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Background: Bacteria of the Anaplasmataceae family and canine hemoparasitic protozoans transmitted by ticks are common in Colombia due to circulation and biological adaptation of vector Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (s.l.). Objective: To detect the circulation of Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon canis in sheltered dogs in three municipalities in southern Aburrá Valley, province of Antioquia, Colombia. Methods: Primers were used to amplify the 16S rRNA associated with the Anaplasmataceae family, dsb for Ehrlichia sp. and 18S rRNA for Hepatozoon sp. Results: Of the 357 samples of venous blood obtained, representing all the sheltered dogs in the study zone, Ehrlichia canis DNA was detected in 2.2% of individuals, showing identity of 100% with previous sequences from the GenBank. Hepatozoon canis showed 8.7% (31/357) prevalence of infection, with 100% identity to genotypes from Japan, Brazil, and Spain. Only one sequence of H. canis exhibited a phylogenic divergence concerning H. canis previously reported in Brazil and the Old World. Conclusions: This study confirms the circulation of E. canis and H. canis in asymptomatic shelter dogs in the south-central zone of the Aburrá Valley, province of Antioquia, Colombia. The present study is the first molecular detection of H. canis in the Province of Antioquia and the third report of canine hepatozoonosis from Colombia, highlighting the importance of considering this agent in veterinary clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Opossum populations (Didelphismarsupialis) were characterized in an ecotourism area in Santa Elena, district of the city of Medellín and in the periurban and urban areas of the city of Caldas, Antioquia; using phototraps. Materials and methods. 7 Moultrie Game Spy® cameras were placed to determine relative abundance index (RAI) and rotated every three weeks. Baits were used to make observation easier. Results. For the Santa Elena district the sampling effort was 360 days / trap, in which 22 photographs of the species were obtained. Didelphismarsupialis had a total RAI of 0.18; of which 0.06 represented its abundance in the native forest and the remaining value was part of the area with pine trees. For the peri urban zone of the city of Caldas the sampling effort was 679 days / trap. The species Didelphismarsupialis had a total RAI of 0.4; which represents an approximate number of 26 individuals at the Santa Inés practice center. In the urban area of the city of Caldas it was not possible to establish this pattern. Conclusion. The study indicates that despite the transformation of the peri urban area in the Aburrá Valley it is possible to find elements representative of its peri urban mammals, even in small private reserves. The Didelphidae family has adapted to highly modified ecosystems, even in areas with invasive species such as exotic monocultures of exotic species, livestock pastures and anthropic transformation given by the fragmentation of forests, however these marsupials are forced to migrate locally to changes in the microclimate of forest fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]