Resumen (es):
Tras la pandemia de COVID-19, la vigilancia epidemiológica de patógenos con potencial zoonótico ha adquirido mayor relevancia. Columba livia, especie introducida ampliamente distribuida en ambientes urbanos de Colombia, alberga diversos agentes infecciosos. Sin embargo, su papel en la circulación del virus del Nilo Occidental (VNO) y la influenza aviar (VIA) sigue siendo poco conocido. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la presencia de enteroparásitos, hemoparásitos y de ambos virus en poblaciones ferales de Bogotá, Arauca y Aguazul. Se analizaron muestras fecales, sanguíneas, orofaríngeas y cloacales de 48 individuos mediante microscopía y RT-qPCR. Se detectó Haemoproteus columbae como el hemoparásito más frecuente y enteroparásitos de los géneros Eimeria, Blastocystis, entre otros, en Arauca y Bogotá. No se obtuvo evidencia de infección activa por VIA ni por VNO. La confirmación de los resultados mediante RT-qPCR con SYBR Green permitió descartar como falsos positivos las muestras inicialmente reactivas para VNO por TaqMan. Estos hallazgos resaltan la importancia de confirmar los resultados moleculares con valores de Ct cercanos al límite de detección y respaldan la vigilancia epidemiológica de especies sinantrópicas como herramienta para el monitoreo de patógenos de importancia en salud pública.
Resumen (en):
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, epidemiological surveillance of pathogens with zoonotic potential has gained increasing importance. Columba livia, an introduced species widely distributed in urban environments throughout Colombia, harbors a variety of infectious agents. However, its role in the circulation of West Nile virus (WNV) and avian influenza virus (AIV) remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites, hemoparasites, and both viruses in feral pigeon populations from Bogotá, Arauca, and Aguazul. Fecal, blood, oropharyngeal, and cloacal samples were collected from 48 individuals and analyzed using microscopy and RT-qPCR. Haemoproteus columbae was the most frequently detected hemoparasite, while gastrointestinal parasites belonging to the genera Eimeria and Blastocystis, among others, were identified in Arauca and Bogotá. No evidence of active infection with AIV or WNV was detected. Confirmation of the molecular results by SYBR Green RT-qPCR demonstrated that samples initially reactive for WNV by the TaqMan assay were false positives. These findings highlight the importance of confirming molecular results with cycle threshold (Ct) values close to the detection limit and support epidemiological surveillance of synanthropic species as a valuable strategy for monitoring pathogens of public health importance.
Palabras clave:
Una Salud, especies invasoras, enfermedades emergentes, reservorios animales, salud urbana (es)
One Health, invasive species, emerging infectious diseases, animal reservoirs, urban health (en)
One Health, invasive species, emerging infectious diseases, animal reservoirs, urban health (en)
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Cómo citar
Matta, N., Aponte-Gutiérrez, A. F., Pérez Arenas, L. M., Gaitán Albarracín, F. A., Gamboa-Suárez, B. A., Berdugo, J. A., … Galindo González, A. D. (2026). Diagnóstico de hemoparásitos, enteroparásitos y virus de importancia zoonótica en poblaciones urbanas de Columba livia en Colombia. Biota Colombiana, 27, e1350. https://doi.org/10.21068/2539200X.1350
Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 4.0.
Derechos de autor 2026 Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander Von Humboldt
