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Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:39:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-01-01 U.S. Department of Agriculture Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) An updated checklist of chiggers from the family Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae is presented, with 81 species in 38 genera parasitizing different terrestrial vertebrate hosts in Panama. The depository for all Panamanian records, including new localities and host-associations records for the species Blankaartia sinnamaryi (Floch and Fauran, 1956), Eutrombicula tinami (Oudemans, 1910), Eutrombicula goeldii (Oudemans, 1910), Hooperella vesperuginis (Brennan and Jones, 1960), and Pseudoschoengastia bulbifera Brennan, 1960 were provided. Laboratório de Coleções Zoológicas Instituto Butantan, SP Departamento de Patologia Reprodução e Saúde Única Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias-UNESP, SP Departamento de Investigación en Entomología Médica Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History National Insect and Mite Collection Systematic Entomology Laboratory United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Departamento de Patologia Reprodução e Saúde Única Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias-UNESP, SP CAPES: 001 FAPESP: 2017/01416-7 FAPESP: 2018/24667-8 FAPESP: 2019/19853-0 FAPESP: 2020/11755-6 FAPESP: 2021/02295-4

We report the presence of unusual overpopulation of the storage mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae in an office workplace, an environment that often does not provide the ideal conditions for the development of these mites. The infestation source was identified as two damaged sachets of spoiled sweetener found under the furniture of the office used for preparing and consuming refreshments.

Se obtuvieron 10 nidos de Sceliphron fistularium (Dahldom, 1843) en dos sitios: uno en la provincia de Panamá Oeste a las riveras del Lago Gatún en Jungle Land Panamá y otro en la provincia de Panamá Centro en el edificio de la Escuela de Biología, de la Universidad de Panamá, Campus Central. Se contabilizó un total de 79 celdas entre los 10 nidos. Todos los nidos tenían formas similares, tubular con el extremo superior ovalado, con extremo basal con una leve disminución en forma aguda, en disposición uno al lado del otro, también se encontraron unidas a diferentes artefactos: cable de teléfono, sillas de plástico, vigas de madera de techo e instalaciones de un barco flotante. El número de celdas por nido varió de 3 a 14, con longitudes entre 32.5 a 38.6 mm y diámetros de 15.3 (anterior) a 5.27 mm (basal). Las celdas de cría observadas contenían de 3-4 arañas de la especie Alpaida veniliae (Keyserling, 1865) de la familia Araneidae; la avispa hembra coloca un solo huevo sobre el abdomen de una de las arañas por celdas. La longitud y el diámetro de las celdas masculinas y femeninas no mostraron diferencias. En S. fistularum, las hembras eran significativamente más grandes que los machos. La proporción de sexos de los individuos obtenidos de los nidos fue de 2-10 hembras: 1 macho. S. fistularum para la construcción de sus nidos utiliza barro de constectura fangoso-arenoso. Los factores de mortalidad son desconocidos, adicionalmente se encontraron muchas celdas con pupas no eclosionadas.

Antecedentes: La anafilaxia oral por ingesta de alimentos contaminados con ácaros (OMA) es una reacción alérgica que puede representar riesgo de vida para los pacientes. Aun cuando se tienen reportes de casos de diversas partes del mundo que involucran principalmente alimentos elaborados con harina de trigo contaminada con ácaros de varias familias de la cohorte Astigmatina, OMA permanece como un síndrome poco conocido y de difícil diagnóstico. El objetivo del estudio fue describir el primer caso de OMA por consumo de avena en hojuelas ocurrido en la ciudad de Panamá, Panamá.Caso clínico: Mujer de 39 años que ingresó a urgencias de un hospital con cuadro alérgico cutáneo y respiratorio una hora después de ingerir granola y avena con leche en el desayuno. Después del tratamiento antialérgico se procedió a determinar la causa de la alergia mediante aplicación de pruebas de punción cutánea para los alimentos ingeridos y ácaros domésticos. Los resultados indicaron reacción negativa para alimentos y positiva para ácaros. El análisis acarológico de las muestras de alimentos resultaron en la identificación de las especies Blattisocius keegani y Suidasia pontifica, con alta densidad de la última en la muestra de avena.Conclusiones: El presente reporte constituye el primero en el mundo de anafilaxia por consumo de avena contaminada con ácaros.

