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Cetacean strandings (CS) have been reported in increasing numbers in coastal areas worldwide. Although the causes of these strandings are unknown, a number of anthropogenic and environmental factors have been suggested. This paper aims to characterize CS patterns and describe their fine-scale spatiotemporal dynamics. We analysed spatial and spatiotemporal CS patterns in Chile from January 1968 to January 2020. We identified a total of 389 CS events affecting eight cetacean families, 21 genera, and 35 species, which represent more than 85% of the reported species richness for the country. Most CS events (94.1%) were single (i.e., ≤two individuals). There were also 18 mass stranding (three to 24 individuals, 4.1%) and nine unusually large mass stranding events (25 individuals, 2%). Purely spatial tests showed CS events appearing in random occurrence along the Chilean coast. Local tests for spatio-temporal clusters, however, identified a greater number of hotspots reported in the southernmost part of the country, namely, Chilean Patagonia. Specifically, significant spatio-temporal clusters were identified and defined as containing three or more individuals within a two-month period as a focal coastal event (1 km radius). It is a cause of concern that CS events in Chile have been increasing consistently over the last decades, and although we were not able to identify their causes, we are able to highlight the importance of changes in climate conditions and of an increase in monitoring activities as primary drivers for such patterns, particularly important in Chilean Patagonia.

Indexación Scopus Cetacean strandings (CS) have been reported in increasing numbers in coastal areas worldwide. Although the causes of these strandings are unknown, a number of anthropogenic and environmental factors have been suggested. This paper aims to characterize CS patterns and describe their fine-scale spatiotemporal dynamics. We analysed spatial and spatiotemporal CS patterns in Chile from January 1968 to January 2020. We identified a total of 389 CS events affecting eight cetacean families, 21 genera, and 35 species, which represent more than 85% of the reported species richness for the country. Most CS events (94.1%) were single (i.e., ≤two individuals). There were also 18 mass stranding (three to 24 individuals, 4.1%) and nine unusually large mass stranding events (>25 individuals, 2%). Purely spatial tests showed CS events appearing in random occurrence along the Chilean coast. Local tests for spatio-temporal clusters, however, identified a greater number of hotspots reported in the southernmost part of the country, namely, Chilean Patagonia. Specifically, significant spatio-temporal clusters were identified and defined as containing three or more individuals within a two-month period as a focal coastal event (

The use of antimicrobials in aquaculture is a common practice. Chile is second larger producer of salmon worldwide, but unfortunately is the first consumer of antibiotics. Tonnes of florfenicol and oxytetracycline yearly are used in the Chilean salmoniculture to control the pathogens that threaten the sustainability of the industry. This excessive use of antibiotics have selected populations of resistant bacteria from the sediments and the water column that sorround the fish farms. In a recent work, our lab described the high prevalence of multiresistant bacteria and Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) in the gut microbiota of Antlactic salmon (Salmo salar) treated with high doses of antibiotics. In this work, we revisited the analysis of the previously described gut multiresistant bacteria grouped in banks of florfenicol resistant isolates (FB) and oxytetracycline resistant isolates (OB) looking for the presence of integron-integrase elements. These elements have been described as an important players in the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) phenomenon and they are considered a good markers of the anthopogenic activities pollution. The results showed that the 100% of the multiresistant isolates present the class 1 intagrase. Despite this result, no isolate from FB showed the typical structure of class 1 integrons: the presence in 3’-CS of qacEΔ1/sul1 genes. While in OB, only 23% of the isolates showed this characteristic structure. Additionally, only four isolates of OB and none of FB showed recognisable gene cassettes and no genes of resistance to florfenicol and oxytetacycline appeared in them. Of these four isolates, three of them showed a single gene cassette containing the dfrA-14 gene, which confers resistance to trimethoprim. Whilst the other isolate showed the aac(6’)31-qacH-blaoxa2 genes, which confers resistance to aminoglycosides, quaternary ammonium compounds and beta-lactams, respectively. Finally, it was possible to demonstrate that the described integrons probably come from anthropogenic activities like clinical settings and/or industrial animal husbandry, since they show integrases proteins identical to those carried by human pathogens.

Las enfermedades respiratorias en los equinos son la segunda causa de perdida deportiva despues de las patologias musculo esqueleticas las cuales pueden generar intolerancia al ejercicio que se evidencia a traves de una disminucion del rendimiento deportivo. Los trastornos obstructivos de las vias respiratorias altas (VRA), se producen durante el ejercicio del caballo siendo un problema comun entre los caballos de carrera, afectando a un 70% de los pacientes con historial de ruido respiratorio o bajo rendimiento. La evaluacion de las vias respiratorias altas del equino se realiza por endoscopia de las VRA. Sin embargo muchas alteraciones de las VRA del equino son de naturaleza dinamica, las cuales es producen solo durante el ejercicio, por lo que no son necesariamente evidentes durante un examen endoscopico en reposo. Por lo cual, el treadmill (Cinta de alta velocidad) y los estudios de endoscopia dinamica en terreno, han revelado que el colapso dinamico de las VRA es una importante causa de los malos resultados en caballos de deporte, siendo considerada como Gold Standard. Existen variadas formas de colapso dinamico de las VRA, que se han informado y en muchos casos hasta aproximadamente el 50% son multiples estructuras colapsando simultaneamente. En Chile no existe el diagnostico mediante endoscopia dinamica lo que limita un correcto diagnostico por endoscopia en reposo, por lo que puede resultar en fracasos terapeuticos que se traducen en perdidas economicas.

The objective of this study was to obtain diagnostic performance estimates for immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests, for Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD) surveillance in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar.) broodstock without clinical signs compatible with the disease in Chile. To obtain diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) and specificity (DSp) estimates of those tests, an expert elicitation process was conducted using the trial roulette method during a workshop with 18 national experts on BKD diagnostics and control. A questionnaire was given to the experts to gather information on their previous experience with BKD, and 12 experts who received an introduction to the expert-elicitation process and graphical representation of statistical distributions. Experts were divided into three groups and requested to draw distributions of DSe and DSp parameters using an online tool. Then figures where projected and discussed among participants. After the discussion round, experts were requested to redraw their distributions (if considered necessary). The agreement between groups was assessed by calculating the overlapping areas between the three distributions for each parameter. Finally, a consensus distribution was generated. In general, groups had moderate to high agreement with overlapping areas between 53% to 93% for DSpIFAT, DSeqPCR, and DSpqPCR. Conversely, no agreement was reached for the DSeIFAT distribution. Specifically, median estimates of 89.5%, 90.5%, and 95.9%, were obtained for DSpIFAT, DSeqPCR, & DSpqPCR, respectively. In the case of DSeIFAT, the first group provided a median estimate of 28%, whereas groups 2 and 3 reached a consensus value of approximately 62%. This study provides information that is not available in the country, and will help to adjust current BKD control programs, which mainly rely on the use of qPCR assays.