos comparados, la utilización del método de sales puede facilitar la masificación de trabajos sobre la detección de patógenos que son transmitidos por garrapatas, en laboratorios de discreto presupuesto.