This paper presents data on free-living ticks collected by flagging and using CO2 traps in three natural areas in Costa Rica: Carara National Park (CNP), Palo Verde National Park (PVNP), and a Private Forest Reserve in Sarapiquí (SPR). Data were analyzed calculating aspects of alpha diversity (species richness, entropy; dominance index, and evenness); and for beta diversity, compositional similarity between communities of ticks was also calculated. We collected 12,795 ticks belonging to 10 species: Amblyomma coelebs, Amblyomma dissimile, Amblyomma mixtum, Amblyomma naponense, Amblyomma cf. oblongoguttatum, Amblyomma cf. parvum, Amblyomma sabanerae, Amblyomma tapirellum, Haemaphysalis juxtakochi and Ixodes affinis. The number of species and individuals varied between sites: 5970 ticks were collected in CNP, 4443 in PVNP, and 2382 in SPR. Amblyomma cf. oblongoguttatum and A. cf. parvum were collected at all three sites, but A. mixtum was the most abundant species, even though it was not collected in SPR. Values of alpha diversity were calculated for CNP and SPR, while diversity in PVNP was the lowest of the three locations. Evenness was highest in SPR and lowest in CNP. The only community that presented dominance was PVNP. Beta diversity showed low similarity between the three locations with the lowest being CNP and SPR. For the three localities, estimates of the number of tick species based on presence/absence data was higher using flagging than CO2; and considering the stage of the ticks collected. More larvae were captured using CO2 traps than by flagging, while flagging was better for col- lecting adults. To our knowledge this is the first study in Costa Rica that compares these two sampling methods in three different environmental areas. En este trabajo se presentan datos sobre garrapatas de vida libre recolectados mediante marcaje y utilizando trampas de CO2 en tres áreas naturales de Costa Rica: Parque Nacional Carara (PNC), Parque Nacional Palo Verde (PNPV), y una Reserva Forestal Privada en Sarapiquí (SPR). Los datos se analizaron calculando aspectos de la diversidad alfa (riqueza de especies, entropía; índice de dominancia de dominancia, y uniformidad); y para la diversidad beta, se calculó también la similitud composicional entre las comunidades de garrapatas. de garrapatas. Se recogieron 12.795 garrapatas pertenecientes a 10 especies: Amblyomma coelebs, Amblyomma dissimile, Amblyomma mixtum, Amblyomma naponense, Amblyomma cf. oblongoguttatum, Amblyomma cf. parvum, Amblyomma sabanerae, Amblyomma tapirellum, Haemaphysalis juxtakochi e Ixodes affinis. El número de especies e individuos varió entre los distintos lugares: se recogieron 5.970 garrapatas en CNP, 4.443 en PVNP y 2.382 en SPR. Amblyomma cf. oblongoguttatum y A. cf. parvum se recolectaron en los tres sitios, pero A. mixtum fue la especie más abundante, aunque no se recolectó. Se calcularon valores de diversidad alfa para CNP y SPR, mientras que la diversidad en PVNP fue la más baja de los tres lugares. La uniformidad fue mayor en SPR y menor en CNP. La única comunidad que presentó dominancia fue PVNP. La diversidad beta mostró una baja similitud entre las tres localidades, siendo la más baja la de CNP y SPR. Para las tres localidades, las estimaciones del número de especies de garrapatas especies de garrapatas basadas en los datos de presencia/ausencia fue mayor utilizando el marcaje que el CO2; y considerando el estadio de las garrapatas recogidas. Se capturaron más larvas con las trampas de CO2 que con el marcado, mientras que el marcado fue mejor para colectar adultos. Hasta donde sabemos, este es el primer estudio en Costa Rica que compara estos dos métodos de muestreo en tres áreas ambientales diferentes. Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria

El género Ananteris Thorell, 1891 contiene gran variedad de especies de escorpiones Neotropicales de la familia Buthidae. En Panamá, este género está representado por dos especies. Se describe un reporte de caso de picadura de Uno de los estudios observacionales más grandes Lourenço, 1993 en Panamá. Este constituye el primer reporte de envenenamiento por el género Ananteris para la región. Panamá presenta una alta incidencia de escorpionismo ubicándose como una de las más altas en América Latina.ABSTRACTThe genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 contains a great variety of species of Neotropical scorpions of the Buthidae family. In Panama, this genus is represented by two species. A case report of a sting of Ananteris platnicki Lourenço, 1993 in Panama described. This is the first report of poisoning by the genus Ananteris for the region. Panama has a high incidence of scorpionism, ranking as one of the highest in Latin America.

