Publications by authors named "Abreu-Acosta N"

Numerous factors, such as soil fertility, climatic conditions, human activity, pests, and diseases, limit agricultural yields. Pesticides and fertilizers have become indispensable tools to satisfy the global food demand. However, its adverse environmental effects have led to the search for more sustainable and ethical techniques.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the winter of 2022-2023, hundreds of the Atlantic puffins () appeared dead in the coast of the Canary Islands, a rare event considering their cold-living habits, normally occupying the North Atlantic Ocean. In this work, investigation about the parasites present in the Atlantic puffins found in the biggest islands of the Archipelago was carried out from a population portion. Necropsies of 39 birds were made and, during the examination of the urinary tracts, helminths were found.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Microsporidia are unicellular parasites found in various animals, but there's limited information on their presence in Canary Islands animals, specifically hedgehogs.
  • Between December 2020 and September 2021, researchers analyzed fecal samples from 36 hedgehogs in Tenerife and Gran Canaria, discovering 100% of them contained microsporidia spores.
  • Their genetic analysis identified two new genotypes (AAE1 and AAE2) and highlighted a high prevalence of zoonotic species, making this the first report of microsporidia in hedgehogs from this region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Analysis of 40 chameleons revealed high prevalence of bacteria like Salmonella spp. and E. coli, with significant findings of antibiotic-resistant strains.
  • The presence of multiple mycobacteria species and specific virulence genes suggests these chameleons could contribute to spreading pathogens, posing risks to public health and local biodiversity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

is a metastrongyloid nematode and the etiologic agent of angiostrongyliasis, a disease characterized by eosinophilic meningitis. This emerging zoonotic parasite has undergone great expansion, including in some regions of Europe and America. In the Canary Islands, the parasite was first discovered parasitizing on the island of Tenerife in 2010.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A total of 81 ticks were collected, identifying specific tick species and detecting pathogens, including some that are harmful to health, with a 12.2% prevalence in ticks.
  • * The research marks the first identification of these pathogens in the Canary Islands, emphasizing the need for further studies and public awareness about ticks as disease vectors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lizards belonging to the genus are native to America and have been introduced in many parts of the world. In this work, a gastrointestinal microbiological analysis from sp. introduced to Tenerife, Canary Island, was carried out.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Microsporidia are parasites with potential to infect humans and animals, identified in both domestic and wild species, notably in mainland Spain.
  • The study focused on the prevalence of microsporidia in rabbits on the Canary Islands, specifically in Tenerife, due to a lack of previous research in that area.
  • Out of 50 fecal samples collected from rabbits, 14% tested positive for microsporidia, revealing the presence of genotype I and five potentially new species, marking the first molecular detection of these parasites in Spanish rabbits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The study aimed to perform the molecular identification of larvae in commercial fish from the coast of the Canary Islands and to provide data on their infection level for the host and the species of this nematode parasite that we could find in several species of commercial interest in the Canary Archipelago. Fish specimens (n = 172) from the Canary coasts were examined for parasites. In total, 495 larvae were identified; PCR was carried out for the entire ITS rDNA and cox2 mtDNA region, obtaining sixteen sequences for the entire ITS rDNA region and fifteen for the cox2 mtDNA, this being the first contribution of nucleotide sequences of species of fish caught from the Canary Islands.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • An emerging zoonotic nematode is the leading cause of eosinophilic meningitis globally, first discovered in China and now found in 30 countries, including recent sightings in South America and Tenerife.
  • In a study spanning 13 years, 1,462 rodents were sampled across eight Canary Islands, with the parasite detected only in Tenerife at rates of 19.7% in one species and 7.14% in another, particularly in the island's northern region.
