Time trend tendency (1988-2014 years) of organochlorine pesticide levels in the adipose tissue of Veracruz inhabitants.

The population that lives in areas where organochlorine pesticides were spread in the past is still exposed to them through contaminated food, particulate matter, and vapors. Due to their lipophilic properties and resistance to metabolic reactions, they accumulate in tissues and fluids rich in lipids. The aim of the study was to monitor the concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in forensic adipose tissue samples of adult inhabitants of Veracruz City, Mexico, and compare their time trend levels from 1988 to 2014. During the study, hexachlorobenzene (HCB); lindane; ß-hexachorocyclohexane; p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (pp'DDE); p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p'-DDT); and o,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (o,p'-DDT) were determined. Our survey was divided into two periods: first, from the years 1988 to 1999, during which DDT was allowed to fight malaria and dengue vectors and the second from the years 2001 to 2014, after the DDT ban. A total of 1435 samples were analyzed. There were substantial differences in the forecasted time trend values of p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDT in human adipose tissue samples in the two different periods. During the first period, p,p'-DDE decrease time trend was 1.198 mg/kg on lipid base per year; for the second one, decrease was 0.128 mg/kg on lipid base per year. p,p'-DDT decreased 0.507 mg/kg on lipid base during the first period and 0.039 mg/kg on lipid base for the second. The different concentrations may be explained by the cessation of fresh exposure after the first period and a more equilibrated decontamination tendency during the second period. This model was useful to show the decrease in the concentration of pesticides in human adipose tissue samples.

The larva of Phyllogomphoides pugnifer Donnelly, 1979 (Odonata: Gomphidae).

The larva of Phyllogomphoides pugnifer Donnelly, 1979 is described for the first time based on reared specimens to emergence, and several F-0 larvae collected in Chiapas and Veracruz states, Mexico. The larva of P. pugnifer can be separated from other larvae of the genus by the length/width proportion of structures such as prementum, ligula, and abdominal segment 10, as well as length of cercus relative to epiproct.

Description of the larva of Orthemis ferruginea (Fabricius, 1775) (Odonata: Libellulidae).

The last larval stadium of Orthemis ferruginea (Fabricius, 1775) is described and illustrated in detail based on reared material collected in the municipality of Paso de Ovejas, Veracruz, Mexico. It is compared with larvae of other species of the genus previously described. The main structural features are the number of setae on palp, prementum and palp crenations, the size proportion of cerci respect to epi- and paraprocts, and the number of sclerites on abdominal sternum 5.

Haloalkalitolerant Actinobacteria with capacity for anthracene degradation isolated from soils close to areas with oil activity in the State of Veracruz, Mexico.

The use of native strains of microorganisms from soils is an excellent option for bioremediation. To our knowledge, until now there has been no other group working on the isolation of Actinobacteria from contaminated soils in Mexico. In this study, samples of soils close to areas with oil activity in the State of Veracruz, Mexico, were inoculated for the isolation of Actinobacteria. The strains isolated were characterized morphologically, and the concentrations of NaCl and pH were determined for optimal growth. Strain selection was performed by the detection of a phylogenetic marker for Actinobacteria located at the 23S rRNA gene, followed by species identification by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. Several haloalkalitolerant Actinobacteria were isolated and identified as: Kocuria rosea, K. palustris, Microbacterium testaceum, Nocardia farcinica and Cellulomonas denverensis. Except for C. denverensis, the biomass of all strains increased in the presence of anthracene. The strains capacity to metabolize anthracene (at 48 h), determined by fluorescence emission, was in the range of 46-54%. During this time, dihydroxy aromatic compounds formed, characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy bands of 1205 cm-1 and 1217 cm-1. Those Actinobacteria are potentially useful for the bioremediation of saline and alkaline environments contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds. [Int Microbiol 2016; 19(1):15-26].

Frequency of cattle farms with ivermectin resistant gastrointestinal nematodes in Veracruz, Mexico.

This study reports the percentage of cattle farms with ivermectin (IVM) resistant gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) in Veracruz, Mexico, and identifies the GIN genera involved in the resistances. It also describes management practices of anthelmintic (AH) use on the surveyed farms. Twenty-one farms were assessed by means of the faecal egg count reduction test using the McMaster technique. Only two farms had GIN populations susceptible to IVM (9.5%). The proportion of farms with IVM resistant GIN was 71.4% (15/21). Seven of these farms had less than 80% egg count reductions. Haemonchus and Cooperia were the genera most commonly found in the resistant populations, followed by Oesophagostomum. Inappropriate AH treatment practices were identified from the completed questionnaires. Further management practices such as selective treatment and quarantine treatments are proposed to further reduce the spread of IVM resistance between farms.