Resumen:El género Ananteris Thorell, 1891 contiene gran variedad de especies de escorpiones Neotropicales de la familia Buthidae. En Panamá, este género está representado por dos especies. Se describe un reporte de caso de picadura de Ananteris platnicki Lourenço, 1993 en Panamá. Este constituye el primer reporte de envenenamiento por el género Ananteris para la región. Panamá presenta una alta incidencia de escorpionismo ubicándose como una de las más altas en América Latina.Abstract:The genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 contains a great variety of species of Neotropical scorpions of the Buthidae family. In Panama, this genus is represented by two species. A case report of a sting of Ananteris platnicki Lourenço, 1993 in Panama described. This is the first report of poisoning by the genus Ananteris for the region. Panama has a high incidence of scorpionism, ranking as one of the highest in Latin America.*********

Information about natural history of invasive species (such as parasitism) is a relevant issue in order to consider potential threats to native fauna. In this work we report two pterygosomatid mites for the first time in Colombia, Geckobia bataviensis and G. keegani, parasites of the invasive house gecko Hemidactylus frenatus. Although it has not been demonstrated that these mites may infest native gecko lizards, our study highlights the need to explore the prevalence of internal and external parasites in native and invasive geckos, to better evaluate the potential impact of invasive Hemidactylus lizards in Colombia., Asociación Herpetológica Argentina

Scorpions of the Neotropical genus Tityus are responsible for most severe envenomations in the Caribbean, South America, and Lower Central America (LCA). Although Tityus is taxonomically complex, contains high toxin polymorphism, and produces variable clinical manifestations, treatment is limited to antivenoms produced against species with restricted distributions. In this study, we explored the compositional and antigenic diversity of Tityus venoms to provide improved guidelines for the use of available antivenoms at a broader geographic scale. We used immunoblotting, competitive ELISA, and in vivo studies to compare reactivity against commercial antivenoms from Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico, as well as MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, cDNA sequencing, and phylogenetic analyses to assess venom sodium channel-active toxin (NaTx) content from medically important Tityus populations inhabiting Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Additionally, we raised rabbit antibodies against Tityus venoms from LCA to test for cross-reactivity with congeneric species. The results suggest that Tityus spp. possess high venom antigenic diversity, underlying the existence of four toxinological regions in Tropical America, based on venom composition and immunochemical criteria: LCA/Colombia/Amazonia (Region I), Venezuela (Region II), southeast South America (Region III), and a fourth region encompassing species related to toxinologically divergent Tityus cerroazul. Importantly, our molecular and cross-reactivity results highlight the need for new antivenoms against species inhabiting Region I, where scorpions may produce venoms that are not significantly reactive against available antivenoms UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Instituto Clodomiro Picado (ICP)

The scorpionism in Panama is notorious for the confluence and coexistence of buthid scorpions from the genera Centruroides and Tityus. This communication describes an overview of the larger representative toxic venom fractions from eight dangerous buthid scorpion species of Panama: Centruroides (C. granosus, C. bicolor, C. limbatus and C. panamensis) and Tityus (T. (A.) asthenes, T. (A.) festae, T. (T.) cerroazul and T. (A.) pachyurus). Their venoms were separated by HPLC and the corresponding sub-fractions were tested for lethality effects on mice and insects. Many fractions toxic to either mice or insects, or both, were found and have had their molecular masses determined by mass spectrometry analysis. The great majority of the lethal components had a molecular mass close to 7000 Da, assumed to be peptides that recognize Na+-channels, responsible for the toxicity symptoms observed in other buthids scorpion venoms. A toxic peptide isolated from the venom of T. pachyurus was sequenced by Edman degradation, allowing the synthesis of nucleotide probe for cloning the correspondent gene. The mature toxin based on the cDNA sequencing has the C-terminal residue amidated, contains 62 amino acid packed by 4 disulfide linkages, with molecular mass of 7099.1 Da. This same toxic peptide seems to be present in scorpions of the species T. pachyurus collected in 5 different regions of Panama, although the overall HPLC profile is quite different. The most diverse neurotoxic venom components from the genus Centruroides were found in the species C. panamensis, whereas T. cerroazul was the one from the genus Tityus. The most common neurotoxins were observed in the venoms of T. festae, T. asthenes and T. pachyurus with closely related molecular masses of 7099.1 and 7332 Da. The information reported here is considered very important for future generation of a neutralizing antivenom against scorpions from Panama. Furthermore, it will contribute to the growing interest in using bioactive toxins from scorpions for drug discovery purposes.

El género Ananteris Thorell, 1891 contiene gran variedad de especies de escorpiones Neotropicales de la familia Buthidae. En Panamá, este género está representado por dos especies. Se describe un reporte de caso de picadura de Uno de los estudios observacionales más grandes Lourenço, 1993 en Panamá. Este constituye el primer reporte de envenenamiento por el género Ananteris para la región. Panamá presenta una alta incidencia de escorpionismo ubicándose como una de las más altas en América Latina.

[Scorpionism by Tityus championi Pocock, in Panama, Case Report.]Resumen Panamá reporta la incidencia más alta de escorpionismo en la región centroamericana, incluyendo casos fatales. Se describe por primera vez un caso de escorpionismo por Tityus championi, una especie poco conocida de Buthidae. El accidente ocurre en Río Sereno, poblado fronterizo con Costa Rica. El paciente sufrió picada en el dedo del pie derecho; presentó síntomas concordantes con envenenamiento moderado. Se plantea la probabilidad de ocurrencia de casos que pueden llegar a ser severos en Panamá y Costa Rica, provocados por T.championi.AbstractPanama reports the highest incidence of scorpionism in Central America, including fatal cases. A case of scorpionism by Tityus championi is described by first time, a little-known species of Buthidae. The accident occurs in Río Sereno, a border settling near to Costa Rica. The patient suffered sting in a right toe; presented symptoms consistent with moderate poisoning. The probability of occurrence of cases that can become severe in Panama and Costa Rica, caused by T. championi, is presented.

In this paper we report and discuss the finding of all the stages of Ornithodoros puertoricensis (Argasidae) parasitizing the exotic reptiles Varanus dumerilii, Python regius and P. bivittatus , and its presence in the reptiles’ terrariums in Panama city. RESUMEN . Ornithodoros ( Alectorobius ) puertoricensis (Ixodida: Argasidae) parasitando reptiles exoticos utilizados como mascotas en Panama. En este trabajo se reporta y discute el hallazgo de todos los estadios Ornithodoros puertoricensis (Argasidae) parasitando los reptiles Varanus dumerilii , Python regius y P. bivittatus , y su presencia en los terrarios de reptiles en ciudad de Panama.

In this paper a virtual reality solution is developed to emulate the environment and the operations of the pitching and receiving traps of pipe scrapers (PIG), with the aim of reinforcing the training of operators in oil camps. To develop this, the information was collected on various pitching and receiving traps of the real pipeline operating companies in the country, thus defining the basic and specific parameters for the virtual recreation of a typical trap model. The 3d models obtains from PI and make available a base to simulate another complex process.

Water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidiae) were collected from males of frog-biting midges (Corethrellidae) in Gamboa, Panama. All Corethrella squamifemora males collected were parasitized with water mites. The mites were attached to the soft tissues of the thoracic region of the midges. No mites were found on female frog-biting midges of the same species. This study is the first report of mite parasitization in frog-biting midges.