  • The study suggests a recent introduction of this nematode to Tenerife, emphasizing the importance of control measures to prevent its spread, which could lead to further transmission to humans and other animals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The cat flea Ctenocephalides felis is the main vector of Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae, the causative agents of cat-scratch disease (CSD) and the spotted-fever agent Rickettsia felis. In spite of their worldwide distribution, there are no data on the occurrence of CSD-causing Bartonella species or the prevalence of Rickettsia species in the Canary Islands, Spain. Therefore, the aim of our study was to screen cat and dog fleas for both pathogens.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Because isolated ecosystems contribute to species variability, especially oceanic island ecosystems, the present work focused on the study of the Bartonella species and haplotypes in Lanzarote and El Hierro, two Canary islands with evident bioclimatic differences between them. A total of 123 rodents and 110 fleas from two islands were screened for the presence of Bartonella by PCR analysis of the gltA and nuoG genes. The overall prevalence was 5.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Actinomycetes are a wide group of Gram positive prokaryotes, the soil being their most characteristic habitat, where they play important ecological functions. Their immense biotechnological potential as producers of bioactive molecules of great commercial and industrial interest is exemplified by most antibiotics for clinical use being derived from this group of bacteria. In this work several methodologies and culture media were tested for the isolation of actinomycetes in soils from three different edafoclimatic areas of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain): an arid zone of the southeast coast of the island, a humid area in the laurel forest and the Canary high mountain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Roads fragment vertebrate populations and affect the dynamics and dispersal patterns of vertebrate parasites. We evaluated how vertebrate ticks distribute near roads and road underpasses in human-caused road-fragmented landscapes in Seville, SW Spain. We sampled 49 stations with 93 individualized sampling points and assessed tick abundance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This paper reports the role of darkling beetles Pimelia laevigata costipennis and Hegeter amaroides (Tenebrionidae) as intermediate hosts of spiruroid nematodes parasites of the black rat and house mouse of El Hierro (Canary Islands). Larvae of spiruroid species were found in the two tenebrionids (18.1% in P.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The flagellated parasite Giardia duodenalis is known as one of the most common causes of protozoal diarrhoea in both humans and animals worldwide. The aim of the present work was to perform the first study of G. duodenalis in rodents in the Canary Islands (Spain) and analyse the level of genetic variation and the potential zoonotic role of the isolates.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The parasite fauna (protozoa, helminths and insects) of the two most widespread Murinae rodents in El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain), the black rat (Rattus rattus) and the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) was studied. Faunistic, ecological, ecotoxicological data, as well as information on the biology of some nematode parasites of R. rattus are provided.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this work the influence of oxygen injection on the inactivation of microbiological indicators during reclaimed wastewater transportation was studied. Experiments were carried out in a completely filled gravity pipe (62 km long), at two different periods of the year and with three different oxygen doses (7, 15 and 30 mg L(-1)). Microbiological parameters studied were faecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, enterococci and somatic coliphages.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Parastrongylus cantonensis is a parasite of murid rodents that can infect humans and cause health problems as eosinophilic meningitis. Although it is endemic in south Asia, the Pacific islands, Australia, USA, and a few Caribbean islands, it has been extended to new geographical regions. In the Canary Islands (Spain) a survey of helminths of Rattus rattus, Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus domesticus was carried out.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - A new species of tapeworm, Oochoristica feliui, has been discovered in the lizard Gallotia atlantica on the Canary Islands, Spain, expanding knowledge on anoplocephalid cestodes.
  • - This species belongs to a specific group of Oochoristica with unique characteristics, including circular suckers and a cluster of fewer than 25 testes.
  • - Oochoristica feliui is distinguished from related species by features such as the structure of the scolex, ovary, and vitelline gland, as well as a spined cirrus and the presence of osmoregulatory canals, making it significant as the first report of an adult cestode in this
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In Egypt, the genotyping study of Giardia intestinalis in human is limited. To determine the prevalence of G. intestinalis, faecal samples were collected from Egypt.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Giardia duodenalis (syn. Giardia lamblia, Giardia intestinalis) is a wide-spread intestinal protozoa of both humans and animals. Although giardiosis in goat is commonly asymptomatic, young kids may bear an enteric disease associated with persistent diarrhoea and delayed weight gain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Intestinal helminths and blood protozoa are common parasites of lizards. In captivity they can be a serious problem, but no information on treatments is available. In this study, several antiparasitic drugs were studied in Gallotia caesaris (Lacertida) from La Gomera, the Canary Islands, Spain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * Identification methods included observing cyst and trophozoite forms and using PCR techniques to confirm their presence and potential pathogenicity.
  • * The findings indicated that isolates mostly belonged to T1, T2, T3, T4, and T7 genotypes, with T4 showing the highest pathogenic traits, marking the first report on Acanthamoeba distribution in Egypt.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF