Resumen El desarrollo industrial ha generado la creación de nuevos productos que han mejorado la calidad de vida. De tal forma, se ha impulsado el consumo de fármacos, cosméticos, artículos de limpieza y de cuidado personal, entre otros. Éstos denominados contaminantes emergentes han sido de uso frecuente en las últimas décadas ocasionando una fuerte presión para los hábitats acuáticos y considerándose como factores de riesgo para la salud de los seres vivos. Un ejemplo es el triclosán (TCS), reconocido por su acción fungicida y presente en productos de aseo como antibacteriales, cuidado personal, jabones líquidos y enjuagues bucales. Desafortunadamente se ha encontrado en aguas crudas y residuales teniendo interacción con los ecosistemas acuáticos e incidiendo en la calidad de vida de los individuos, alterando funciones metabólicas y en consecuencia a la cadena trófica por efecto de bioacumulación. De tal forma, en esta investigación se evaluó el efecto del triclosán en la movilidad espermática de machos sexualmente maduros de Oreochromis spp. que fueron sometidos a un diseño experimental con tres factores: concentración de triclosán (0, 50, 120 y 190 µg/L), pH (7 y 9) y tiempo de exposición (0, 3 y 7 días). Los resultados evidenciaron una disminución significativa en la movilidad rápida y por lo tanto un aumento significativo para algunos tratamientos en la movilidad media y lenta. Los resultados permiten concluir que la interacción entre los factores evaluados pudo incidir en la alteración de la estructura celular espermática y a nivel mitocondrial disminuyendo su movilidad por una baja síntesis de adenosin trifosfato.

Abstract Industrial development has generated the creation of new products that have improved the quality of life. In this way, the consumption of drugs, cosmetics, cleaning and personal care items, among others, has been promoted. These so-called emerging pollutants have been in frequent use in recent decades, causing strong pressure on aquatic habitats and being considered risk factors for the health of living beings. An example is triclosan (TCS), recognized for its fungicidal action and present in hygiene products such as antibacterials, personal care, liquid soaps and mouthwashes. Unfortunately, it has been found in raw and waste waters, interacting with aquatic ecosystems and affecting the quality of life of individuals, altering metabolic functions and consequently the trophic chain due to the effect of bioaccumulation. Thus, in this research, the effect of triclosan on the sperm motility was evaluated in sexually mature males of Oreochromis spp. that were subjected to an experimental design with three factors: triclosan concentration (0, 50, 120 and 190 µg / L), pH (7 and 9) and exposure time (0, 3 and 7 days). The results showed a significant decrease in fast mobility and therefore a significant increase for some treatments in medium and slow mobility. The results allow us to conclude that the interaction between the evaluated factors could influence the alteration of the sperm cell structure and the mitochondria, reducing their mobility due to a low synthesis of adenosine triphosphate.

Congenital Chagas disease acquired special importance in Chile after the certification of the control of Triatoma infestans and transmission by blood donors affected with Trypanosoma cruzi. In order to establish adequate protocols for intervention and control in infected mother-neonate pairs in endemic zones of Chagas disease, we present partial results (2005-2008) of a pilot project which is being carried out in the Province of Choapa, IV Region, Chile, whose objectives are: determine the current prevalence of the disease in pregnant women, estimate the incidence of vertical transmission of T. cruzi to newborns, determine the lineages of the parasite present in mothers who do and do not transmit the disease, determine the prevalence of Chagas disease in maternal grandmothers of neonates and study placental histopathology. Preliminary results indicated that in this study period, 3.7% of the women who gave birth in the Province have Chagas disease and 2.5% of their newborns were infected. The most frequent T. cruzi genotypes found in mothers studied during pregnancy were TCI and TCIId, either alone or in mixed infections. A high percentage (74.3%) of the grandmothers studied was infected with the parasite. In 29 placentas from mothers with Chagas disease we observed edema, necrosis, fibrinoid deposits and slight lymphoplasmocyte infiltration. In three placentas we found erythroblastosis and in one of them amastigote forms of T. cruzi; this was one of the cases of congenital infection. The evaluation of the diagnostic and control protocols generated will allow us to determine if it has been possible to modify the natural history of vertical transmission of T. cruzi in Chile.

Molecular evidence showed 46.2% of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Mepraia spinolai insects from North-Central Chile, which is significantly higher than previous reports of up to 26% by microscopic observation. Our results show similar infection levels among nymphal stages, ranging from 38.3 to 54.1%, indicating that younger nymphs could be as important as older ones in parasite transmission. A cautionary note must be stressed to indicate the potential role of M. spinolai in transmitting T. cruzi in country areas due to the high infection level detected by molecular analysis.