Antecedentes: la anafilaxia oral por ácaros, o síndrome de las panquecas, ocurre cuando individuos atópicos ingieren alimentos elaborados con harina de trigo contaminada con ácaros, lo que induce reacciones alérgicas moderadas o severas, incluso fatales. Los reportes provienen de ambientes tropicales y subtropicales, donde las condiciones para la proliferación de ácaros domésticos son favorables. Se ha encontrado una asociación importante con la hipersensibilidad a ácido acetilsalicílico (AAS)-antiinflamatorios no esteroides (AINES) y el ejercicio físico. Objetivo: documentar el estudio clínico y descriptivo de casos de anafilaxia oral por ácaros atendidos en Ciudad de Panamá durante los años 2011 a 2014.Material y método: estudio clínico descriptivo y retrospectivo, que incluyó pruebas cutáneas de punción para cinco especies de ácaros domésticos. La identificación taxonómica de los ácaros se realizó bajo microscopio y se calculó la densidad de ácaros por gramo de alimento en tres casos.Resultados: se estudiaron 10 casos compatibles con anafilaxia oral por ácaros, la panqueca fue el alimento implicado con más frecuencia. Los primeros síntomas aparecieron entre 25 y 60 minutos después de la ingestión del alimento. Todos los pacientes fueron adultos jóvenes atópicos, cuatro con hipersensibilidad a AAS-AINES. Los pacientes resultaron positivos a las pruebas cutáneas de punción para los ácaros: Blomia tropicalis, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus y Suidasia pontifica. Tres muestras de harina de trigo estudiadas motraron altas densidades de ácaros.Conclusiones: la panqueca fue el alimento implicado con más frecuencia en los casos de anafilaxia oral por ácaros. Suidasia pontifica y Blomia tropicalis parecen ser los ácaros más importantes relacionados con este síndrome en nuestro país.

Introduction Contact dermatitis due to Paederus is a particular form of accident by animal contact. It is characterized by the sudden onset of erythematous and vesicular lesions with burning sensation on exposed areas of the body. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical findings of an outbreak of Paederus dermatitis in Panama. Methods Clinical and epidemiological findings of an outbreak of contact dermatitis caused by Paederus sp. in the province of Darien in eastern Panama is reported. After reviewing the clinical records, a clinical-epidemiological questionnaire was developed and used in 20 communities where reported cases were found. We captured and collected the specimens for species characterization for three consecutive days using three different methods of capture. Results During May-July, 2014, 68 cases of Paederus irritant contact dermatitis occurred in 20 communities of the Darien. Fifty-three percent were females. The age group of zero to five years had the highest number of cases, 15 (22%). The most common clinical presentation was the classical linear dermatitis (58%); 42% of the subjects had mirror image lesions, multiple vesicular-pustular lesions, and crust lesions. Symptoms were most commonly reported as a burning sensation (65%), followed by pruritus in 60%, pain (25%), and fever (nine percent). A total of 81 specimens of Paederus were collected, 68% in peridomiciliary areas. Conclusions This Paederus sp. dermatitis report represents one of the largest outbreak described in Latin America and the diagnosis could be confused with others skin diseases like pyodermitis or other contact dermatitis.

International audience; We report for the first time the presence of the snake mite, Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais) (Mesostigmata: Macronyssidae) on captive snakes kept in Panama City, Panama. This occurrence adds a new record to the geographical distribution of O. natricis as well as confirming its high prevalence on captive reptiles. Several Boidae species, Boa constrictor, Epicrates maurus, Corallus ruschenbergerii, Corallus caninus and a Pythonidae, Python regius were found infested with intensities varying from 10 to 2200 mites each. These findings represent the second record of O. natricis for Central America.

The present paper shows the development of a virtual reality application through the creation of environments that allows supervision, monitoring and control of industrial processes. It has the possibility to simulate or work with live-time information, linked to existing process modules of the most important physics variables such as level, pressure, flow and temperature. The results of the application are presented to validate the project, using the functions of supervision, monitoring and control, the scopes reached in emulation, as well as the contrast between the emulation option and real interplaying with industrial processes.

