Publications by authors named "Juan Verasay"

Viral diseases jeopardize the health of wildlife in Chile. However, this country lacks health surveillance programs that allow for defining preventive measures to tackle such diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence and the genetic diversity of pestivirus, herpesvirus and adenovirus in pudus from Chile.

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Article Synopsis
  • Hemotropic mycoplasmas are known to cause hemolytic anemia in various mammals, but their presence in Chilean artiodactyls, specifically pudus, has not been studied until now.
  • The study involved analyzing blood samples from 76 pudus and found a 13% infection rate, with no significant difference between wild (19%) and captive (6%) populations.
  • Results revealed closely related sequences to Mycoplasma ovis in both groups and identified two new sequences, indicating the need for further research on the health impacts and population effects of hemoplasmas on pudus and other wildlife in Chile.
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The Darwin's fox (Lycalopex fulvipes) is one of the most endangered carnivores worldwide, with the risk of disease spillover from domestic dogs being a major conservation threat. However, lack of epidemiologic information about generalist, non-dog-transmission-dependent protozoal and bacterial pathogens may be a barrier for disease prevention and management. To determine the exposure of some of these agents in Darwin's fox populations, 54 serum samples were collected from 47 Darwin's foxes in Southern Chile during 2013-18 and assessed for the presence of antibodies against Brucella abortus, Brucella canis, Coxiella burnetii, pathogenic Leptospira (serovars Grippotyphosa, Pomona, Canicola, Hardjo, and Copehageni), Toxoplasma gondii, and Neospora caninum.

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Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic cosmopolitan protozoan that causes a high mortality rate among zoo mammals such as New World primates, meerkats, marsupials and Pallas' cat. It has been recently reported in Chile, mainly among wild populations, but also as the cause of death of a kangaroo and a mara. However, there has not been a T.

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