Scorpionism in the Americas occurs mainly in Mexico, northern South America and southeast Brazil. This article reviews the local scorpion fauna, available health statistics, and the literature to assess scorpionism in Central America. Notwithstanding its high toxicity in Mexico, most scorpion sting cases in Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica are produced by species in the genus Centruroides that are only mildly toxic to humans despite the existence of ion channel-active toxins in their venoms. Regional morbidity is low with the exception of Panama, where an incidence of 52 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded for 2007, with 28 deaths from 1998 to 2006. Taxa belonging to the genus Tityus (also present in the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica) are responsible for fatalities in Panama, with Tityus pachyurus being the most important species medically. Most Tityus species inhabiting Panama are also found in northern South America from which they probably migrated upon closure of the Panamanian isthmus in the Miocene era. Incorporation of Panama as part of the northern South American endemic area of scorpionism is thereby suggested based on the incidence of these accidents and the geographical distribution of Panamanian Tityus species.

The present research evaluated the presence of Rickettsia spp. on ectoparasites of horses and dogs (using PCR techniques), and their sera (using immunofluorescence assay) in El Valle de Antón town in Panama. A total of 20 horses and 20 dogs were sampled, finding four species of ectoparasites on dogs (the ticks Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma oblongoguttatum, and the flea Ctenocephalides felis), and two tick species on horses (Amblyomma cajennense and Dermacentor nitens). DNA of Rickettsia amblyommii was found in pools of A. cajennense, D. nitens, and R. sanguineus, while Rickettsia felis was detected in C. felis pools. Overall, 70% (14/20) and 65% (13/20) of the horses and dogs, respectively, were seroreactive (titer ≥ 64) to spotted fever group rickettsiae. Sera from six dogs and five horses reacted to R. amblyommii antigens with titers at least four-fold higher than those for the other antigens tested (Rickettsia bellii, Rickettsia parkeri, Rickettsia rhipicephali, R. felis, and R. rickettsii). These serological results, coupled with our molecular findings, suggest that these dogs and horses were infected by Rickettsia amblyommii. More studies need to be realized afford to identify the Rickettsia species responsible for other serological and molecular positive results, and their ecological importance.

Articulo digital., Tick-borne rickettsiosis is an important emerging disease in Panama; to date, there have been 12 confirmed cases, including eight fatalities. To evaluate the distribution of rickettsiae in Panamanian ticks, we collected questing and on-host ticks in urban and rural towns in elevations varying between 0 and 2300 m. A total of 63 sites (13 urban and 50 rural towns) were used to develop models of spatial distributions. We found the following tick species: Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. (present in 54 of 63 towns and cities), Amblyomma mixtum (45/63), Dermacentor nitens (40/63), A. ovale (37/63), Rhipicephalus microplus (33/63), A. oblongoguttatum (33/63), Ixodes affinis (3/63), and Ixodes boliviensis (2/63). Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. was present in urban and rural towns, and other species were present only in rural towns. DNA was extracted from 408 R. sanguineus s.l., 387 A. mixtum, 103 A. ovale, and 11 A. oblongoguttatum and later tested for rickettsiae genes using PCR. Rickettsia DNA was detected in ticks from 21 of 63 localities. Rickettsia rickettsii was detected in five A. mixtum (1.29%), and Candidatus ‘‘Rickettsia amblyommii’’ was found in 138 A. mixtum (35%), 14 R. sanguineus (3.4%), and one A. ovale (0.9%). These results suggest that much of rural Panama is suitable for the expansion of tick populations and could favor the appearance of new tick-borne rickettsiosis outbreaks.

Numerous adults and some juveniles of the oribatid mite Archegozetes magnus (Trhypochthoniidae) were collected from a single adult male túngara frog, Engystomops pustulosus (Leptodactylidae), in Panama. This is the first record of a non-parasitic mite species found on an anuran.

Introduccion. Los ectoparasitos son los principales vectores de rickettsiosis. En Panama se tienen escasos datos sobre los artropodos que pudieran considerarse vectores o reservorios. Objetivos. Presentar datos sobre la presencia de Rickettsia spp. en ectoparasitos de fauna silvestre y animales domesticos en la Reserva Natural Privada Cerro Chucanti y poblados vecinos. Materiales y metodos. Se revisaron 9 personas, 95 mamiferos domesticos y 48 silvestres. Los animales domesticos se examinaron con anuencia del propietario, mientras que la fauna silvestre se capturo con trampas Sherman y Tomahawk. Se extrajeron 21 especies de ectoparasitos: pulgas, piojos, garrapatas y otros acaros, los cuales se preservaron en etanol al 95 %. Se extrajo material genetico de garrapatas y pulgas para ser analizado por tecnicas moleculares en la deteccion de Rickettsia spp. Resultados. Se practicaron 425 reacciones de PCR, de las cuales, 270 resultaron negativas y 155 positivas. De las positivas, 86 amplificaron para el gen gltA (55 % de las positivas); de estos tambien amplificaron 41 (26 %) para ompA. Se encontro material genetico de Rickettsia amblyommii , en garrapatas de caballos ( Amblyomma cajennense , Dermacentor nitens ), de perros ( Rhipicephalus sanguineus ) y ninfas de Amblyomma recolectadas en el bosque. Ademas, se detecto ADN de R. felis en pulgas Ctenocephalides felis de perros. Conclusiones. Se pudo detectar la presencia de R. amblyommii y R. felis en garrapatas y pulgas de animales domesticos de los poblados cercanos a Cerro Chucanti, aun cuando no se pudo encontrar material genetico de Rickettsia en ectoparasitos de la fauna silvestre. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7705/biomedica.v32i2.390

In this study, which we carried out between January 2007 and July 2008 on populations of 3 species of wild mammals in Tonosi, Los Santos province, Panama, we report the presence of larvae of Cuterebra sp. parasitizing Zygodontomys brevicauda, Liomys adspersus, and Oligoryzomys fulvescens; the prevalence values recorded in these rodent species were 1.77, 2.15, and 1.17, respectively. This is the fi rst record of Cuterebra sp. as parasite of rodents in Panama, and L. adspersus represents a new host record.

Background To report the first case of an anaphylactic shock, almost lethal, in the Republic of Panama, produced by ingestion of pancakes contaminated by mites. Methods A 21 year-old male patient was evaluated due to an anaphylactic shock after the ingestion of pancakes, eggs and milk. The patient had a background of a moderate allergic rhinitis. Not asthma. Skin prick test was performed on the patient with standardized extract of mites and food items, including, flour, milk and egg. After twenty minutes the results were read and considered positive since the wheal was 2 mm larger than the control (histamine 1 mg/mL). The Total IgE was determined by the chemiluminescence method. The determination of the specific IgE for mites and food was performed by the enzyme immunoassay technique. The counting and identification of the mites in the pancake samples that were eaten by the patient were placed in a microscopic slide using a Hoyer medium and analyzed in a stereomicroscope. Results The skin prick test performed was considered positive for Blomia tropicalis, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and negative for flour, milk and egg. The total IgE was increased and the specific IgE resulted positive for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Blomia tropicalis, but negative for flour, egg and milk. The microscopic examination of the pancake wheat showed 3 different species of mites: Blomia tropicalis, Blomia sp. and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, the first one in major proportion. Conclusions The anaphylactic shock of the patient was produced by the ingestion of a commercial pancake contaminated by mites to which the patient was sensitized. Flour kept in open containers becomes a fertile ground for the growth of mites in tropical climates. Allergic patients should be warned of the danger of anaphylaxis in such conditions.

The present paper reports the first survey of house dust mites of Panama. Samples of house dust from bedroom floors of 20 houses located in urban and rural areas of La Chorrera, Panama, were examined for the presence of mites. Mites were present in all samples. A total of 9150 mites were isolated and identified as belonging to 21 families, 24 genera and 29 species. We found an average mite density of 1.23 mites/mg dust. Blomia tropicalis (Echimyopodidae) occurred in all the samples examined. All the astigmatid mites we found in urban house dust have been recognized previously as sources of allergens that cause respiratory diseases, but only 71.4 percent of those found in rural areas are known to be allergenic. We present the first record of Glycycometus malaysiensis (Fain & Nadchatram) (Aeroglyphidae) new combination (transferred from Austroglycyphagus) in Panama and the Neotropical region.